Review of New Book by Mark Batterson, Primal

I recently received an advance of Mark Batterson’s new book entitled Primal. I am a big Mark Batterson fan. Actually I am a big fan of the God he serves. Both of Batterson’s other books, Wild Goose Chase and In a Pit With a Lion On a Snowy Day, were very informative, practical, and anointed, Primal is another book that is cut from the same tapestry of the previous two.

Mark creative writing captures the attention of the reader immediately. The way that he can take experiences in the natural and link them with spiritual principles is a gift. For instance, the process of descending stairs to get down to the deeper sub-level floors is easily linked to spiritually getting down to the basic important but hidden aspects of our faith personally.

The book is broken down into 4 parts; The Heart, The Soul, The Mind, and the Strength of Christianity. In Chapter 1 I was immediately grabbed by the story Mark tells that resonates deeply within my own life, “In many ways I had become a paid professional Christian. My heart didn’t beat as strongly as it once did. My pulse didn’t quicken in the presence of God like it once had. So God took me back to a very primal place.” My attention was focused and craving now reading this book and letting it soak in.

I hope that you add Primal to your reading list for 2010. I believe that this book has the power to take you to a very primal place in your walk with God if you will let it. I highly recommend this book for every person.

Here is a link to the publisher’s page for Primal. http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9781601421319

Pastor Kurt Coleman

Life Lesson #2

Never Stop Learning

If I remember correctly studies show that the average person when graduating from college only reads a few books over the course of the rest of his life. My parents taught me the value of learning. My father received an award for Outstanding Alumni of the college he attended. I will never forget one thing he said during his address to the graduates. Never stop learning!

I made a commitment at the beginning of 2009 to read 50 books this year. As of today I am at 41. They range from Insightful books from great theologians and Bible scholars to biographies of great Presidents of our Country. Reading helps us to learn so much more than what we would normally pick up in life on a day to day basis. Out of the 41 books I have read there were some great ones, but the one that I am scheduled to finish reading on December 31st is the greatest one by far and none of the other 41 can hold a candle to the value, insight, lessons, wisdom, or life that it brings everyday to me. It is the number one best selling book of all time. It is the Bible. No book can replace the holy scriptures in my library and I learn so much from it.

To never stop learning you have to recognize the teachable moments that God brings into your life. Every experience, whether victorious or failure, is an opportunity to learn. Look for those moments. Even in the midst of tragedy and pain God can still teach us something. Never get so educated that you fail to keep learning. In between every sunrise and sunset there are moments to learn greater lessons and truths than we can ever imagine.

Never stop learning!

Life Lesson #1

In the next few posts I am going to share some of the valuable lessons I have learned in my life. Today I want to share lesson number one.

You Past Does Not Define Your Future.

This was a hard one for me to learn. Growing up I made a lot of mistakes and bad decisions. The choices I made were out of a wrong mindset. The Bible tells us that "What a man thinks in his heart, that he is." This is so true. Once I got labeled as "lazy" or "someone who won't amount to much" I took on that mindset and began to see myself as a failure and worthless. I didn't believe that I would be able to be successful in anything that I tried. I then took it one step further and began to see and allow my mistakes and decisions to become a foundation that I built my life upon. It was embarassing and shameful for me. I walked around with shame literally shackling me and holding me back from living a good and victorious life.

But all that changed when I gave my life to Christ. It was a starting over. My slate was wiped clean. Jesus used terms like "being born again" and "a new creation" to describe what takes place in our lives when we invite him into our lives.

My past is still my past. But God has redeemed my past in that many of the failures and mistakes I made I am able to come alongside other people today and help them overcome their past with the help of God.

I am living proof that your past does not have to define your future. I am not happy that I made the choices I made, but I am overjoyed that God has used those things in my past to make me a better Man, Husband, Father, Pastor and friend.

Don't let your past define your future! Today is a brand new day and God has a plan for your life today!

Loved Until the End

This morning while reading my Bible I came to this portion of scripture.

Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.."

John 13:1

Last Sunday I preached on this topic. Love. Loving others and not just saying that you love others but showing them by your actions that you love them. When I look at the church today as a whole many times I see a church that is fractured due to divisions and small arguments. Jesus said that it wouldn't be our beliefs, standards, or doctrines that we should or would be known by. He said that, "All men will know you are my disciples by your love for one another."

In John 13 Jesus after we read of Jesus love for his disciples he then takes the place of a servant and washes the disciples feet. I can't imagine the sight of this, or the shock on the disciples faces when they see their master, teacher, and messiah; the Son of God bowing before them and washing their feet. One word comes to mind for me... Awkward. Peter even argues with Jesus but eventually gives in and lets his Lord and Master wash his feet. I imagine a lot of tears were shed in that upper room as this is one of the most humbling experiences I know of.

In verse 17 of John 13 Jesus concludes this teaching with these words;

"Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them."

Knowing to love and serve others is not enough. Acting and doing is the completion, the obedience to this command. This kind of love is not based of feeling, but on doing.

My question for myself and you is this, How can I act in Love and not just feel in love today with others? Who does God want me to show love to today?

Strange Question

Reading my Bible this morning I came across something that really stuck in my mind.

In John 5:5-6 it says, "One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, He asked him, 'Would you like to get well?'"

This man had been sick longer than I have been alive. He had suffered for most of his life. I think it is a strange question that Jesus asks. We think when we read this, well of course he wants to get well. I think the reason Jesus asked him this is because the man had probably given up all hope that he would ever get better. He had lost his hope for his miracle. He had gotten used to living with his sickness and it had become a part of his identity. The sickness defined his life. What he could and could not do. I think Jesus was trying to get him to think differently.

I think Jesus was trying to give him hope. Hope that life could be better, hope that his life could change. Hope that his life was more than just his sickness. He had to get him to think in his mind even for a half second that life could be different. That moment changed everything for Jesus then said to him, "Get up! Start Walking!"

It was in that instant moment faith being released and Jesus healing the sick man.

What situation in your life have you gotten used to living with? What area in your life do you need to release that moment of faith? Have you lost hope that things can get better? Stir up your faith and bring it to Jesus. Jesus is asking you, "Do you want to get better?"

Wrestling Part 2

In my last post I wrote about Cultural Relevance and the New thing God is wanting to do. I will continue that thought today.

One of the mistakes churches make in my opinion is trying to act too much like the world. Copying the Culture instead of crafting the culture. When Jesus came to this earth over 2000 years ago, he didn't fit in with the culture. As a matter of fact, he turned the religious culture on its head.

I believe that God is wanting to do the same today. Listen to this verse from Romans 12:2, "Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to it's level of immaturity, God brings out the best in you, develops well formed maturity in you."

As followers of Christ, we need to set the culture not reflect it. The difference between a thermometer and a thermostat is the perfect example. The thermostat's job, role and function is to set the temperature for the atmosphere around it. It defines how warm, cool, hot, cold, humid, dry the air or atmosphere will be around it. It has the power to change those things. The thermometer on the other hand, only reflects the temperature around it. It has no power to change anything and can only reflect what is already there.

For too long the church has acted like the thermometer when it has the power available to be a thermostat. We should set the culture around us, change it if it needs changed and define the culture according to God's Word. When all we do is reflect the atmosphere around us we are not using the power available to us.

My question for you today: Do you act more like a thermometer or a thermostat in your surroundings? What do you need to do to change the culture around you?

Wrestling

In my next few posts to the blog I am going to present you with some questiuons that I myself am wrestling with.

As a pastor, I spend a lot of time observing. Observing the culture and the people that make up the culture. I try to put myself in another's shoes. Try to identify with the way they feel and most importantly, I try to find out what is on God's heart for those I am observing.

A term that is overly used in society today is the phrase "Culturally Relevant." We ask ourselves different questions in regards to this subject; "Is the church culturally relevant?" "Is what we are planning on doing going to be relevant to the culture?" "How relevant is our programs?" "How relevant is our music?" "How relevant is the way we dress?" "How relevant is our teaching and sermons?"

But I think we need to change our mode of thinking. Pastor Matthew Barnett says this in regard to this subject. "The church should not be relevant, but revolutionary!" Being relevant means that we are trying to fit in to the culture but as a church we will always be one step behind. I think that being culturally relevant means that you are one step from being out dated.

The word of God in Isiah 43:19 says this: "See I am doing a new thing!" Notice it doesn't say I am going to copy what the world is doing and bring it into the church. It says a new thing.

I am not sure about you, but I need God to do a new thing in my life every day! I want Him to do a new thing in the church, in my family, in my marriage, in my kids, in my finances.... in every area of my life. I hope you do to.

Here is the key to the new thing. Perception. The verse goes on to say, "Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" or "Do you see it?" The key to the new thing that God is wanting to do in every area of your life is being able to see. Being able to perceive it.

My question for you today is this; What new thing do you want God to do in your life and when it comes will you see it?

Strong-Willed Leadership

I don't normally repost others articles but felt this was such a good article I wanted to post it in it's entirety. Interestingly enough, the book he mentions in the opening line, American Lion, is what I am currently reading.

Jon Meachem's Pulitzer-Prize-winning biography of Andrew Jackson, American Lion, begins with a quintessential Jackson quote: "I was born for a storm, and calm does not suit me." (He includes another that is pure Teddy Roosevelt: "The darker the night, the bolder the lion.") He recounts how Jackson was beaten, scarred, and nearly killed as a fourteen year old boy for refusing to blacken the boots of a British officer.

A side note to Meachem's account is his insistence that Jackson's formidable will and mind were shaped in surprising degree by his faith. Jackson attended church services for three to four hours growing up. Public prayers in his Presbyterian church could last over twenty minutes; longer than many Presbyterian sermons nowadays. As a grown man, Jackson said he read three chapters of Scripture every day.

When reading this I thought of Jim Collins' famous description of the highest level of leadership. The truly transformational leaders differ in almost every imaginable respect except for two common denominators: they have a deep sense of humility, and an indomitable will. In church leadership, a good deal gets written about the importance and virtue of humility, but not nearly so much gets written about the need for an indomitable will.

We are a little distrustful of the whole notion of will in leaders. Willfulness comes pretty close to the essence of sin. And perhaps the highest prayer ever recorded is an expression of surrender: "Not my will, but yours be done."

However, there is a fundamental difference between a surrendered will and a weak will.

Jesus' surrendered his will. That meant he placed it in submission to his Father, to the mission his father gave him, and to the service of sacrificial love. But that did not mean he was weak-willed. To the contrary, it required a tremendous exertion of moral courage to defy power and authorities and influences that tugged on him from all sides trying to divert him from his calling.

An indomitable will is not the same as sheer stubbornness (being Swedish, this is something of an inherited trait.) Stubbornness lacks precisely the humility that makes learning possible, and gives conviction the flexibility needed to achieve ultimate goals. It is not egoism, which seeks to gain control for the gratification of the self.

At its heart, an indomitable will involves a sense of commitment; a binding of oneself to a task or a cause or a value so intensely that mere external forces are not allowed to sway or deter. At its best, in the words of Gerald May, it involves not willfulness but willingness—a giving of my will in the service of a greater mission.

So if you're involved in church leadership, ask yourself this question: How often have people close to you encouraged you to develop an indomitable will?

I have two main sources for this encouragement. One is a little group of old friends (or an old group of little friends) whom I've known far longer than I've worked at a church. Because they are not part of the church, they have no particular agenda other than wanting to call out the best in me. They are particularly situated to see where I am tempted to be discouraged or cave in to pressure rather than to persevere in the service of good. They strengthen my will.

The other source is God. When I am alone with him, the forces that drain my will are diminished of their strength. My choosing is both purified and strengthened. Amazingly, the One who demands the most surrender of my will is the One who wants and makes my will to be its strongest and best.

John Ortberg is editor at large of Leadership and pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in California.

Max Lucado's New Release, Fearless

Fearless by Max Lucado

I just finished reading the new book that will be released September 8th by Max Lucado titled Fearless. This book comes at a very timely moment here in the United States. With all of the coverage the news is giving to the economy, the proposed healthcare plan and terrorism, we are a country that has literally millions who are trapped in a cycle of fear.

This book for me was one of Max Lucado’s best writings to date. I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter and the study guide and the end of the book was very helpful. I am a pastor and used the study guide for one of the chapters for our Wednesday night study. Everyone who was there enjoyed the study. I am planning to use this book and the small group study for one of our Life Groups next semester. It was challenging and inspiring all at once. This book has something for everyone no matter your age or the stage of life you are in right now. Every chapter begins with a story that captures the audience’s attention. I highly recommend this book for every person who struggles with fear.

To learn more about this book, visit www.thefearlesschurch.com

Question

There is a really nice place here in Ulysses that I like to go and think. It has lots of trees and flowers and is pretty quiet. I especially like the lighting at night. I was reading my bible at this place this morning and had a thought. As far as I can tell there were no houses in the Garden of Eden. Makes me wonder if originally God made us to live in the outdoors. Before the fall of man I doubt there were many mosquito's. We knew that it didn't rain, and the animals were pretty tame.

When I am outside I kind feel my soul breathe. There is a peace that comes when I pause and thank God for His creation that can only be described as a peace beyond understanding. It is so easy in the hustle and bustle of this world to forget to stop, take a look around us, and praise God for all He has made. I want to encourage you today to take a moment and take in all God has made around us.

Review of The American Patriot’s Bible NKJV published by Thomas Nelson Publishers

I had the opportunity to read and review this new Study Bible. I have to say after reading some other reviews I was curious about this Bible. The articles in this Bible blew me away. There are all sorts of articles that were of interest to me. There is a page that contains the names of all fifty states in the order they were admitted into the United States along with the days of admission. There are several full color featured articles that captured my attention. A few are on the following subjects; The Bible and American Presidents, Christianity in Colonial America, Faith of the Founders, The Great Awakenings, and The Bible and Famous Americans, One of my favorite features is the Presidential Oath Feature. This Bible shows you where our Presidents have placed their hands on the scriptures as they took the Presidential Oath of Office. Some of the subjects that are addressed in the American Patriot’s Bible are John Quincy Adams; Buzz Aldrin, Communion on the Moon; Todd Beamer; Winston Churchill; Columbia University; and Christopher Columbus; There is something in this Bible for everyone. This is a hard bound Bible and will last for generations to come. No matter your political affiliation, you will love this Bible.

Vacation

I apologize if there are any misspelled words in this post. I am writing it on my smart phone sitting in a coffee shop. It seems to me that whenever I get a chance to get away my mind and spirit take the opportunity to regroup and refocus. It is like a breath of fresh air. The most important things rise to the top of my priorities. It's like the story of Mary and Martha in the Bible. I can rush around and forget about the important. The most important thing is one thing. Like Curly in "City Stickers." The secret to life is one thing. That one thing is this....... Relationships. My relationship with God. My relationship with my wife. My relationship with my kids, family, friends, and others. My challenge for today is how can I improve every one of these relationships today?

To Be Honest

I am going to go out on a limb and be transparent. You have heard it said that honesty is the best policy so here goes.

Summers are frustrating to me as a pastor. We see numbers on Sunday mornings drop. We see attendance at the mid-week service jump off the cliff. We try to spend so much time trying to create momentum and excitement only to see it wane in the summers. Every fall we pull out all the stops to get people back attending church once again. It can be very discouraging. I see so many of my fellow pastors take a month off in the summer to refuel their own lives. Sometimes I wonder if it is because they don't want to have to look out into all those empty seats staring at them that just a few months before were full of people excited about what God was doing in their lives.

But then last night I came across this in a book I am reading called "Mad Church Disease."

".... It breaks my heart when I hear pastors of churches say, 'We only had seventy-five people today' or 'Only two hundred people showed up.' Only? I'm sorry. Are those seventy-five or two hundred people not enough for you?.... Numbers have become an addiction. We flaunt our numbers, despise our numbers, fret about our numbers. Our numbers validate us. But they shouldn't. We often don't know how God is using us. We only need to know that He is- and respond with grateful hearts. After hearing it over and over, leaders who aren't as 'successful' start believing the lies that maybe God just hasn't blessed them like He blesses other churches or leaders. And at that point, those leaders either shut down or begin to be driven for their need for affirmation. We have completely lost sight of the most important fact..... we are called."

I can get so caught up in numbers that I lose sight of lives. Yes, lives are numbers. But how many lives need to be affected through me in order for me to be "successful"? One, 10, 100, 200, how many until I am content and satisfied? I know this for myself. If I allow what I see to influence my life, I can easily become bitter and discontent. My job is to do the best with what God has given me and He will take care of the rest. Yes, I have goals and it is important to have something to shoot for. But I cannot let empty seats and people who don't follow through on their commitments to influence how I lead my life.

I am called by God to live for Him not to live for numbers.

Do What You Can

This morning I was reading and came across this statement:

"God never asks us to do what we cannot do. Neither does He tend to do for us what we can do ourselves. The Lord does for us what we cannot do; what we can do He expects us to do."

This is where the faith and works comes in to play in our lives. God has given us certain talents, abilities and influence. He expects us to not just sit back and wait for Him to move on our behalf. He expects us to do all we can with what he has given and blessed us with. A good friend of mine once said, "You work as if everything depends on you and you pray as if everything depends on God." It is good for us to be used by God. There is a rewarding satisfaction that comes when you know that you have done all you can and God met you and did the rest.

There are times for resting, but there are also times to move forward and do something, anything. Don't be passive, but be assertive. Play offense, go get this life before it passes you by!

Sunday

Just want to invite you to come Sunday morning to hear part two of the sermon Truly Free. Last week was on Freedom From and this week will be on Freedom To...

Podcast

Our first podcast went online yesterday. You can go to itunes and subscribe to it there. It is under Oasis weekly Message. We will try to get the most recent sermons online net week. It is a slower process than I would like, but that's OK. Hope you enjoy the podcast!

Musings

Our family travelled to Iowa this last weekend.  It was good to back close to home.  I forgot how big the old cottonwoods get next to the river and how the leaves make that rushing noise when the breeze blows through them.  A couple of times I actually felt my body just relax and exhale.

I am not a tree hugger, but I do appreciate the beauty that God has created around us.  The Bible tells us that the whole earth is filled with Gods glory.  Everything around us reflects the glory of God.  The trees, the river, the birds, the sunsets, the stars in the night sky, and the beauty of the people and how unique each one of us is.  Sometimes we take for granted the mundane things.  But behind the mundane is the miraculous.  

Where do you see the miraculous in your life today?  What mundane thing is God's miraculous waiting behind?  Look for it today.

BHAG

BHAG stands for Big Harry Audacious Goals.  What is yours?  Before you answer I want you to hear what this fellow pastor Adam Hamilton said, 

"Too many churches (People) dream safe, easily attainable dreams.  They don't risk, they don't require faith, they don't need God in order to be accomplished.  Bruce Wilkinson says God's people are expected to attempt something large enough that failure is guaranteed..... unless God steps in."

So I ask again, what are you dreaming about?  What are the goals for your life?  Are they big enough that God must intervene or else you will fail?

Adventure

God has been challenging me quite a bit lately about how I think about Him; About how I relate to Him.  Sometimes I can get so caught up in running around that I forget about how I am suppose to live my life.  

The Message says this in Matthew 25, "That's a terrible way to live!  It's criminal to live cautiously!  If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?  Take it and give it to the one who risked the most.  Get rid of this play-it-safe who won't go out on a limb"

Pretty harsh words for those who cling so tightly to the traditional church mindset.  Those who have the attitude that risk is sin are missing the truly adventurous Christian life God wants us to live.  Our life is an adventure, a quest, a crusade to bring Christ to the world around us.

The world around us doesn't care about our traditions.  They don't care how busy you are for God.  They want to know if Christianity really works in your life and if we are really unleashing the power of God in our lives and on the earth.

Religion will not capture a person's imagination, only an adventure with God will do.  Our focus has to change from being concerned about rules, religion and retaining the status quo and move to having an adventure with God.

Is your life with Christ religious or adventurous?  Which sounds more interesting and rewarding? 

 

Book Reviewer

I just signed up with Thomas Nelson publishers to be a book reviewer for them. One of the conditions of this is that I have to review the book on my blog and also on Amazon, CBD or another book retailer. So soon you will see book reviews here on my blog. It should be fun!

Slap to the face

I have been reading a book lately that has been challenging the way I think and do things.  One of the ideas it presents is this: 

"It is no sin to consider people's feelings, but if you allow feelings to become the primary consideration when making decisions, you are following something other than Christ."

I don't know about you but that knocks the wind out of me.  I guess I always assume that we must do things that will make people feel good.  Sometimes that is not true.  Obedience to Christ is not the result of an opinion poll.  It is a matter of the heart.  If Christ would have obeyed based on how people would feel about what he said and did, he would have been disobedient to God.  We still have a lot to learn!  

What's Coming Up

I am excited about Father's Day this year. I am asking for all the men in our church that either have a motorcycle or have access to a motorcycle to ride it that morning to church. Also, they can wear whatever they are comfortable riding a bike in. No dress code. I am also guaranteeing that the service will not last longer than 1 hour. So I hope to see you there June 21st! By the way, if anyone has a motocycle they would like to donate to the cause, I have a good home prepared for one.

Busy, Busy

It has been a busy time of the year lately for me. A lot going on, a lot that God is doing right now. Enjoyed bringing the message God laid on my heart for the people in the church I grew up in. It was a surreal experience for me. I also enjoyed speaking at a Men's retreat and challenging the men to step up and be the warriors called them to be. I really enjoy speaking to men who are my fellow knights in God's army. It is a message that needs to be heard and heeded in order for us to be all that God wants us to be.

Grandmother

Last week was a hard one for my family. My 95 year old grandmother passed away and went home to be with the Lord. She left us on Palm Sunday. The last words she was able to speak to me were "I love you so much." I will miss her greatly. Her funeral was on Good Friday, one week ago today. I am thankful for all that she brought to my life. She was a part of my life from Day one. I was born on her 59th Birthday. I grew up in the same town as her. I have so many memories of her and I am grateful for every moment I spent with her. I was asked to give a tribute to her at her funeral. I was honored to be able to do that. At the end of my tribute I read a quote from a book by Mark Rutland. I read these words the day after she passed away. "Behind us, behind each of us, remaining after we make our exit, is what is called heritage, a legacy of life. Even from beyond the grave, lives can be touched, will be touched....... A life lived in the power of Jesus' life is a witness that cannot be silenced. The prayers of the saintly grandmother, the inheritance of a christian dad- these live on." These words summed up my grandma's life.

Love

I am finding that more and more I am learning to value those things that are the most important in my life. God, My wife, my kids, my family. I am not sure if it is because of my grandma's death but I see where love is absolutely the most important, central thing in my life. I read these words during my devotions the other day: Somehow we just can't wrap our minds around the idea of love. We can't nail it down and say, "There, I've got you." Love is weak yet tough, vulnerable yet strong. It chooses to lose but can never be beaten. It puts itself last yet always leads the way. It is mysterious, yet it came in flesh and stood before us. It is death- yet it is life. Must we love? It is like asking, "Must we breathe?" No we do not have to breathe, and no, we do not have to love. But the consequences of both are the same. When we choose to be hardened by the events of life we fail to truly live. I loved my grandma. Therefore, because I loved my grandma, her death hurt. If I would chosen not to love her as much, her death would have been easier for me to take. When we choose to love deeply we open ourselves to be hurt deeply. But if we choose not to love, we choose not to live and miss out on some of the greatest people and relationships God has to offer us. Especially the relationship He offers us through His Son Jesus.

Change up

I am one of those people who believes that for the most part change is good. It is refreshing and helps to keep us alive. One of the ideas I have had this year is to get a chronological bible and read through it this year. So far it has been good for me. It gives me a better idea of how the events flowed along with what was happening in the secular world around them. I had a thought this morning. For the most part people who say they like change don't like tradition very much. I have a question then; Is it possible for change to become traditional?

Margin

One of my biggest challenges is to keep margin in my life. Margin is that place that exists in our daily lives where nothing takes up our time. Where we are able to relax, reflect and just exist. Silence and Solitude exist here. Twenty years ago experts said that because of computers and technology, the average American would only have to work 22 hours a week. Instead, due to the demands to keep up with technology, Americans are working more than they ever have. Time magazine wrote an article a few years ago about kids having nervous breakdowns at 9 years old because of the overload in their lives. We have scheduled ourselves to death. The clock rules our lives. We rush the kids to school so they are on time, hurry off to work to put our time in. Nights are filled with events, sports, concerts, meetings, more work, more to do than we can accomplish in one day. At some point we have to say enough is enough and take time to rest our souls. People are suffering from nervous breakdowns at an unbelievably rate. Doctors offices are filled wit people who have all kinds of physical ailments due largely to stress in their lives. One of the Ten Commandants is to honor the Sabbath. After God created the world He rested on the seventh day. It was not because He was tired, but because He knew the value of stopping, resting, and appreciating what had taken place. We need to find rest for our should. We need to take the Sabbath seriously.

Reading List Update

I set for a goal this year to read 50 books. As of today I have completed 9. The last book I read was called When Character Was King. It is the story of Ronald Reagan. It was an amazing book. I grew up in the shadow of the presidency of Ronald Reagan. I can still remember the day that He was shot, watching the reports showing the event over and over again. I remember being in Science class in the 8th grade and hearing the radio reporting that the Space Shuttle Challenger had just blown up. I can still remember the speech President Reagan delivered, closing with, "They had slipped the surly bonds of earth and touched the face of God." I am not so much a fan of politics as I am of the the character and content of those people we have as leaders. I like to sift through the hard decisions that they make and find out what convictions lead them to those decisions. Reagan was a man that I believe will be judged as one of our greatest Presidents in the history of this nation. He was led by convictions, by a sense of right and wrong. But more important, those convictions were forged by a Christian mother and a life of prayer. Many times he took heat for snoozing during important times but in reality he was praying during important times. He didn't allow popularity to guide him, it was God who gave him direction and that is who he followed. I think it is ironic that he never knew his impact on history due to Alzheimer's disease. I think it also a paradox that an actor become one of the most real and transparent presidents we have ever had. He left us with so many examples of what it meant to be compassionate, loving, caring, in a nutshell; A Christian man.

Website Close

I have been looking at the proofs for the website this week and we are getting close to launching soon. Hopefully by the end of March we should be up and running. It will give us better ability to keep in touch with everyone and let people know what's going on. You will also be able to subscribe and download the sermons from the website. More details soon......

Current Book

I am currently reading a great book by R.T Kendall called The Sensitivity of the Spirit. What a powerful, insightful man of God he is. The introduction begins with a quote by Billy Graham. "My greatest fear is that God would remove his hand from me." I think this is my worst fear also. It should be every believers fear. It's scary to think about the mighty men and women of God who through the years thought that the hand of God was on their lives when it in fact had departed. Most of these once great people didn't recognize that the anointing had left them. I know of a pastor who felt led by the Holy Spirit to speak over a man, "Ichabod. The spirit of God has departed." How sad to hear that. I don't know enough of the situation to know if it was correct or not but what a dreadful thought to think that everything I do could be without the hand of God on it. Here is how R.T. Kendall puts it; "I can displease the Lord and feel nothing. It is very possible that I could spend years doing what I presumed was God's will- preaching, teaching, witnessing, and being involved in church work- when God was hardly present in my efforts at all. I may even have the applause ad respect of people the whole time, and they not have a clue I have moved ahead of Jesus." I don't know about you, but I need the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the power of the Holy Spirit, the special presence of God, in my life. I want everything I do to be drenched in the anointing of the Holy Spirit. I can't live a day without Him.

Sunday's Service

God has been moving in so many ways in my Spirit lately. Giving words or direction, correction, and affirmation. Sunday was an overflow of what He has been doing in me. I just feel that as God speaks to us His truths for this day, we must take time to soak it in and apply it to our lives. If we feel that God is desiring to do greater things among us we must take the time to wait on Him for the greater things. As we pray for the greater things to takes place we must take the time to Listen and hear from the Holy Spirit about what greater thing He wants us to focus on. But it doesn't stop there. Then we must be ready to participate in the greater thing He desires to do. The christian faith is not a passive faith but an active faith. It requires that we move or act in a way that shows we believe the greater thing will take place. God always requires action to our faith. So the question for the day is what greater thing are you believing God for and what action steps are you taking to make it a reality in your life?

Greater Things

There is a thought or a theme that the Holy Spirit has been playing over and over again the last few weeks in my spirit. Greater things you will do, greater things are still to come, greater things than what you have seen before. Greater things than what happened in 2008. Greater things are on the way. This week for me has been an amazing week. So many things have happened to confirm God's leading in my life. Some of you know a few of the details but they are only the beginning of what God is doing in my life. God has a plan and at times I feel like I am on the most exciting roller coaster in the world. I love roller coasters. I love the thrill. I love the unknown. I know that God is taking me on a ride I will never forget. I have listened to the song God Of This City 26 times and counting in the last 2 days. Read these words: You're the God of this city You're the King of these people You're the Lord of this nation You Are For there is no one like our God There is no one like our God Greater things have yet to come Great things are still to be done In this city Greater things are still to come And greater things are still to be done here You're the Lord of Creation The Creator of all things You're the King above all Kings You Are You're the light in this darkness You're the hope to the hopeless You're the peace to the restless You are You're the strength in our weakness You're the love to the broken You're the joy in the sadness You Are Greater things have yet to come Great things are still to be done In this city Where glory shines from hearts alive With praise for you and love for you In this city Greater things have yet to come Great things are still to be done In this city Greater things are still to come And greater things are still to be done here Powerful words..... But more powerful are the words of Jesus in John 14:12 "The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father." The song count is now at 28.....

Mistake

Last night I realized that 2 of the sermons that we uploaded were not on the site. We had placed the description for Fasting 101 and One Man One Woman on the site but I forgot to upload the audio file. This has been been fixed and they all should be ready to go now.

Online Finally

Wanted to let evedryone know that the Sunday sermons can now be listened to online. Just click on the following link and you will be taken to the page where they are listed. http://www.worshipcloud.com/ulysses-first-ag/sermons/ We have also placed a link on the sidebar to.

Dangers of Drifting Sermon Download

http://www.worshipcloud.com/ulysses-first-ag/sermon/dangers-of-drifting/

Happy New Year!

Wanted to wish everyone a happy new year! I pray God's richest blessings for you in 2009!