VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS

Time to move

2006-08-30T21:46:00.000-04:00

Well, it has been a fun ride here at blogger but it is time to move on to something different. I have been busy trying to establish a new website and I finally have it to where I don't mind going public. I am still working on it so it is not quite where I want it but I will get it there. Starting today all of my bloggins, thoughts and whatever else I decide to write about will be posted at billkinley.com.Yes I wanted to have my own name so no other person by my name could take it and I would be stuck with something that I didn't want. So please add this link to your favorites if you wish and if you blog, feel free to link up with this page if you so desire.

I hope I am better at being more consistent than I have been so please continue reading and feel free to comment.

Peace out.......

Been busy

2006-07-29T22:24:00.000-04:00

I wanted to take this time to let you know what has been going on with us lately. First, I have been in the process of building a new website and I have just not gotten to where I am ready to go public with it. I will eventually be switching my blog site to another host and when I get that up and going, I will post the new address here.

Second, I have started my classes back up and it is kicking my butt. Since coming back from vacation, I have been on the computer doing homework and test. It takes me longer to grasp the concept of probabilty formulas and inductive and deductive reasoning. I guess that's what happens when you hit 40. Man, did I type that out loud???!!

Church is going well and a lot of things have transpired over the last several months. God really knows how to mess a brother up!! One little piece of advice. No matter what vision God gives you to go after, realize that the way to that vision is through Him. NOT YOU. You may have an idea of how you are to accomplish the vision but make room for the possibility that God will send you in a different direction.

More later.

Peace Out......................

Ooops, been there

2006-07-06T17:03:00.000-04:00

I think if you have ever stood before anyone and spoke, you have made a few blunders that you wish you could take back. This dude handled it very well. He is trying to say "pitched his tents." You can imagine what came out.......

2006-07-05T19:29:00.000-04:00

July 4th DC

What better place to be be on Independence Day than in our Nations Capitol. Angela and I spent the day taking in the huge party that was taking place at the National Mall and I was able to take this short video of the fireworks finale with the Washingto Monument in the foreground. I also made a 180 degree turn and captured the Capitol building. If the movement makes you sick, have a trash can handy. Nothing worse than sticky and chunky keys...

I will also be posting some more photo's in another post.

Peace Out........

Are you a Barbarian?

2006-06-17T10:03:00.000-04:00

I have just finished reading Erwin McManus' book, The Barbarian Way. If you have not read this book, you need to stop reading and go buy this book and digest every word that is written! He has put into words the way that I have been feeling for the last several years. Christians have become civilized and the Church has become irrelevant.

A barbarian is one that does WHATEVER is necessary to reach and obtain their objective. They don't fight fair nor do they care what others say or do. One of my favorite movies of all times is The Patriot, with Mel Gibson. One of the best scenes of the movie is when the British army is trying to figure out a way to stop the soldiers of the colonial army led by Gibson. The British Lt. Col. makes this statement. "We can't fight them because they are not fighting according to the Articles of War. They are just popping up out of nowhere and are killing our men."

The Church has lost that "popping up" affect. The enemy knows our every move. We have become civilized when it comes to Christ. We are more concerned with our performance than we have our passion to see lives changed for the Kingdom of God. Jesus did not suffer and die so we could build our OWN little haven of comfort and security. It does not take much to see the churches that are building for themselves and not the Kingdom. You don't have to listen hard to hear what is really being said. If the words "my" and "competition" are the most used words you hear......get out. Kingdom building is not a competition between churches or ministries. It is a companionship. If the enemy can reshift our focus off the task of changing people's eternal destination, then it does not matter how many churches are started.

Jesus himself was a barbarian. The people he chose to be around him were barbarians. Even the one that led the way for Christ, John the Baptist, was a barbarian. Are you willing to take a chance and go against the grain of religiosity and against the rules that civilized Christians have established.

I have determined that I have one life and I will be the most barbaric man of God that I can be to change the lives of the people that I meet. No matter who it offends.

Peace out..............

Latest Evangelism Motivation Technique

2006-06-11T16:35:00.000-04:00

This is great guys. I think it could work.

Get this video and more at MySpace.com

A day at the airshow

2006-05-21T20:56:00.000-04:00

Saturday was a great family day. Their was a joint venture between all branches of the military that held an airshow at Andrews Air Force base. Let me say this, no wonder our military....... KICKS BUTT!!!! I saw some of the latest military arsenol and it was AWESOME. We saw demonstrations from the F-117 Stealth fighter...what a machine.The latest F-22 Raptor fighter jet.......That plane is UNBELIEVABLE!! The show ended with the Navy Blue Angels putting on their awesome display of acrobatics.
Here are a few pictures that I thought you may enjoy.

That's my son Jared.....and no his hair is not green. That is the tint from the helicopter.

My other son Bryce.....He is all that and a bag of chips........so he says.

This is the newest 21st Century fighter jet.....The F-22 Raptor. This is one bad you know what!!

Peace out and God Bless the United States of America....................

Evolution of Dance

2006-05-08T15:47:00.000-04:00

Pulled this from my boy Travis. Though you might enjoy and reminisce on some of the moves you did at one time or another.

****Disclaimer notice: Before trying these moves at home please consult your physician due to the fact that you may HURT something if you don't.******

Peace Out...............

Success or Significance

2006-04-22T20:02:00.000-04:00

What do you think of when you hear the words success and significance? When I think about these words, two words come to mind. Want and Being.

Success = wanting and Significance = being.

We live in a society were a person is measured by their success. In business, success is measured in terms of how much profit is brought in. A person's success is measured by what they have or what type of home they live in and the car they drive. I am amazed at the number of people that I hear say " if I only had...." I must be honest here.......I have caught myself saying that same phrase. We are bombarded by advertisements that make you think you are "less than," if you do not have their product.

The church world is a little different than the business world. Ministers success is determined by the size of the church you pastor or the length of revivals you conduct if you are an Evangelist......I guess size does matter.

The people that have made an impact in my life did not have the large churches. They did not have the largest business. They were just simple people that knew the right words to say at the right time. They were people that were not possessed with being placed in the "spotlight," but had more of a passion to be significant.

When I look at the life of Jesus, I see a person that was not driven to be successful but significant. After all, if success was what He was after, then He could have had it all when He was tempted by satan. Jesus saw more that what was being offered. He saw beyond what could have been acquired. He saw the significance of what He had to offer. His decision not to be driven by success but to be significant, is still being felt today.

When I die, I want my life to reflect more of my significance with others than any success that I may have. I want to make a difference in people's lives. I want to challenge people in the way they perceive life events. I want to have an impact on changing a person's eternal destination.

After all..............that is what Jesus did.

Peace Out..............

How did I get here?

2006-04-16T01:02:00.000-04:00

It is late and I cannot seem to fall asleep so I thought I would catch up on some websurfing. It is amazing that when you are not paying attention to what you are doing, you find yourself at a place, and it hits you and the first thing you ask is 'how did I get to here?" You try to retrace your steps backward just to see how you got to where you are at.

Well, that is what happened tonight while I was surfing the web. And no, I didn't find myself at some website that I should not have been at. I actually started my surfing at my own blogsite and linked from there to another, to another, and then to another. You get the idea. I never came back to my site to get to where I ended up. When I started, I did not intend to be where I ended up. My blog was not directly linked to the last site I visited but it served as a starting poing to get me there.

We all have starting points in our lives and they indirectly get us to where we are at. Sometime we make bad choices and find ourselve at a very uncomfortable place. It is no different than clicking on a link and up pops a site that is inapproiate for viewing. Sometime our choices put us in a place of excitement and adventure and we can't wait to see what happens next. The bottom line is this......"we all end up somewhere." I know that you are all saying,(in my best "Donkey" voice) "that was deep Bill, reeeeal deep." But one thing that I have learned is not to ask the question "how did I get here?" (which to be truthful, we all know how we got to where we are.) To start asking myself this question. "What am I going to do now that I am here?"

I am more convinced than ever, that we spend entirely too much time thinking in the past and not focusing on the present, thus not having a plan for the future.

Stop asking How and start working towards the What.

Peace Out........

Are we approachable?

2006-04-14T17:57:00.000-04:00

I was reading a blog by Mark Batterson that really spoke volumns to me. You can read the entire blog here. It is well worth the read.

There has been, in the last several years a gulf that has been placed between the ministry and laity of the Body of Christ. It seems to be that we have elevated those in ministry to a pedastal that was never intended to be built. I guess that watching christian television such as TBN or The Church Channel or the likes, has encouraged this "elevation" of the man. Please understand that I am not reducing the call of God or the position in ministry on a persons life. But when I see people that are in ministry act like they are "all that and a bag of chips," and treat people as though they are less than them. I just step back because I know that the "fall" is coming and I don't want to be around them. Proverbs 16:18 says "Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spiritbefore a fall."

Just recently, I had a person that I have been talking to concerning church tell me and I quote..."You don't act like most preachers that I have been aquainted with. You are down to earth and funny and not scared to be yourself." To me that was the best compliment that a person could give me. I don't want to act like a "preacher." I want people to be able to come to me and know that I will not treat them any different. No matter who they are and what they have. After all, that is what Jesus did.

The church must realize that people are looking for christians and ministers that are REAL and unafraid to be transparent. I have had emails concerning my previous post . Yes, I have been "ticked" at God and yes I have had questions. It is through our realness of life that people are won to Christ. Not by our degrees or positions are people changed.

But by our approachability and genuineness.

Peace Out.........

It's the small things

2006-04-10T22:39:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed that in life, it's the small things that really hurt the worse and cause you to loose focus on the bigger picture? Take a splinter for example. You could have a little splinter in your foot and after a while, you will be walking around like you need crutches. A paper cut feels like your finger has been severed from your hand. The thing about little things is that if you have enough of them happen at one time, you loose your ability to function and stay focused.

These last few weeks have been that way for us. I am not one to share much of things that happen in our lives, especially the "rough" stuff. I have always felt that God hears our cry and He will provide a way of escape. I have always believed that when you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on. Well, it just seems lately that the knot that is at the end of this rope is covered in grease.

Remember I said that it was the small things? Yesterday my sons pet lizard died for NO apparent reason. We have had this lizard for 2 years and my son has taken care of it daily without fail or without prompting. He was devastated. The entire time that I listen to him cry himself to sleep, I was furious with God for letting his pet die. Why God did Jared have to deal with this pain. He has done NOTHING wrong. I know to some this may be trivial, but to a 9 year old boy, this was painful. And to a daddy that could not do anything about it....it was infuriating................................... All of this over A LIZARD!!

I wish I could say that I have some revelation or insightful truth to end this post with, but quite frankly, I'm still yelling at God.

God offers online chatting

2006-04-08T14:54:00.000-04:00

This is great guys. Check this out here. Please understand, this is only for fun. If you are an uptight christian who thinks that it is wrong to have fun, then I suggest you "get a life" and not click the link.

Peace Out...............

What are you?

2006-04-05T13:15:00.000-04:00

Take the test and see what you are.

I'm a Talent!

You're a risk-taker, and you follow your passions. You're determined to take on the world and succeed on your own terms. Whether in the arts, science, engineering, business, or politics, you fearlessly express your own vision of the world. You're not afraid of a fight, and you're not afraid to bet your future on your own abilities. If you find a job boring or stifling, you're already preparing your resume. You believe in doing what you love, and you're not willing to settle for an ordinary life.

Talent: 72%
Lifer: 33%
Mandarin: 33%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

I'm a Ferrari 360

2006-04-05T13:07:00.000-04:00

You've got it all. Power, passion, precision, and style. You're sensuous, exotic, and temperamental. Sure, you're expensive and high-maintenance, but you're worth it.

"Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

This is GREAT!!

2006-04-05T12:58:00.000-04:00

You are what you eat

2006-04-05T09:25:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard the statement, "you are what you eat?" If that is a true statement, then we are nothing but "walking crap." I can say that because this is my blog. Have you really ever wondered what we eat could be the very things that are causing us to be sick. I will tie this into something spiritual at the end, but first I want to cause us to think for a moment about our health.

In the last few weeks I have been really looking into the things that we place in our bodies from the food that we consume on a daily basis. All I can say is "No wonder health insurance is so high!!" Do you realize that we are promoting "bad health," and the health industry is loving us for it. I would like to recommend a book that Angela and I are reading together. It is a straight forward, biblically based book on the foods that God created for us to consume to KEEP us healthy. This is one of those books that you need on your shelf to continually go back to. It list great websites and meal plans to get started in a healthier lifestyle.

This book is a must read for those who have tried everything that they know to try and still have poor health. We can exercise all want, but if we continue to consume the foods that we do on a regular basis, we are not gaining any ground. This book will open your eyes to the things that are being injected in our foods that are causing us to have things like heart disease, cancer, and organ failure. It will provide you with the foods that God said was clean to eat for our health and those that he classified "unclean."

I know that many will say that those foods was just for the Old Testament crowd but when you get into the reasons that these foods are not to be eaten, you will see how we are placing toxin in our bodies that God never intended to be there. Has it ever occured to you WHY people lived to be 300, 400, 600, and even 900 years old in the Bible? Because they OBEYED God when it came to their dietary needs.

Here is a list of the "dirty dozen" foods that are the most popular and the least healthy things that we consume on a daily basis.

1. pork products (yes I know, I love grilled pork chops too.)
2. shellfish and fish without fins and scales (catfish, shark, shrimp, lobster...)
3. margarine and shortening
4. artificial sweeteners
5. white flour
6. soft drinks (oh no!!! not Mountain Dews !!)
7. white sugar
8. pasteurized, homogenized milk
9. corn syrup
10. imitation meat products
11. artificial flavors and colors
12. excessive alcohol

I look at that list and it makes me sick. How can a southern boy survive without fried catfish and sweet tea? Seriously, if you want to look at what God has to say about unclean food look at Leviticus chapter 11 and Deuteronomy 14. I truely think that when God classified certain things unclean for us to eat, it was because He knows how their digestive tract functions and the "crap" that stays in their body.

It is my opinion that if enough people would follow God's direction when it comes to our diet, we would then cause a ripple affect in the Healthcare industry that would drop the cost. It is amazing how we try to follow the commands of God when it come to living a holy life and being a witness for Christ but we neglect the fact that "our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit."

I am not lobbying against the healthcare profession. If people do not decide to take better care of themselves...that's their problem. I know that I have one life here on this earth and I cannot be effective for God and making a difference in other people's lives if I am not taking care of the body that He gave me.

Peace out................

Energized and Enthusiastic

2006-03-21T09:16:00.000-05:00

In the last several weeks in our bible studies, I have been talking about the Acts 2 church and if that church is the same as the church that we see today. Sunday I talked about the characteristics that are associated with that church. The very first characteristic that "jumped" out was the energy and enthusiasm that was generated by the Holy Spirit.

Without the Divine energy and enthusiasm of the Holy Spirit, we will only be able to produce what man can conjure up. We have settled into the mainstream of life and have become part-time believers. I am convinced that we have moved away from any belief in the supernatural ability of God and the saddest part about this is, the church is leading the way. Even in Pentecost.

You have seen these churches that I am speaking about. They are churches that have little or no growth. They are churches with very few, if any saved. (Side note. I had a friend tell me this past week that since January 1st, they have seen 39 people saved in their church. Not 39 who said a cute prayer, but 39 in which the conviction of the Holy Spirit gripped there hearts and brought about a dramatic chane in their lives.) There are also churches where their services are so predictable, that they are dull. Even in Spirit filled churches.

Our services have been gauged by how many people "speak in tongues," or "fall out." The supernatural move of God is not about speaking in tongues nor falling out or even getting "goose bumps." The supernatural move of God is the changing of something from a previous state of existence to a better state of existence. When the lepers were healed they went from being sick to being well. When the blind was healed, they went from seeing darkness to seeing light. When an unbeliever starts to believe, he changed his eternal destination.

The church has lead the way where God has been limited to helping us emotionally through a crisis, but never intervening with the power to change the problem. In a previous post, I wrote about how we have become so dependent on pills for everything. We have learned to treat the symptoms, and have totally ignored the problem. That mentality has found it's way into the Body of Christ. God has become nothing more to us than a supernatural Psychiatrist that gives us a "feel good" pill instead of the supnatural Healer and Provider that He is.

Peace out...................

No blogging for several days

2006-03-10T20:43:00.000-05:00

I will not be posting for several days due to the fact that we are having to make an unexpected trip back to South Carolina. We received word yesterday that my dad is in serious condition and is in the ICU. He has a valve the is not operating correctly in his heart and as soon as they can get him stable, they will be going in and repairing the valve.

Please pray that we will have a safe trip and that we will be able to talk to him before the surgery. This is a very high risk procedure and we are asking that he is covered in prayer. Also pray that my mom is given strength and peace that only can come from God the Father.

Peace out..............

Therapy and the American Culture

2006-03-06T13:07:00.000-05:00

I am so sick of the ads that are being run on television sets across this country for drugs. During one show that I was watching last night, there were six ads for various drugs from bladder problems to not sleeping. Have we become so dependent on a little pill to cure "everything" that ails us, that it is now profitable for the "drug dealers"........I mean drug companies, to infringe on my time of movie watching?

I am no Conspiracy Theorist by any stretch of the imagination. Heck, there may have been a second shooter on the grassy knoll. I don't know? But what I do know is this. Ten years ago we did not see an advertisement for Zoloft or "the little purple pill" Nexium while watching our favorite television shows. I am fully convinced that the drug industry is making major profits from their ads. People are watching this propaganda and thinking that they might have a symptom that was mentioned and then runs to their doctor for the pill.

The side effects to these drugs appear to be worse than what you are already experiencing. Problem: Not sleeping. Side effects to drug: Headaches, diarrhea, nausea, liver damage, loss of appetite, possible heat failure, erectile dysfunction in men, and the list could go on . Call me stupid.........But I would rather just stay up all night!! We have gotton to the place that we have been trained to treat the symptom and not the source. We are looking for the "quick fix." After all, we have been conditioned to want everything "yesterday."

In the last few months, I have taken more over-the-counter medication, than I have my entire life. And I have felt worse than I ever have. I would take things for a headache or backache (symptoms) and not think about what the source was that was contributing to the pain. Medication has a way of reducing our ability to think critically and creatively. Two things that God gave us all the ability to do. Continually taking medication, alters the person that God created us to be.

More to come.............

Peace Out.....................................

Update on NewJourney

2006-03-05T14:13:00.000-05:00

I wanted to give an update of how the new church plant is progressing. First of all thank you to all that have been praying for us and supporting us in this ministry. Without the prayers of our frinds, this would be a difficult thing to undertake.
When we originally started to think of a name for the church, I was leaning towards using the word Oasis in the name. After we moved here, I started to see the name oasis everywhere we went. It was not a name that was used by any churches but by local business. I guess living in a city that is situated on the Chesapeake Bay, one could conclude that the name oasis would be a popular name....Guess I was not really thinking in those terms.

After deciding that I did not want to use a name that was redundant in the community, Angela and I begun to toss around some names for this church. We wanted the name to reflect not only who we were, but also what out purpose was. The way this name came about.........and this is very spiritual...........was that we sat down and we both started writing for 5 minutes nonstop. Anything that crossed our minds was placed on paper. At the end of the 5 minutes we stopped and compared notes.........Let me tell ya, we had some STUPID church names on those notes.

We had such a smorgesboard of names that still did not "feel" right. We started to mix names together and that was really interesting. Some that we put together sounded like either an underwater whorehouse or an uptown amusement park.......... hey, we were tired.

In the end, we came to the name NewJourney. We liked it instantly. One it represents who we are. It represents what we are going to do.......change live. And finally....it did not sound churchy. One thing that we did however, was that we presented the name to different people, just to get their reaction. This proved to be very beneficial. In the end.....NewJourney is the name.

Today was our first bible study and man it was great. We held it in our home and we had 8 people in attendance. 8 may not sound like much but when you have only been here less than 2 months and not knowing anyone..........8 might as well be 80. We will be holding these bible studies every 1st and 3rd Sunday's of the month.

I have put together a series that I have entitled "Who Moved My Church?" This is an indepth study on the New Testament church and if the church today is a model of the Acts 2 church or has it somehow ventured off into it's OWN direction. Continue praying for us as we embark on a NewJourney for Christ.

On a side note...........My lovely wife Angela, has ventured into the world of blogging.....Yes ladies and gentleman, that is scary. She doesn't know how consistent she will be but she will try........... at least several times a week. She is also in the process of starting up something that will open up new doors for her. I will let her share that when she so desires. Feel free to check it out and harass her at anytime you feel so inclined.

Peace Out...............

Lessons learned from a visit to the Chiropractor

2006-03-01T11:16:00.000-05:00

I know that it has been a week since my last post, but I have a good reason. I have been in serious pain over the last several days due to headaches!! I have not been able to get ANYTHING done. I HATE feeling this way. After looking at my x-rays, no wonder I am hurting!! I AM ALL MESSED UP...Places that are suppose to be straight are crooked and places that are suppose to be crooked are straight.

Well, long story short, I found a great chiropractor that felt my pain and he is working to get me "straightened out."................ Man, he has his job cut out for him.

It was very interesting to know that the nerves in the spine controls every organ and muscle in the body. If the spine becomes twisted or bent in any direction other than it's original position, you will experience pain or discomfort. Example would be if the area of the spine that controls the kidneys are "out of line," then your kidneys will not operate to their fullest potentional thus causing problems.

When I think about how our bodily structure is made and how important it is to live a healthy life and take care of the "only" body that we have, I can't help but think how important it is to keep our spiritual structure in line as well.

We have to maintain that daily time with God, through pray and bible reading. Just like exercise and proper nutrition keeps our body functioning proper, that keeps our spiritual structure in is proper alignment.

God created us Body, Mind and Spirit. There are 3 parts to all of us. If one part is not functioning correctly, it causes problems to the other area's. This happened to me this week. My body was in such pain and discomfort, it caused my mind to worry about what the heck was going on, that Spiritually, I could not even focus on God. Don't get me wrong, I was focusing on God but it was ALL about me, because I was concerned for MY health.

Jesus said that "I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly." I am not talking about being wealthy. Abundant life is far greater than wealth. It spans farther than any amount of money can ever carry you no matter what you hear. Body, Mind, and Spirit. It's like a 3 legged stool. Remove any of the legs and you can still use the seat, but you are not using it as it was original designed nor will it be as supportive. It will be off balance and awkward and maybe even distorted.

What area are you suffering in?

Gotcha Back

2006-02-17T10:41:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been in a situation that you could not handle? One in which you have tried everything you know to try and did everything you knew to do? I have......And in all honesty, it is not a pleasant situation to be in.

One of my new favorite shows that is on right now is Criminal Minds. It is because, I am a psychology buff. I love to know why people do what they do and act the way they act. I was watching it the other night and the local sheriff's office was investigating a homicide and they were having a difficult time in making progress. One of the guys looked at the other and said "we need more help." They made a call and as you can imagine in came the FBI Behavioral Unit and before you know it .....The case was solved. (In 1 hour to.....)

I started to think how we get into situations and before we know it, we are over our heads. It becomes MORE than we can do.

In short.............God is a God of MORE and He is only 1 call away. When you have done all that you know to do. HE IS THERE.

Make the call............I dare you

Peace Out................

Somebody is ALWAYS watching

2006-02-16T10:46:00.000-05:00

Have you ever done something and thought that you have gotten away with it because no one saw you do it? I am not talking about something major. Just little things that we may think as being insignificant. Well, the other day, I was running late for a meeting and and was coming up on a traffic light that had just turned yellow. Well, instead of stopping like a good citizen would do, I sorta kinda intentionally kept going. After all, it was still technically yellow. I had scanned the area and no one was coming from either direction so I proceeded through the intersection.

Well, no one had told me that in this city, at ALL traffic lights are these things called....................... CAMERAS!!

They automatically take photo's when the light turns red and if you have passed the white line, you receive a nice little letter in the mail with a close-up photo of your vehicle being pass that white line stating....."we gotcha...." Not to mention a 75.00 fine!!

Moral of the story. If you cannot afford a "007 car" that can rotate your tag numbers at the push of a button, then do the best you can at being the best you can.

You never know who is watching and making mental photo's to use at a later date.

Peace out............

1st winter in Maryland

2006-02-12T15:11:00.000-05:00

What a sight this morning!! I woke up to almost a foot of snow on the ground. I can honestly say that it has been quite some time since I have seen that much snow. I know that you Yankee's....ummmm...... Northerner's, might say that is nothing. But you need to realize that this ole boy is from the South and we just don't get that much.

If it snows 2", the entire city is shut down and EVERYBODY makes a mad dash to the grocery store, and wipes out ALL the bread, milk and eggs.........even if you don't need them. That is just what we Southerner's do, even when we move up north. I must admit though, I had to go out and buy that yesterday but we were really, really, really out of those thing.....Yes we were!!

I really enjoyed playing in it today. I can't tell you the last time I have just acted stupid. Well, while playing in the snow anyway. I have added a few photos to journal my day. There may be some photo's that depict me "DOGGING" my boys. They were not harmed physically in this show of "who their daddy is," only their PRIDE was deflated.

It was a great day to spend with the family and just have fun. We have been so "wide open" in the short time that we have been here, that it was just nice to chill out...(no pun intended)

Peace Out.............

My point was made yesterday

2006-02-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

I had mentioned in a previous post about a lady that I nearly "went off" on, during a phone conversation. I was talking to here about the new church that we were starting and the conversation was going really well. She was telling me that she went to "*** **** ******." ( Disclaimer: Name of church withheld due to the fact I DO NOT want to embarrass this church by this woman's remarks.)

As we continued our conversation, I told her that we had secured a facility at a private school to start conducting bible studies. So far....No problem. Then, she asked if my kids went to that school.

(Sidebar here). Those of you that know me, know that I am not going to pay 20,000 a year for my kids to go to ANY private school when there are QUALIFIED and COMPETENT public schools. I want my kids to experience the real world and not be culture shocked when they have to start working in it.

(Back to the story) When I told her no, that my kids do not go there, and I proceeded to tell her what public schools my kids attended. This was her response. (emphasis placed on bold words).

"You're telling me that your kids go to PUBLIC school!!?"

Needless to say, the conversation took a downhill turn from there. This statement just proves what I have noticed in the short time that we have been here. The prejudice is not a color issue but that of socioeconomic positions. The kicker to all of this, is that this lady who just 5 minutes before was bragging about her church and the accomplishments of her pastor and everything in between, and how great God was...........LABELED me because my kids were in public schooling.

Honestly...I SLAMMED down the phone and was TICKED OFF.

But I was then reminded of how Jesus and the disciples were labeled by the Pharisees because they associated themselves with those that were not in the "in crowd" or the "upper echelon" of society. I actually feel sorry for this lady. She has fallen for satans oldest trick in the book..........Thinking more of yourself than you really are.

Proverbs 16:18-19
"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed
than to share plunder with the proud. "

Peace out...........

101%

2006-02-09T23:21:00.000-05:00

I was sent this today via email and I thought that it would be good to post. Check it out.

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:

What Equals 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving MORE than 100%? We have all been in situations where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 101%? What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these Questions:
If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then:

H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K would be 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E would be 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But, A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E would be 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

now look how far the love of God will take you

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D would be 12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that: While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there........

It is the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Hey, it has been that kind of a day. Had it not been for the Love of God today, I would have gone ballistic on a lady that I talked to today.......more on that at another time.

Peace out.........

Books of Influence

2006-02-08T20:15:00.000-05:00

I have over the last 3 years become an avid reader of various types of books. In all honesty before then, my reading was limited to newspaper and magazines with very few books in between. It was not until I heard a speaker at a men's conference give statistics on just how many men actually read a book of substance. That convicted me to the core. After that conference, I disciplined myself to take time each day to read something of substance....other than the bible.

After about a month, I began to look forward to my time of reading. They say that if you continue to do something consecutively for 30 days, it then becomes a habit. Well, I am thankful that is one habit that I have picked up and don't ever want to lose. Reading produces knowledge and knowledge aquires wise advice. Read Proverbs 1:5

The following are a list of books that have impacted the way I think and act. I recommend them to anyone who has a "Quest for Knowledge."

Although the list could be more extensive, these are just some that I can look back on and see the impact and quality that has been added to my life by what was written by these authors.

God bless.....and continue Questing after knowledge

Go where God is already at

2006-02-07T22:24:00.000-05:00

Bono spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast last week in D.C. Feel free to listen to his speech in it's entirety here. Below is just an excerpt that hit me where I have been thinking.

_________________________________________________________________
"God may well be with us in our mansions on the hill. I hope so. He may well be with us in all manner of controversial stuff. Maybe, maybe not. But the one thing, we can all agree - all faiths, all ideologies - is that God is with the vulnerable and the poor. God is in the slums and the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives. And God is with us, if we are with them."
_________________________________________________________________

That is a POWERFUL and CONVICTING statement.

I think that it is time for us to get out into the marketplace and the city streets with the Gospel of Jesus and stop congregating inside the four walls of our "crypts." We keep begging God to show up in our services and in our programs and the whole time God is trying to get us to come where He is at.

Jesus Himself was critized by the "religious crowd" for eating supper with the sinners. I love Jesus' response..He nail those boys with this statement, "I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance." Luke 5:32

We are to go where God is at, and that is in the middle of those that don't know Him as Lord and Savior

Where is that Church?

2006-02-05T16:38:00.000-05:00

Below is a story from Tony Campolo's book, The Kingdom of God is a Party. Read it carefully and then read it again.
_________________________________________________________________
While on a speaking trip to Hawaii, Campolo was walking late one night, actually early in the predawn morning, when he happened upon a diner that stayed open 24 hours a day. While eating a donut and drinking a cup of cofee, a number of prostitutes came in.
Campolo found himself in the mist of a large group of loud prostitutes, not exactly the comfort zone for ministers. He overheard a conversation between two of the women: "Tomorrow's my birthday. I'm gonna be 39." The response was less than enthusiastic. "So whaddaya want...a party?"

"Nah, why do you have to be so mean? I don't expect aparty. I've never had one before. Why should I have one now?" said the first. When Tony heard that, he made a decision. When the womenleft, he asked the owner if the one who was having a birthday came in every night. "Yes, that's Agnes. She comes in every night." So Tony and the owner made arrangements to bring decorations, bake a cake and show up at 3 a.m. the following day. They outfitted the diner with a sign that said "Happy Birthday Agnes" and hung crete paper everywhere. The word was spread . By 3:15, the place was filled with prostitutes and Tony Campolo.

At 3:30, the door swung open and in walked Agnes. Tony had everyone yell "Happy Birthday, Agnes!" She ws flabbergasted and stunned. By the end of the song, Agnes' eyes had filled with tears. When the cake with all the candles came out, she openly started to cry. Everyone yelled, "blow out the candles, Agnes." But she couldn't. "Cut the cake, Agnes," they continued, but she couldn't. Looking at the cake, Agnes said "If is OK, I'd like to keep the cake a little while."

Agnes left with the cake saying, "I'll come back-honest I will." Agnes took her cake down the street a couple of doors, carrying it like a ring on a pillow. When the door to the diner closed, there was silence. Tony says he wasn't sure what to do so he said, "What do you say we pray?" He prayed for Agnes, for her salvation, for her life to be changed, and for God's goodness to touch her. When he had finished, the owner leaned over the counter and said, "Hey, you never told me you were a preacher. What kind of church do you belong to?"

Tony said, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties for whores at 3:30 in the morning." The response of the owner is the clincher here. Listen to what he said.

"No you don't. There is NO church like that. If there was, I'd join it. I'd join a church like that!!?
_________________________________________________________________

Now this is Bill talking.....

Where is the church that anybody and everybody can come and be loved and accepted? That is the kind of church that I want to establish and be apart of in this city. The day has come where we as Christians should stop being so "holy" that we cannot even associate with the unbeliever.

The only difference between a Christian and the lowest of sinners is.....................GRACE.

Where is that church?

Trash Culture

2006-01-29T17:50:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or is our culture going to hell in a hand basket? If you are offended by that statement, then good.........I hope you will set up and take notice. I was riding around Annapolis yesterday looking for a car wash. You know, the kind that you pull up and tell them what kind of wash you want and then get out and they do the washing? Listen, I don't mind washing the car.......in the summertime, but not when it is 45 degrees and the wind blowing.

Anyway, I finally found me a place and was sitting inside waiting for the car to be finished. I was browsing through a magazine and came across a picture of guy dressed in a suit, with a headset mic and a bible in his hand. The heading was this....Televangelist or gay. In the photo was little homosexual innuendo's pointing to various places such as "loose fitting slacks in case of ressurection with an arrow pointing...well you know.

I kept looking to see what the relevance of the photo was. It was not an article nor was it an advertisement. In essence it was degrading the ministry and those that were in it. As I was driving to my next appointment, I was not angry at what I read nor was I surprised at the content. I was only reminded the words of Jesus when he was speaking to His disciples and said "And you will be hated by all, for My name's sake."

The answer to the question is yes...our culture IS heading to hell in a hand basket but I am also reminded of this quote by Oscar Wilde who said:

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking towards the stars."

We may be in this world but thank God, that through Salvation we are set apart and have the assurance that the "gutter" is temporary.

From tragedy to resiliency

2006-01-28T17:56:00.000-05:00

Why do bad things happen to people when things seem to be going good? That is a question that has been asked since the beginning of time. I'm not sure that there is a simple answer. The only thing that I am sure of is this....I AM NOT GOD and HE DOES NOT ASK FOR MY ADVICE. With that said.....

I have been doing alot of studying in the Book of Acts. In studying this week, I saw something that I had never seen before.....watch.

The book of Acts is the start of the New Testament church, after Jesus accended into heaven. Shortly after, the Holy Spirit fell in the upper room. (Acts 2) After this happened, the church was "on the move." It was growing by the thousands!!.. People were being saved, baptised in the Holy Spirit....miracles were happening!!! Things were going good.

All of a sudden, tragedy strikes in Acts 7:59. Up until this point, the church in Jerusalem was experiencing great things. The problem was that no one was LEAVING Jerusalem to preach the Gospel. Jesus gave explicit instructions in Acts 1:8 for the disciples to follow, after the Holy Spirit came......

Acts 8:4 tells us what happened after the stoning of Stephen. You see, it took this tragedy for disciples to get where Jesus had already commanded them to go. They were comfortable where they were at and why go when things were going great? BECAUSE.......Jesus commanded them to.

I am not saying that every tragic thing that happens is because we have messed up and "ticked" God off. The bible tells us that "rain will fall on the just and the unjust," somewhere sometime, we all are going to get wet.

Sometimes the things that we see and think are good, are not always good in the eyes of God the Father. Why? Because we see the here and now but God sees the tomorrows.

Tragedies will either break us or they will bring us back.

Webster defines resilience as: the power or ability to return to the original form or position, after being bent, compressed or stretched.

The disciples could have folded up and quit the whole thing after Stephens death. But they continued on and followed what Jesus had originally planned and more was added to the church and are still being added today.

Why Annapolis?

2006-01-19T19:16:00.000-05:00

We are beginning to get settled into our new home. Most of the unboxing has taken place and things are starting to come together. I can actually get around the city using the main roads without even looking at a map....(For Angela, that is another story).

Bryce and Jared have gotten settled into their respective schools and have already made some new friends and are really doing well. I have been able to talk to several people in the community about the church and share what God has placed in my heart to do.

It is amazing the response that I get from people when I tell them that I have moved from South Carolina to here just to start a church. Why Annapolis?

When Angela and I started this journey, we never knew where God would lead us. We have always been open to go wherever God directed. (except Minnesota and anywhere else that gets really cold weather...lol). I know that everywhere we have been, the steps were ordered by God. For whatever reason...we had to be there.

The first day we drove into this city, back in August...we knew that this would be home. The Spirit of God let us both know that this was our ministry field. After doing some extensive research on the county and the city....I then realized why. I started to pray that God would give me direction on what type of church He would have me start. God began to direct me to the New Testament for an indepth study of what the New Testament church looked like....For 3 months I searched scripture that pertained to church, and out of that God gave me the Purpose and Mission of the church that we were to start.

While doing research on this area I found that only 17% of the population of Maryland attend church on any given weekend. That means that 83% does not see a need for fellowship or worse....God. When I read that my heart breaks. There are 500,000 people in the county that I live in. In this county alone....only 14% attend church..... That means that there are nearly 430,000 people within a 30 mile radius that does not attend church.

That bothers me....

I want people to know that Jesus is alive and can change their lives.
I want people to know that there is more in Christ than what they are experiencing.
I want people to know that there is Hope and Peace in a relationship with Jesus.

So why Annapolis.......? Because God said go

What a week!!!

2006-01-13T22:58:00.000-05:00

This has been one of those weeks!!! We have finally gotten settled into our new home in Annapolis, MD. Today we were able to get the boys registared in school...you know they were thrilled to death....NOT!! They are begging me to homeschool them so they can sleep late....NOT!! They are getting lazy and Angela and I are ready for them to get back to school.

Well that is all I have for now...I am really tired from unboxing....

See ya

Stand your ground

2006-01-01T14:01:00.000-05:00

Today was a great day. Why? One reason is because I did not stay up and watch the ball drop. I mean, I have seen the NY ball drop many time and this year was no different...except for the chang in year. I was well rested and ready for a great day.

Todays service was an AWESOME service. I would like to think that God had this all planned just for me but I know other people were blessed to. This was also a sad day for us. Today was the last service for us at our church. We will be packing and moving for Maryland this week to start a new church. I am excited and sadden all at the same time.

I have not shared much about what has been taking place with us in the last 5 months because I am very careful in who I share things with. It's not because it's a secret, but I have learned not to give out too much info to people who can't help me. I want to share one thing with you that God revealed to me today through a powerful, anointed Evangelist that was with us today.

I know that the enemy is fighting to stop this move. Since we made this decision to accept what God has called us to do I have had more physical problems in the last 4 months than I have my entire life without any explanations. I am 39 years old and am in pretty good shape. I have been to the doctor more in the last 3 months because of pain and problems in area's that I have never been bothered with before. I have been restricted from activities that I enjoy doing because of just not being able to move much without alot of pain. THAT TICKS ME OFF!!!!!!

I have known for some time, that the devil has been trying to stop us. I stepped up front today to be prayed for for my healing but God just confirmed by revealing through Words of Knowledge and Discernment that "the sickness and pain that I have been having is not from a physical problem but from a spiritual battle and that the enemy has been camped out at my doorstep to try and stop what God was going to do in our minisrty."

THAT TICKED ME OFF EVEN MORE!!

I am reminded through His Word that "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world." Also..."No weapon formed against me shall prosper."

That is the God that I serve. He loves us that much that He lets us know where our enemy is at all times, that we may beaware of his plans.

If the enemy is attacking you...Stand your ground!!

God Bless

Belonging

2005-12-24T18:03:00.000-05:00

Today I have been out and about in the mad frenzy of last minute Christmas shopping. All I had to do was to buy 1 gift so I think I did pretty well. I was watching people running down the aisles and grabbing gifts for that someone special in their life. Other's were pretty calm, cool and collected. You could tell that they were pros at this last minute stuff.

I have been thinking today that even though it is one of the most chaotic days of the year for some people.....for others it is the most depressive. You see, their are some that are out there today that feel that they are all alone and have no one to share this season with. This time of year has the highest suicide numbers than any other time. How can people be so depressed during Christmas? It's suppose to be a fun and joyous time of the year!!

For those of you that feel that way....Some 2000 years ago God looked upon this earth and saw the sin and filth that was prevelant and looked over to His Son Jesus and sent Him to this place where He didn't belong.

He stepped out of the portals of Glory to a place of depression, agony, and despair because He loved us that much that we may not have to suffer from such pain. Even today, His Word tells us to "Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

God Bless

Life without power

2005-12-20T20:29:00.000-05:00

Well, if you live in the southeast or were in the southeast this weekend , you will understand what I am saying. We had a tremendous winterstorm and was dumped with about 1/2 inch of ice...not snow............................ ICE!!!

We were without power for 3 days. I was cool with that because I had alot of work to do on the computer and had a really good excuse not to be able to do it. We huddled around the fireplace and kept warm and I had a camping stove that I cooked on. My boys thought it was great...They actually realized that they could find something to do instead of playing video games.

I started to think just how much we take things for granted. I mean how many times do we walk into a room and flip on a switch and not even think that it is not going to come on?
I can't tell you the number of times that during the power outages that I would walk into a room and flip the switch just out of habit.

We treat God the same way. We lose focus on why we exist. We forget the love that God has for us. We forget the sacrifice that He made in giving His Son Jesus, for the remission of our sins.

We are more concerned for what we can get from Him, that we are no longer moved by what He has already done. I read so many blogs from other christians, and it amazes me just how narrow minded some are. All they seem to say is how they "can't wait to see what God is going to do for me."

I asked a person that is currently in ministry this question not too long ago. "If God did not bless you anymore, or give you what you think that you shoul have...would you still serve Him?"
His response was very disturbing. He hesitated(which was a cause for concern) and then he responded by...................."I would have to think about that one."

Where have we lost it? No wonder people don't want what we have. We are no longer impressed with salvation and the gift of grace.

We need to realize just how important the POWER of Salvation really is.
No money can buy it.
No position can contain it.
No thief can steal it.
No flood can destroy it.
No wind can force it to submission.

It was purchased with love.
It was purchased with blood.
It was given to all that believed.
It was given for hope and eternal life.

Merry Christmas

Too busy to blog...

2005-12-08T20:33:00.000-05:00

Man!!!!!! These last few weeks have been hectic. I have been so busy not only at work but also finalizing the plans for us to move to Maryland. There is alot to line up when you are moving to another state.

Angela and I were in Maryland this past weekend to find us a home and thank God after spending two days looking and looking and looking......we finally found one.....THANK YOU JESUS!!!! This was the one thing that we most desperatly wanted to accomplish. It would be hard to move and well...not have a place to move to.

God is really blessing and giving us direction on how to start this church. I am not going to spend time on this blog to discuss my vision for the church or it's purpose but I can tell you that God is really messing me up with this...In a good way of course.

We only have a few more weeks before we move..man where does time go? I am excited but I also know that it will be a somber time as well. For those that read this, my family and I would appreciate your prayers in this time of transition.

God bless and remember that this season is about Jesus. Don't let the chaos of the holidays give way to forgetting about the real reason we celebrate.

A day to be thankful

2005-11-24T12:48:00.000-05:00

I hope that whomever reads this post will take the time to thank God for all the things that He has done in your life.

We all have things to be thankful for. Sometimes we loose focus and forget all the blessings that God has bestowed upon us.

If you cannot think of anything to be thankful for.......you can thank God for His loving grace and mercy that He has shown to you by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die that we may have our sins forgiven and have eternal life with Him.

God Bless

What a year!!!!!

2005-11-23T19:08:00.001-05:00

I want to take this time to just thank God for this year. 2005 is slowly winding down and we are now in that season of thanksgiving and reflecting.

In Febuary, during a time of personal prayer and fasting, God revealed to me that 2005 would be "my" year. Now I had absolutely no idea what that meant!! Little did I know what God had in store for us. I will not go into detail about it right now for I am in the process of putting all that has happened in a book that I feel impressed to write.

I look back now and see how God truly has had His hand upon our lives and was strategically orchestrating our lives. I thank God for ALL that has happened and look forward to the things to come.

Never give up on God.....He has everything under control..

I'll take him....

2005-11-12T19:40:00.000-05:00

I remember as a kid during recess, standing around and waiting to be picked for a football, baseball or kickball game. There would be 15 or 20 of us and 2 were chosen to be captains and the picking would begin. Now I am not going to tell you like some do, that I was always the last one chosen to be on a team or was always the odd man out and had to be the one to wait until the "next" game. In all honesty...I was one of the first few that was always chosen because I was a good athelete. I played hard and was not afraid to be in the middle of anything and always give my best.

I was reading the other day in the bible where Jesus was starting His ministry and was in the process of choosing the disciples. I could imagine Him walking through town and seeing all the people that passed Him...looking for those that He would use as a foundation for what we know as the New Testament Church. He probably passed alot of socially influential people. Maybe even a few very successful business leaders. And possible a couple of "preachers," that were in the temple preaching.

He made His way down by the lake and came across a couple of guys fishing. Even at a distance, he saw them as being usable, for all He said was "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men," and they followed. This was His process for the remainderof His disciples. There were no big questionaires to fill out. No interviewing process that took place. No profile test to be taken.

Just looking for availability....Just looking for realness...Just looking for passion...

I started to place myself back in that day and I asked myself...."would I have been picked?" "Would Jesus have seen in me, what He was looking for to build His church?" "Would He have looked over me to choose someone else?"

Would He have said....."I'll take Him."

I Object!!

2005-11-01T20:12:00.000-05:00

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear those words? For me, it taks me to a courtroom scene where someone has said something that the opposing side does not appreciate and the attorney stands and shouts "I object!!"

Here is a quote that I came across today in my reading:

"First, they came after the Trade Unionist, but since I wasn't a Trade Unionist, I did not object. Then, they came after the Catholics, but not being a Catholic, I did not object. Then, they came after the Jews, but again, not being Jewish, I did not object. Then, they came after me and there was no one left to object."

Pastor Neumuller
Personal prisoner of Adolf Hitler

How long, are we as Christians going to allow ourselves to be trampled underfoot by those that oppose Christ and everything that is righteous and good?

How long will we allow family and friends to be drawn and enticed by filth and perversion?

How long will we wait before we introduce someone to Jesus for fear of being ridiculed?

How long are we going to watch people that are in need of food, shelter, and clothing walk in and out of our churches before we lend a hand?

How long are we going to fight among ourselves and kill one another with harsh and murderous words while friends, family and associates are dying without knowing Christ as their Savior.

How long will it take for us to stand and proclaim that Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life?

How much are we going to take before the Church stands and cries.....I OBJECT!!!

God Bless

Are you happy?

2005-10-27T18:34:00.000-04:00

You may agree with what I am about to say or you may not. That is your perogative.....but here goes. We live in a society that promotes materialism over relationships. People are always wanting more. We are never satisfied with the things that we have. We are always looking at what others have and what we have not. We even judge people by their possessions.

This mentality has even crept into the Body of Christ. Now before you start to slam me, let me finish. I believe with all my heart that God wants to see His people blessed. I believe that God does not want us bound by debt. I think that Christians should be the most responsible people when it comes to stewardship of money. (most are not)

What I don't believe is that God intended that all Christian are to be wealthy. Jesus himself said " the poor you will have with you always." By some, that would imply that all poor people were not saved or have very little faith. Wealth does not equal happiness. Is wealth wrong? Absolutely not. Can wealth be used to further the Kingdom of God? Absolutely. Can wealth be used to help others in need? Another....ABSOLUTELY.

Social Psychologist even agree that wealth does not correlate with psychological well-being. In a word....rich people are not the happiest. Depression is at an all time high among youth and young adults. (Cross-National Collaborative Group, 1992) God never intended for materialism to replace relationships. Let's face it....We are looking for happiness in something that cannot produce it. Look at this scripture:

Isaiah 55:2 " Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and you labor for that which does not satisfy?"

I have even heard ministers say that "you must have wealth and stuff so that the sinners will see what you have and want it." Hello.......is that not being covetous? Seems to me, that was one of the BIG 10 of "Thou shalt not do's." If I must have "stuff" in order for people to want the Jesus that they see in me then....I must not be allowing the right Jesus to be seen.

Too many people are spending their time and money going after things that does not produce happiness while neglecting the everyday things such as close relationships and a faith community.

The whole point to this is to be content with who you are and what you have. The happiest people that I have ever met have been those that are content with what they have. I am learning that if I am content with what God has provided me with now....then I am able to appreciate it more and am more grateful for it. When we can get to the place like some "old time" christians use to testify to..."if God does not give me anything else in this life....I would still serve Him."

Do we have that kind of relationship with God to say that? Are we serving Him for who He is and not for what we can get?

What a day...making memories

2005-10-23T02:41:00.000-04:00

Man! What a great day I had today spending it with my family. We were able to snag some Clemson football tickets and go see the Tigers whip Temple. Did I mention that we were sitting in the lower section on the Clemson side at the 30 yard line!? We had GREAT seats!!

This was also the first time that my sons have ever been to a Clemson game and they loved it. They were able to "rub the rock" before the game. (If you are not a Clemson fan then you will not understand what I just said).

The most memorable time that I had today was not watching the game with my boys but trying to explain the rules of football to my lovely wife Angela. It was kinda like the Abbott and Costello.."Who's on First" routine...and I was Abbott. (whew!!) I still don't think she understands the 1st and 10 first down rule. But hey...I didn't marry her for her knowledge of football anyway.

We laughed and had a great time today and I was thinking how blessed I am to have a great family. I love to spend time with them and build memories that will last a life time. I know of too many people that have great families but are too busy doing "other" things that they think are more important. People are trying to "climb" the corporate ladder or build a bigger ministry and the ones that are suffering the most are the very ones that loves them the most.

Ask yourself....will it be worth it in the end with all of your accomplishments and success, to not have anyone around to share it with? What kind of memories will your children be able to share with their kids?

Go out today and start building a lifetime of memories that will never be forgotten.

Satan will use any tactic necessary to separate the family....even ministry. Don't let your kids find another hero to look up to. All they are wanting is time. Not "stuff." Just time.

If you succeed at everything in life that you pursue... and fail your family...are you still successful?

God Bless

3 things I learned from Indiana Jones

2005-10-18T22:23:00.000-04:00

I am an Indiana Jones fan. Hands down. I wish they had made more than they did...at least as many as Rocky!? YO Adrian!!!!!! (in my best Rocky voice). Anyway...back at the farm...I was watching the Indy and the Last Crusade the other night. (the one where he and his father was trying to find the cup of Christ) and God showed me something in that movie. Here goes...

Do you remember the scene where everyone was together just before the last step to finding the cup? The one where Indy's father was shot by the Nazi guy? Indy had to go into the cave to find the cup to save his father. You with me so far? If not rent the movie...
The cave was rigged with death traps and you had to know the answer to the puzzle or.......you died.

Now remember, 2 other men had gone in before Indiana and well.....they died. They did not have the answer. The clues were:
1. The penitent man shall pass.
2. The Name of God.
3. Take a leap of Faith

These were the 3 clues that Indiana had, to be able to make it through without dying and in the end saving his father.

You may ask...what is so important about this? Well...take a look. This is a roadmap for christians to follow in this thing called life. Watch.

1. penitent means repentant. We must first and foremost come to God and acknowledge that we have sinned and ask for forgiveness. We must extinguish our pride and self reservation and humble ourselves to the God Jehovah. Understand?

2. We must know who God is. You cannot know God if you do not spend time with Him and have a relationship with Him. God is not some far away God that sits way up in outerspace and is unreachable. He created us to have a relationship with Him.

3. We must walk in faith knowing that God is in control of everything in our lives. Nothing is a surprise to him. If He says step, then we must know that there is going to be a bridge under our feet when they hit the ground.

Son....that will preach right there....I don't care who you are.

This life is rigged with death traps that satan has placed in our paths. But I promise you that if you know the answer you will reach your reward.

God Bless

Is that all you got?

2005-10-16T15:59:00.000-04:00

I was watching TV the other day and I saw a new commercial that Verizon has put out and how much network and support a Verizon customer had compared to the competition.

Two guys were meeting at a football game and the one guy lost his call and he looks at 4 other people with computers and antenna's (his netwok) and say's "you guys are killing me."
His friend then comes walking up with his Verizon phone and behind him is an army of people. Guys repelling from helicopters, high tech equiptment, and anything that you can imagine.
He then looks at the 4 people behind his friend and ask "is that all you got?"

Man, I started thinking about what satan has to offer vs what God has to offer.

Satan offers: undeniable pleasure for a season.
a do what feels good card
lies and deception
Eternity in hell

God offers: A son that was willing to die for my sins
A peace that passes all understanding
A promise of never leaving us when we are in trouble
A promise of never putting on us more than we can handle
A life of abundance
A life of power in the Holy Spirit
A father that will cradle us in the times of despair
Eternity with Him in Heaven

These are just a few that I came up with off the top of my head. I could list pages of promises from God but I think you get the picture.

If you are like the guy with only the 4 people.....

My question is...Is that all you got, when God is offering so much more?

Make the switch

Perceiving the worst

2005-10-15T23:21:00.000-04:00

I have often wondered why it is that people assume the worst in other people when things happen? Without going into details, I was accused today of something that I had no influence nor have any control over by someone that I thought knew me.

After talking with them, I started to retrace my steps to see if I was the cause or was I just an external factor that people perceived as being the reason for their attitude or behavior. In Sociol Psychology that is called the Attribution Theory.

Do we always tend to think towards the negative about someone if we hear that something has happened? Even a friend? We are so desperate to try to justify our actions and our beliefs that shifting the cause to someone else makes us feel better about our own selves. This a way many people deal with their own personal flaws that they are not able to confront.

The sad part about all of this is that I see this more in the church than I do anywhere else. Have we forgotten the good in people? Have we trained ourselves to automatically assume the worst?

Once you have a belief, it influences how you perceive all other relevant information. I'll give you an example. If I think that a person has hostility against me, then I am going to interpret any kind of ambiguious action on their part as signifying hostility. No matter what they say or do, as long as I believe........ then any action, is taken as hostile action.

That is why the bible tells us to guard our minds and "put on the helment of salvation."

The mind is satans playground and if we are not careful, then he will turn it into an amusement park.

If you are wondering....I was not the reason for the situation.

Things that I am passionate about...

2005-10-12T14:26:00.000-04:00

We all have passions in our life that really explain to others who we are. Passions tell us where our focus is and what is most important to us. You can tell what someones passion is by looking at there checkbook and calender. Your passion is where you spend the most of your time and the most of your money.

Here are my five top passions.

1. Jesus Christ

I have a passion in serving and living my life after Him. After all these years of being a Christian, I am still in awe of the grace and mercy of God. Everyday I wake up wanting Him to reflect through me in anything I do and everywhere I go.

2. My wife Angela

I have the most beautiful, sexy, loving woman in the world. We have been married 17 years and I would not trade it for anything. She is good at everything she does and man do I mean everything(ummm well we will stop there).

3. My sons Bryce and Jared

God has blessed me with 2 of the most awesome sons in the universe. Bryce (13) is athletic and imaginative, and smart. Although he is starting the age in which "dad does not know anything" and I am told that will last until he is about 30. He is a son that could very well one day be President. I just hope he keeps the White House cleaner than he does his room.
Jared (9) is athletic and loves animals. He has a pet lizard and wants a snake..(that aint going to happen). He is at the age in which he is just......annoying. (Had to be honest).

4. My Ministry

Bottom line...I want to see people's lives changed. I convey to people that your circumstances does not dictate who you are. I have a passion for ministry. These last few months, God has been redirecting our ministry and it has been an exciting time for us. (more on that in a later post)

5. The Great Outdoors

Give me a backpack and a tent over a Hilton any day. I love the outdoors. I love to just enjoy what God has created on this earth. There are some things that you just can't experience sitting inside. (bug bites, scrapes, cuts, bee stings, ands posion oak)

What is your passion? Where is your time and energies spent? Are you being fulfilled? I am. Feel free to comment and add your top 5.

Dig out your own "wedgies"

2005-10-10T14:36:00.000-04:00

I was told a story today by a friend of mine. There 6 year old daughter was apparently having trouble with "wedgies." They overheard their daughter begin to talk to God and tell Him that He did not care about her "wedgies" because if He did then she would not be having this problem. I about fell out of my seat laughing when they told me this.

After we left, I started to think about how serious this 6 year old was about her "problem" and how she wanted God to "dig" them out for her. This got me thinking about how we sometimes go to God with things that we just need to deal with ourselves.

Don't get me wrong...God is a loving and all-knowing God that can handle any situation that we may come in contact with from the simpliest of things to the most complex, but sometime there are things that we cause ourselves, and then we run to God to straighten it out.

I am reminded of the scripture that says "you reap what you sow." Sometimes we sow things that are maybe not Christ-like towards others and then when we start to reap that harvest, we run to Father God and ask for His intervention.

Make your choices wisely and you will not have to do much "digging."

I'm your father Luke...

2005-10-09T17:43:00.000-04:00

If you are a Star Wars fan like I am, you will understand the title of this post. There are a few memorable scenes in the Star Wars trilogy that are just unforgettable and this is one of them. Do you remember Luke's expression when Darth Vader made that statement? It was one of shock and disbelief! Here the young Jedi was fighting the enemy of the evil Empire and unknowing to him....he was fighting against his own father.

Now let's look at this from a spiritual perspective. I am afraid that there are people walking around today who try to stand up for what is right and "do good things" and not even realize that the very evil that they try to fight is there father. On judgment day there will be many people with the same expression that Luke had when they find out that Satan has been there "spiritual" father and not God the Father.

You may say..."that is a bold statement." Let me tell you what the bible says. Jesus tells us that "no man can come to the Father but by Me." Too many people think that "good works" or just being "morally good" will buy them a ticket to heaven. That is a lie! If you have not accepted Christ as your Savior and your sins have not been washed by the blood that Jesus shed on Calvary, then you do not have that assurance of eternal life with Christ.

God is a loving God and wants to be your Father....He will not force Himself, as much as He loves us, He still allows us to make that choice.

So........"whose your daddy?"