On the Road Ministry

I always thought I would travel and do ministry. Well I am. Let me explain.

I am traveling because I am part of a Community Coalition that is doing on going training. I am here in Louisville for training that is paid for by grant dollars. Here is the great thing about this. I am here not as Pastor John, but John. I can live my faith in front of others and I don't have to say a word. I have made it known where I stand and I have had some good conversations with people who are looking for answers. I don't know if I have the answer that they are looking for, but I listen and validate what they are saying. Why am I telling you this?

Because we are all in ministry in our respective occupations. The question is are we using the platform we have been given to be the hands and feet of Jesus?

I am flying out tomorrow and will have an opportunity to post on Saturday or Sunday.

Inconvenience

When I checked into my hotel here in Louisville, I was very tired. I was not mindful that I had forgotten my confirmation number for my hotel. I thought if I gave the desk clerk my name he would be able to pull up my reservation. Well, 30 minutes later they still couldn't find my reservation. At this point I had a choice, I could have gotten upset or I could just be patient. I decided to be patient, and that was the right choice.

The desk clerk was very kind, and went above and beyond to provide the highest customer service. Finally he said that he found my reservation and since I was waiting patiently he would upgrade my room to the Consierge Lounge. This would mean a bigger room and a lot of extra amenities. So what is my point?

Here is the point, there is a reward for being patient. Being patient won't always get you a room upgrade, but someday you will receive your reward in Heaven.

I Am Tired

I took a late flight and arrived in Louisville today at 10 am. I will post something tomorrow.

In Memory of My Uncle

My Uncle Dan was born just a few months before the sneak attack at Pearl Harbor in 1941. My Uncle enlisted in the Marines when he was 17 years old. Everything I remember about my Uncle pointed to the fact that he was born in a time when patriotism was the word of the day.

My Uncle was my Dad's youngest brother and he was a hard worker. From the time that we were kids we always knew where we could find my Uncle, at work. There was never a kinder person that took people in and gave them a chance. I will always remember my Uncle as the only man alive that could call me "babe". That was what he called everybody, it was his term of endearment.

My uncle was tough and he was no nonsense, of course he was a Marine! Yet family was very important to him. When we got together for family gatherings we sensed that we were a part of something that would affect how we would raise our families.

The last time that I saw my Uncle, we almost missed him. We were coming by the office (gas station) and they were getting ready to leave and close up for the night. When we pulled up they said come on in, and for the next hour our families had a memorable time. I had no idea that this would be the last time I would see my Uncle Dan alive. Just to think I almost missed it. I am so glad I got to spend that time with my Uncle.

I know that I will see my Uncle again when I finally reach home. But I wonder what is the perspective from Heaven on what takes place here on Earth. Can our loved ones see us and what do they think about what they see? Not sure if I have the answers, but as I get older I sure am getting homesick for my heavenly home.

One by one our family has gone ahead of us, just how close is the Lord's coming? Could it be today?

Celebration of a Life

Today was my Uncle Dan's funeral, correction Celebration of his life. It was good to see family and friends for this time. But it caused me to realize that life is so short. This is a time when we all begin to think about our life. The question that I have for you is what will be the legacy that you will leave behind?

As I was standing there with family during the viewing I heard people say nice things about my Uncle Dan, and the question that came to mind was, "what do I want people to say about me at my funeral?" Is there something that I can do so that people will say nice things, or rather true things about me? Here are three things that I want to suggest that will help us leave a legacy.

• Start with the end in mind (Start today living an honorable life so that others will be impacted by your actions.)
  
• Live for others (Do things to serve others. Make sure you keep the perspective of using your gifts to bless others.)
• Keep your commitments (be a man or woman of your word.)

Tomorrow I will share about my uncle and his service.

God is Great and God is Good

I was with my sister for church this morning. I have to admit it is nice to walk into a church and not worry about who is doing what. As a Pastor I still miss being home with the greatest group of people who want to see God do something in Warden. Service was good, but was not what I . expected.

My sister's church is participating in the "One Prayer" program. Stephen Furtick was our speaker via satellite. Maybe I am old fashioned but I had to overcome the "watching the video screen" mentality. Once I got past that, I really started to listen to the speaker. He really preached a simple but powerful message. Here is the point of his message.

God is great (he's powerful) but He is good (He has great intentions of good towards me)

So what do you need? He is great and He is good!

I Will Be in Delaware

I will be flying back east this weekend to attend my Uncle's funeral. My hope is to post everyday, we'll see.

Goodbye or See You Later?

I apologize that I haven't posted in a few days. I did not have an Internet connection. This last couple of days have been busy and they seemed to have gone by rather quick.

On Sunday night my Uncle died from pancreatic cancer. He was suffering so much that it was a relief for him not to be in pain. I will be flying back east to attend his funeral next week. As I mentioned in a previous post my uncle became a Christian a few years ago, and he is now in the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I know that someday I will see him again.

Let me ask you a question when your loved dies is it goodbye or I'll see you later? I mean when they die are you assured that you will see them again after this life? As a Christian I believe that only those who have had their sins forgiven and received the gift of eternal life are guaranteed an afterlife worth living.

Let me ask you have you asked Jesus to forgive your sins? Are you 100% certain that if you should die today that you would be guaranteed a home in Heaven? If not, then it is time to be certain. The Bible tells us that we must admit that we have done a lot of things that we are ashamed of, and that we should believe that God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day. Finally we must confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord. This is saying that He is the only way, the only truth and the only life outside of this life.

And that is something worth living for. I hope to see you later.

Being Effective

Today I began my day making a list of all the things that I need to do in the near future. Why? Because if I don't write it down it wont get done. If I do this I find that I can begin to weed out the unimportant non urgent stuff from the very important tasks. I always feel better when I do this even though these tasks still have to be done. Then I had a thought, what is more important doing all these things or being effective?

I would have to choose being effective over checking off a to do list, here's why. What if I did all these things but sacrificed family time and time with people in the community to do it? Is that really being effective? Did Jesus have a to do list, or a planner or an i-phone? No, but He knew what He was supposed to do, and He did it. That is how I want to be, I want to live my life for the purpose of pleasing God, how about you?

Let me conclude by saying nothing is wrong with to do lists or any other system that helps you to accomplish your responsibilities. The question is are you be effective by focusing on the important things?

Seasons

What season are you in? I mean are you enjoying a bumper crop in harvest season or maybe you feel like you are in the winter season where everything seems dead. Could it be you are in the spring where you prepare the ground and get ready to plant the seed?

Right now I feel as if though I am have planted a lot of seed, and I am waiting for a sign of life (anything!) Do you feel this way? I have come to realize that most of us are in different seasons at different times. Can I encourage you today wherever you are at that God is working even though we can't see Him!

Today God wants to encourage you to be faithful in whatever season you are presently in. Here is the promise found in His Word. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Keep doing good, and don't give up!

People Need the Lord

Today I was at Starbucks outlining Sunday's sermon in Romans Chapter 9. I don't normally do sermon preparation at Starbucks, but maybe I should. Let me share with you some things that I observed while I was at Starbucks.

• People will really pay $4 for a cup of coffee!
• People really feel like they belong at Starbucks
• People make it a habit to go to Starbucks
• BUT most importantly, people really need hope in their lives. (Sorry Starbucks can't do that.)

I was sitting minding my own business when I overheard a girl of about 15 or 16 saying to the girl behind the register, " I better go see my Mom she is probably passed out somewhere." Does your heart break when you hear things like that? I know that it breaks God's heart. Could it be that we have become so callous to the needs of people around us, that we label them and ignore them. Maybe we should look beyond the exterior and see that these people are crying out on the inside. People really need the Lord. Take a look at this video and see what I mean



I think I am going to get out of the office more. My prayer is that you would see those people that pass you in a new way today.

The Lesson from the Dentist

Today I went to have some teeth filled. It was uncomfortable and it cost money, and really it was unnecessary. Let me explain.

I would not have had to go to the dentist if I would have been diligent about brushing and flossing. If I had kept up my six month check ups I might not have had to deal with this dental visit. The truth is that our spiritual life can be likened to good oral hygiene.

• We must make it a habit to daily spend time with God and pray at least twice a day (in the morning and in the evening)
• We must make sure to get all the junk out of our life, we call this confession. It is like flossing no one likes to do it but you feel better when it is done.
• We must keep our appointments with God. It is important to allow God to point out some areas of decay or weakness much like the dentist does at our check ups.
  
• Finally, we must allow God to remove any decay or repair any damage in our spiritual life.

The lesson today is don't get lax about your time with God, He is the only one who can help you deal with truth decay.

Surprise!

Back from vacation, and I am sure I could use another week! LOL. We had a great time with friends and family. Our first surprise was when we visited Roseburg OR.

We went by to see our old house and there was our next door neighbor! Then we went up the road and saw Jonny's 1st grade teacher and her family, it was nice to catch up and share some memories. But the nicest surprise happened at our next stop. We had planned on going to see our pastor friends in Roseburg, and they said that we stay at their house and have a BBQ with them. What they didn't tell us was the surprise.

When we came around the corner we saw that there was a big gathering in their front yard. Then it occurred to me that they had invited people from our old church! What a great way to catch up with everyone again. I was so glad to be able to talk with these dear folks and let them know what we were up to. We appreciate our friends for doing this without us knowing. Here are some other surprises.

• My son Drew screamed the whole time we were at their house (he's almost two)
  
• Things really hadn't changed too much
• How many miles we had to drive while we were on vacation
• How really windy it was at the Oregon Coast
• How much the Sea Lion Caves smell!
• How much sunburn can really hurt!

With all of the surprises that we experienced the one thing that we knew we could depend on would be that once we got home we could get back to normal. Kind of reminds me of the stability that we find in the Lord. In Malachi 3:6 it says "For I am the Lord, I do not change."

Take heart today Christian friend that with all the surprises that life throws at you God will always be there, and that should not take you by surprise.