Prayer

Check out this article.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/09/29/florida-parent-protests-prayer-ritual-football-games/?test=latestnews

Do you ever wonder why people are so adamant to stop people from praying in public places. Maybe it is because they have an agenda.
No matter what people try and do to s they can never stop us from praying. It is a powerful tool that we have and we must use more.


Lets pray people! It changes things. It softens hearts. It makes believers out of non believers. It is our direct line to our Father. Lets use it!

Twitter

I have to say that I am a twitter fan. The thing I like the most about twitter is that I can link myself with other people who have the same heart for teens that I have. I can read some of the things that they are doing and learn from them. I can read articles from people they know and glean truths from them.

One of the greatest mistakes we can make as leaders and especially Christian leaders is to not learn from others. One of the things I constantly pray for is wisdom. It is awesome that I gain some of that wisdom from things like twitter.

Here are just a few of the things others are saying on twitter:
 ''Spirituality is not about being fixed; it is about God's being present in the mess of our unfixedness.''Michael Yaconelli


" 

  

If you can figure it out, God's probably not in it". Tommy Tenney


“A crowd is NOT a Church.U need a sequential discipleship process to turn attenders into missionaries” Rick Warren


"God looks at a church's SENDING capacity,NOT seating capacity:How many are mobilized for mission?" Rick Warren


Are you a twitterer, if not you should be!

Preparing the next generation

As a youth pastor and ministry leader that works with teens, I feel so blessed. I have a unique opportunity to influence and shape the next generation. I am in a position that comes with much responsibility, one that I do not take lightly. I want the next generation to be able to stand strong for the right things and to be people that can lead others.


I was thinking earlier today about Jesus and how he invested in the lives of people and how he had to teach them many things before he left this earth. He particularly invested in 12 people, even though one of them would betray Him (Judas) and another would deny Him (Peter) and another one would doubt Him (Thomas). Yet Jesus taught them all he could.


If we go further into the bible we see where Paul played a significant role in raising up leaders. He would go into a new city, teach people the truth, identify potential leaders and let them learn from him. How did he let them learn? By allowing them to follow his example! You see when Paul would leave a city to start a new church he had to trust those who were raised up to make a difference in those areas.


The youth of today are the future leaders of tomorrow. I have sensed very clearly that one of the greatest offering I can bring to teens is to teach them how to be real, how to be genuine, how to really care, how to lead others and how to love others and love God. 


One of the things that Jesus really focused on was how to be truly compassionate. He desired for His followers to be real people that really cared. He was not interested in being surrounded by religious people, in fact I think they nauseated Him with their behavior. If you know about Jesus and what he taught and how He lived, He really loved and cared for people.


My purpose in ministry is to prepare as many of this young generation to be more like Christ. I want them to love well, care well, pray well, lead well and serve others well. If they learn that from me I will have achieved what He has called me to do. 


I have great hope for this young generation but I also realize they are faced with an ever increasing difficult challenge. Why? Because everything else tells them to, serve yourself, climb over everyone else, follow the latest stuff, and to treat other people nicely if you want something.


I hope they see what is the right way to live!

Fun times

I had so much fun tonight hanging out with some amazing teens, watching a baseball game of one of their friends and a kid in our youth group. There is something special just spending some "fun" times together.


Most teens won't remember alot of what we say but they do remember what we do and how we treat them. I think it is so important to treat people well. There are times people will remember what they say though, it is when we say things that are critical of them. A few negative words can really destroy people, especially teens.


I have learned that the best way for me not to say unkind words is to think before I react. If someone offends me I typically want to take some time before I confront them. Of course there are times when I need to be far more direct, but those need to few and far between. When it comes to teens though I want to be very wise in what I say and how I say it.


I am not sure how you talk to people but do you ever wish you could take back what you have said to someone.  I know that sometimes people misinterpret what I say, but sometimes I misinterpret what they say too. I guess it is good for me to try and understand where those folks are coming from. Maybe if I am already having a rough day, I will misunderstand someones intentions.


One way to get out of a bad mood or negative attitude is to go out and have a little fun. Try it, it works! It will help us to leave people with a positive attitude of us and for us to have a new perspective  on them.


If you work with teens they need to see us having FUN!!!

Recommended Book

Can I suggest a book for all Christians to read? It is called "Hurt Healer" by Tony Nolan. The book is focused on our role as Christians and how we help those that are hurting in this world.

Here is the promo for the book: If you haven't heard yet, I’ve written a book. It’s called HURT HEALER. Let me be straight up, I want you to get it. And I think you will, because I know you care.

All around you are hurting people who are in need of the healing that Christianity provides. But the grind of life deafens our ears to their cry and steals our attention from their need.

Hurt Healer is a stethoscope made of paper, ink and ideas that silences distractions and helps us catch God’s heartbeat for the hurting.

But be warned, this is not a ‘dim the lights and burn a candle’ read. It is not a relaxing rub, but deep tissue therapy. I wrote it to rouse a revolt against spiritual indifference and to provoke a riot of passionate evangelistic humanitarianism. This is the Gospel with the safety off!

In Matthew 5:16, Jesus told us to shine our lights. In essence, He wants us to share our faith. But for many Christians, their lights are off because the Status Quo has short circuited their motivation. This makes the world a dark place to be. Hurt Healer flips the breaker and electrifies a new passion for evangelism. It puts a high voltage spotlight on the good news of the Gospel. News so good that it heals.

We all have friends, neighbors, coworkers and family members who are far from God and whose hearts are hurt so deeply, they seem beyond reach or repair. Hurt Healer breaks the code to mending their hearts. It provides access for the hurting to experience the joy of a God who can heal the deepest wounds of their soul.

All the proceeds from the book go to our non-profit ministry. They are used to help the hurting pay for housing, utilities, and groceries. It’s all about good deeds meeting good news. So share the Gospel as we share the groceries! Your purchase will also be used to help orphans all over the world. Get Hurt Healer. I know you will, because I know you care.

It is a powerful read!

I HATE DRUGS

The older I get the more I realize that there are things that really make me irate. One of those things is drugs. I don't have a problem with prescription drugs that are being used in a prescribed manner by a legitimate doctor. My issue is with illegal drugs and unprescribed pills that people are dealing to our youth.

I know this will sound like a rant, but it is disgusting what these drugs do. Not only do they destroy the people that use them, but it also causes major fractures in families. People will argue that weed or marijuana has no real issues because it can't lead to addiction. To that I say foolishness. Let me tell you why!

A teen is introduced to weed and they try it. They hear that it isn't bad because doctors are even prescribing it, so how bad can it be. Just because a doctor says it is ok to use in certain situations doesn't mean it is safe for everyone. Medical marijuana is grown specifically pure. People who use it know what they are getting. The kid on the street has no idea what they are buying, it could have lots of other "ingredients" in it.

Another issue is the cost of weed for a teen. Once they get addicted to the high and they want it often, how can they ever afford it? They have three ways to do that, 1)they have a job and spend their money, 2) they steal to get the money or 3) they have to deal drugs or sell their bodies to pay for what they need. All of these are very sad options.

Option one is a horrible way to spend the few dollars they have. The only person that gains in this scenario is the dealer who could care less about the teen spending the few dollars they have on this vice. To work 20 hours a week and then spend most of that money on drugs is a horrible precedent to set as they grow older.

Option two will eventually lead a person to live in fear of being caught and going to jail or being found out and having someone wanting to beat you up. In order to deal with this stress they turn to other drugs and alcohol to deal with the added pressures. The cycle continues.

Option three is horribly demeaning, When you need drugs you will do anything to get it. Selling yourself in order to feed the demon within is almost unthinkable yet many turn to this. To deal drugs in order to support your habit takes a person to where they never dreamed they would be. Once again to deal with the lack of self worth, more drugs and alcohol are needed.

I would love to see every person that deals drugs have very serious consequences. We have to fight for our children and their children. Brothers and sisters we are losing this war and families are being destroyed every single day. This is unacceptable.

God help us to know how to make an impact on this epidemic.

Fundraising Dinner

Mark this date on your calendar: November the 6th @ 6:00 pm.

We are going to be hosting a Fund Raising Pasta Buffet Dinner at Trinitea's Cup on the bottom of Regent Street. Tickets for this great night will be $20 and this includes your food, entertainment and an added bonus.

When you purchase a ticket you will also receive a coupon for an additional two for one dinner option to be used before the end of November. This pasta buffet includes alfredo sauce, meatball sauce and a surprise sauce all prepared for us by the owners of Trinitea's Cup.
We only have 40 tickets available for the evening so plan to attend and purchase your tickets early. If you know of those you would like to expose to this ministry please be sure to let them know.
Proceeds from this fundraiser will go directly toward the purchase of our first Boaz home. You can not only feed your tummy but also invest in the lives of hurting teens.

Amazing provision!

Praise the Lord!!

I received a phone call this morning from a wonderful lady informing me that they are making a donation towards our purchase of a Boaz home in the amount of $1000.00. It is such a blessing!

Our total towards our home is now (insert drumroll here) $2032.00. I am believing the Lord for $100,000 so we can purchase the home we are considering. I have seen God moving in some mighty ways this week, between His provision and the people He has put in my path.

We had a wonderful youth service at the church last night as 16 teens were in attendance. I felt empowered by the Lord to really preach His Word. I always feel anointed to do it but last night I was truly empowered. I feel like God is really laying on my heart some specific areas I need to teach on when it comes to teen issues.

One of the great blessings at youth last night was to have the young girl that I met on Tuesday that was panhandling in attendance. She came along with some friends and I feel like she really connected with us and us with her. Pray for her as she has some very tough legal battles she is facing over the next couple of months. She is a really sweet girl that has made some mistakes of judgement.

I am feeling so overwhelmed with God's goodness, and I can clearly see His hand at work. Keep praying brothers and sisters it is making a difference. AMEN!!!

When you do it unto the least of these...

God just keeps putting people in my path. Today He did it again as I was walking downtown. Maybe there is something to be said for walking. I know that when I am walking I have a better chance of talking with people, now that is profound.

I saw a guy pan handling and stopped to chat. I always ask people if they are hungry and if they want me to buy them a meal. If they say no just give me money, it is a good indication that they only want the money for something other than their hunger for food. In this case he was hungry and took me up on my offer.

I took him to Trinitea's Cup and he decided to purchase a couple of Pizza Dogs. It is amazing how much you can find out about a person when you meet their physical needs. I learned lots about him and how he has found himself living on the street and begging for food. I really felt for this kid as there are some serious mental health issues at work.

I tried to encourage him and found out that he was in need of clothes. I let him know that I would help him out and get some clothes to him. Once again I am reminded of the scripture where Jesus shared "when you do it unto the least of these you do it unto me." Wow isn't that powerful! When we bless those in need Christ says it is like clothing Him!

I love being His hands and feet. I love you who support this ministry with your prayers and resources. Every day I am reminded how we need a place for these hurting and precious souls to move in to. Until that time we need to keep on loving them for Jesus in the manner he has provided!

Paypal

I have added a link on the blog as you can see. If you are talking with people that would be interested in making a donation towards the ministry please lead them to our blog.

They need to click on the donate tab and the money will go directly to our paypal account. I can then withdraw it directly to our checking account.

Money that comes in will be used to build the ministry and we will handle all donations with integrity.

Chance meeting? I think not!

God is so creative in how He does things. Often I am overwhelmed by how much He cares for people and how He chooses to use us when our hearts are open to what He has in mind.

Today I was walking downtown on a street I don't normally take as I had to mail a letter. I dropped the mail in the box and continued down the street where I saw a young lady begging for money. I stopped where she was sitting and introduced myself to her. I asked her how old she was and she told me that she was 18. I asked if she was hungry and she told me that she had a few carrots in her pocket.

I told her who I was and that I directed a ministry focused on teens and that I wanted to help her by buying her a meal. I told her if that was ok with her I would like to treat her to a warm meal at Trinitea's Cup. She immediately got to her feet and walked down the street with me. I engaged her in conversation as we walked and found out that she knew about Trinitieas from a couple of teens I have recently spent time getting to know.

We sat down and immediately she began to pour out her heart. She was an open book and answered any question I asked. This was the first day in her life that she has ever been on the street begging for money. It was a place that she thought she never would be. Life had changed drastically over the last few days and she was asked to leave the home she had been living in. She was now forced to stay at a friends overnight and spent the days just trying to get through another day. She lost her job, her friends have turned on her and now she is facing criminal charges.

She started to share her story of how she ended up in this position and sadly the common denominator showed up again. She was doing well in life, had great relationships with her family, was a very good girl until one day. That one day almost four years ago, is the day she started to smoke weed. One time turned into many times and then she had to steal to support her habit. In the theft she broke relationships with many people close to her and now she has very few people that trust her.

She talked about how much she enjoys helping people and how she used to take her paycheck from work and set a portion of it aside each time to help the poor. She talked about helping her friends that are going through hard times, by being there for them. She talked about going to church and believing there was a God. She talked and talked and talked and it was good for her to be able to do that.

I saw before a very broken young lady. I also saw a child that God loves so much. My prayer is that we know how to help her. She needs someone in her life that she can trust, someone who will help her through her challenges. She is not on drugs at this time and has been drug free for almost two years. That is good news!!!

Pray for this young lady. Her initials are L.L. and that is all I can share at this point. I plan to meet with her again in the next couple of days and have a better idea of what we can and should do to help her.

Loud voices

As a youth pastor and someone that works with teens on a regular basis, I am always concerned at the different voices calling out for our teens attention. Lets consider some of those voices and how much impact they have.

• Parents... this should be the greatest place to hear from for teens. Unfortunately many teens have no connection with their parents. Parents either are not around in the home, or don't know even how to have a voice in their teens lives. How much impact should they have? 100%, but how much do they have? in most cases about 10%
• Teachers/school...this should be a place where teens can learn truth and taught from all perspectives. They should be taught about Godly things as part of their education. They should learn about creation, the danger of premarital sex, the implications of their choices for the teens future? Scripture tells us that those who teach will be judged more deeply, so it is sad that many never teach the truth to students. How much impact should teachers have on teens? 80% but, how much do they have? Some would say a very high % while other would say a low %. I believe that teachers could have a much greater impact if they were free to teach truth and were willing to do it.
• Friends...friends have a huge impact on teens. Some teens are able to stand up for what they believe and are strong influence on their friends. This is the minority as many teens are led by the things their friends do and tell them to do. Peer pressure from other teens as we know is very deep. How much impact should they have? 50%, but it is closer to 90%.
• Media...teens are highly influenced by the images they see on television, movies and music videos. They don't recognize that this is the case and they would say it has very little impact on them. If you look at things like fashion and the words being used in these mediums it is obvious the impact is there. How much impact should it have? 10%, but in reality that number is probably 95%
• Church...this should be one of the loudest voices calling out to young people and having an impact on their lives. We should have a loud voice because we have the answer to the challenges they face. We know how much God can make a difference in their lives, how much He loves them and how much pain He can save them from if they make Godly decisions about issues they face. How much impact should we have 95-100%, but sadly for most teens we have almost no impact.

The reality is this: We have to have a far greater impact on the lives of youth. The church needs to step up and get serious about having a voice that teens hear. Parents need to have a more intentional impact in the lives of their teens. You spend more time, potentially, with teens than anyone else ever will.

We need to talk with our teens about what they are learning in school and make sure they hear a true perspective. We have to know who our kids are spending time with, who their friends are so we can understand what influences are surrounding our teens.

Finally I think we need to turn off the tv much more often, we need to do things together as families and youth ministries so that our voice is louder than the media. I would rather have "Big Brother" and "Bachelor Pad" have much less influence in teens lives than I have.

Brothers and sisters, are you hearing what is being said? Maybe there are much louder voices calling out for your attention. Remember this, they are called "teenage years" because it is between age 13 and 19 that these precious folks make life changing choices.(Some good, some bad) Lets do our part to have a voice!

How much have you given Him?

I continue to work with the young couple that is in need of housing. We have had some awesome conversations, but one last night was very telling.

As I dropped the couple off at the hotel the young man said "I don't know how we can thank you!" I reminded him that the best way to thank me was to thank God. He said that he knew that is what I was going to say. I reiterated that it was God and His favor that was allowing them to be experiencing this kindness.

I suggested that when they go into their room that they should spend some time thanking Him. He said, "I have never really believed in God and prayer, but I have to say that I am changing the way I think. I started to realize that there must be a God after what happened last night. It had to be God that put that couple at the house in our path. The fact that they trusted you and that they were Christians was amazing."

That my friends is God! The God I serve is incredible. The God I serve orchestrates events that you and I could never do or even imagine how we could do it. The God I serve loves us all, even the ones who have not chosen to love Him yet or even acknowledge Him.

Aren't you glad you serve an amazing God? He is a close, close friend, one you can depend on, one you can trust, one you will spend eternity with if you choose to honor Him by giving your life to Him.

Don't underestimate what your God can do!!! He is not bound by anything. The same God that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is alive and well. The word of God tells me that "the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth, that He may STRONGLY support those whose hearts are completely His." 1 Chr 16:9 Brothers and sisters how much of your heart have you given to Him? 0%, 10%, 50%, 80% or 100%? Give Him all of it and watch and see that He is good!

Join me in praying for a miracle for this precious young couple! AMEN!!!

God's hand at work

Today has been another amazing day of God moments from start to finish. I love it when I can look back and see God moving and things happen that only He can do.

The young couple I talked on the phone with yesterday, and I, met early this morning. I did not know what I would say to them but I prayed for God's wisdom. Remember that James reminds us in scripture that if we ask Him for Wisdom, He will give it to us. As we talked together God gave me the wisdom to share with them and I did. One of those things was that I was to pray with them that God would work out their day and make a way for them that only He could do. On top of that we discussed next steps they could look at.

God began to put provision in place for this couple as I progressed through the day. In the evening a good friend Kyle came and helped the family to move out of their old "home", I use that term loosely. Everything they owned fit into the back of Kyle and my vehicle. We drove from there to a potential place for them to live. In the end it wasn't the right place for them but the family at the prospective home was so moved by the need of this young couple, they offered to pay for them to spend a night in a hotel at their expense. Amazing! What a beautiful couple, willing to help this couple they had never met until 10 minutes before.

We had to take the few possessions the couple in need had and find a place to store their stuff, as they could not take it to their hotel. Another good friend, Wayne and his wife Michelle offered to use their garage as a storage place. On top of that, they put their washer to work and began to wash and dry many of the clothes the couple had threw into bags as they left their old place.

I still wanted to be sure these folks had something to eat before going to the hotel. As I was thinking about how I should do that, an anonymous person gave me $30 to ensure they had food to eat. I took them to get some food before we checked them into the hotel room. I can tell you this young couple were blessed by what they had just experienced.

As they got out of my van they said, "thank you so much for your kindness, no one has ever done so much to help us." My response was very simple,:"if you want to thank me, go into your room and thank God. Tell Him how grateful you are for what He has done for you."

Please continue to pray for them as we really want to get them into a safe and decent place for them and their son. Pray that they can be reunited with their son as soon as possible and that they can find jobs and true friends.

Thanks for praying today and special thanks to Wayne, Michelle, Kyle and Nicolle. You were truly Christ's hands and feet today!

Thank you as well to Lynn and Patrick, their Christian cafe continues to be a blessing to so many in our city. They allow the Boaz ministry to have "God conversations" in their place of ministry.

Powerful day of ministry

Wow, what a day!!

It is amazing how God's timing is perfect. Let me share a few things that happened today:

1. I received a call this morning from another organization here in the city that works with hurting people. They explained a situation of someone in need of help. This situation clearly did not fit our focus of the Boaz ministry and I was able to explain our focus and shared that as a board we felt we needed to focus on our vision to help 15-19 year olds and at risk families.
2. I got off the phone from that call and my phone rang again. This time it was a lady who shared that God had laid the Boaz ministry and I on her heart. She told me that she was supposed to help our ministry and pray for us. I was able to share with her our new directive to begin fundraising for a home. She shared with me how she would be an active helper in raising money for us.
3. I received another phone call shortly after that from a dear friend and board member who has felt clearly led by God to become our first ever Boaz mentor in the ministry. We had a wonderful conversation over an ice tea and shared our hearts for this mentoring ministry.
4. As she left a close friend of mine came in and we had a great discussion on the need for people to be mentored. He shared his heart for mentorship and how important it is for all people, especially teens who have no parental figure.
5. As I was leaving I was approached by another couple who are having some great challenges with their teen son. He is in need of help, trying to get set free from the power of drugs. We had a nice time together and I offered to meet with their son. Later in the day I received a phone call from this teen asking if we could meet tomorrow, which we will.
6. As I was walking home to go pick up teens for our youth ministry at MGC I received a call on my cell. This time it was from a young at risk family who are in need of some help in a number of areas. We have agreed to meet early tomorrow morning to discuss how Boaz might be able to assist them in the challenges of raising a little boy in this hurting world.

I am not sharing this for any other reason but to have you pray for this ministry and our board and myself as we minister to hurting teens and walk out the vision God has provided. God is at work, I see it very clearly.

What a blessing and privilege to serve Him!

Time to raise money for our home

I am a blessed man. I am blessed for many reasons, and none of them have to do with money. I am blessed because first and foremost I have a relationship with Christ. Without that relationship I would be an empty and lost man.

One of the greatest blessings we can have in life is to have good friends who will give you good and Godly counsel. I have tried to put these folks around me on my Boaz board. Without their support and prayers we would not be able to do what we do.

Our board has agreed that it is time to press in deep with God and begin to raise money in order to purchase a home to facilitate those teens who are in need of our help. It is a monumental challenge to raise close to $100,000 but with God's help all things are possible. I am going to use this blog to keep you aware of where we are in that process. By the way at this point we have $1,000 in our building fund.

If you have any ideas for fundraisers or things that you would like to do to raise these funds please let me know. I cannot do this on my own but I am confident that God has spoken to take this step of faith.

When I look at this through human eyes I feel a bit like Nehemiah may have felt when he saw the task at hand to build the walls around Jerusalem. He saw it through eyes of faith understanding that with God's help all things are possible. Faith is being sure of what we hope and being certain of what we do not see. I serve a big God and I trust Him!

We are also going to launch our mentoring ministry. We are excited about this and understand that there are many children and teens that need to have a Christian mentor in their life. The statistics are pretty staggering when it comes to the impact on children who do not have that father figure, or mother missing for that matter in their lives.

If we can reach out to these folks in need of love and support we can make a significant difference. All of us need to know that there is someone out these that really believes in us. Think of where we would be if we had no one at all to talk to about the things going on in our lives, the good, the bad and the challenges.

These are exciting days in Boaz. We are trusting God for incredible leading, miracles and provision. he is worthy of our trust!

Time to clean up, so I can bake

I have made a commitment to myself and to my family that I will take off Mondays this coming year. I need to do that for a variety of reasons, none more important than to honor God. God has told us to work for six days and to rest on the seventh. So from now on I have a running commitment on Mondays that will not be broken.

I decided that today I had a couple of projects I needed to do. One was to get my van cleaned up and cleaned out. It becomes pretty gross looking when it is not kept on top of. It becomes filthy in places I never expect, and I alway feel better ofter I have spent that time in vacuuming and sanitizing it.

It is the same in our lives. If we don't pay attention to the dirt and complacency in our lives we can find ourselves with quite the mess on our hands. It is good at times to take a close look at what we have allowed to creep in and lower our standards. Once we see what is happening in our lives then we can take action and clean things up with God's help.

God has been working in a specific area of my life. I have noticed that there are certain challenges in my walk with God, that when I am faced with them I respond negatively. Trust me I don't like it when I respond that way. Other people don't know it but I know it. Yesterday was one of those times when it happened, and once again I felt that negative attitude rising up. I had that same internal reaction, and it is unacceptable for me.

I got in my dirty van and went for a short drive and talked with God. I told Him I was going to lay this attitude down once and for all. I realized was that my attitude was effecting other people. God showed me how it was and I committed to Him not to go there again. I am glad that I took the time to let God clean that up.

Oh by the way as I write this I am doing something else. I am making homemade bread. Man I love the smell of that. God tells us that we "are a sweet aroma" to others when we hold out His truth and have a right attitude. I think I smell a whole lot better to God today than I did yesterday, since I did a little cleaning up!

In just a couple of hours I will be trying my fresh whole wheat bread.

Day that changed us

There are times in our life when we remember exactly where we were when a specific world event took place. I remember where I was when they announced Elvis died (I was in my parents driveway and was listening to the radio). I know where I was when the OJ Simpson verdict was read (I was driving in my car going across the Jemseg bridge).

The one event I remember most vividly was when the twin towers were being crashed into by terrorists in 2001. I was in the basement of a good friends house watching the television when it came through with live shots. As a Christian it was hard to take but I still had hope, but for my friend who was not a believer he had tremendous fear. I remember our conversation well.

It was a life changing day for many of us. For those of us in North America it changed the way we view a lot of things. For a short time it had a great impact but overtime we have become complacent again about things.

The greatest event in the history of the world happened about 1980 years ago. I wasn't there obviously but it still has had a huge impact on my life. That was the day Jesus Christ chose to willingly give his life up for mine. Can you imagine that day? That day was filled with incredible emotion for those who were at the scene. They saw their friend, their son, their brother and their Messiah being brutally crucified. While they experienced this horror, the guards/soldiers thought this was the biggest farce ever. They could care less what was happening, until..

Read this powerful account from Matthew 27:50-54

And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" (NIV)

Brothers and sisters because of this day in history we have hope. When the veil in the temple was torn in two, we all had the right to then inter into the holy of holies and have direct fellowship with our King. Think about that, it is powerful.

How can we best remember those hurt and senselessly killed on 9/11? Pray for their families, their children. They were all someones friend or family member. We pray to a living God who really cares.

Immediate need

I was sitting at home this morning working on some teaching I plan to do over the next few weeks when I heard my cell phone ringing. I answered the phone and was made aware that there was a gentleman in the downtown area that was in need of some help and someone to talk with.

I made my way downtown and met a gentleman that was clearly in need and hungry. All he had was the clothes on his back. I was able to treat him to a meal and spend some time talking with him. We talked about a lot of different things. I asked him about his family and he told me his parents are Christians and go to a local church. Sadly they have nothing to do with him and haven't since he was 16 when the abandoned him. That was 18 years ago. I am saddened again and ask my self how do parents walk away from their children? Beyond that how do Christian parents neglect their children like this. It makes no sense.

We continued talking about things and he shared that he grew up in the church and was baptized as a teen. I asked him if the church has hurt him or encouraged/helped him over the last 18 years. He thought for a brief time and said that the church had hurt him and that they have done almost nothing to help. He even told me of a church that told him he wasn't welcome in their church. Why do churches abandon people, they are not much different than his parents. It is not enough to talk a good game.

Towards the end of our conversation I asked him what his greatest need was at this time. I expected him to say housing, food, clothing or money. His answer was none of those things, he said "I just want to feel loved". Wow, that was powerful.

I was able to pop home and pick up some clothes, blankets, toothbrush and a Bible which he had asked for. I also bought him a gift card for some food. I am not sure how to really meet his greatest need to feel loved. Maybe I did that by letting him talk and by helping out in some small way.

My guess there are lots of people that just want to feel loved.

Wisdom from God

I think it is important that I take a stance on the issue of the "church" in Gainesville Florida that plans to burn copies of the Quran on Saturday. I am 100% against this horrible plan. The pastor has gone back and forth on this, I hope that he finally chooses wisely.

Christ himself came to this earth to destroy the work of the enemy and to win a victory for those of us who were lost in our sins. He did this by loving people and standing up for the oppressed. He didn't attempt to burn their things or destroy them. He did speak directly to them about what was displeasing to Him. He also withdrew often to pray for people.

The argument is made that other religions burn Bibles so why shouldn't we burn the Quran. Let's take a minute and think about this. The reason people burn the Bible is because it is truth and they don't want people to know the truth. For almost 2000 years people have been trying to destroy Christianity. The Word of God tells us that Christianity will never be blotted out and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it.

As a Christian I believe that the battles we need to fight over these matters is fought on our face before God. We need to plead God's truth over those who are lost and anti Christianity. We are to love one another whether they agree with us or not. There is nothing to be gained by sinking to the level of those who seek to destroy Christianity.

Finally the Bible, God's Word to mankind, tells us to seek wisdom from God! My question is: If many many Christian leaders, both men and women, seek God for wisdom and know this is the wrong thing to do, why would one lone pastor think he has all the knowledge? My guess is he has not heard from God.

Lets hope and pray that God moves mightily on this man's heart. Let's all be sure to pray for this pastor and for those who are lost and confused. Prayer is where we fight our battles.

Courage!!!

Courage is a word with powerful meaning. The opposite of courage is fear. There are situations in our lives that cause us to have courage in life, not only for us but for others.

I am the chaplain for the local fire department. I can do pretty much anything with the department except for going in to a burning building. The reason I cannot go into a building that is on fire is because I am not trained to do that. The thought of doing that actually causes me fear.

The firefighters though are very courageous, in fact when they hear that there is a fire to fight it gets their adrenaline going. They live to fight fires. They do not have fear, they have respect! I think they are courageous, they say it is what they are trained to do. But for all those firefighters who are prepared to enter the burning building, it took time to get to that place. They had to work out that courage "muscle", so to speak.

I have an injured right shoulder and I no longer have even 25% of the strength I once had. Why?Because I am no longer able to train those muscles. If you don't train yourself to have courage in life to stand up for what is right, it is harder to do it. Conversely the more you stand up for something and have the courage to do it, the more you can stand. Sounds elementary but it is very much truth.

What is it that He is asking you to stand up for? Maybe it is for the less fortunate. Maybe it is against those who want to make the gospel message unimportant. Maybe it is for the teen being harassed and bullied. Maybe it is for your kids.

You get the point. God told us to be strong and courageous and take steps of faith as He directs. How is your courage?

Blessing of wisdom, compassion and love

I have special friends, they are special to me for a number of reasons. When I see these friends we just pick up and begin our conversation from the last time we talked. It was so good to see my friends Roxie and Sid this morning and to just sit and chat.

I value my friendship with them, I could make a long list but I will just highlight two of them. First they have a deep compassion for people. I don't know how many times during our conversation that Roxie teared up as we talked about the struggles of some of the families we work with are experiencing. She and Sid both have a genuine concern for others.

Second they are wise. I trust wise people. I believe that God puts wise people around us and when he does we need to listen to them. They have much more life experience than I have and I value that. I love to listen to people that I respect, and I respect them.

I was talking to a lady after Sid and Roxie had left where we had met. They have only known Roxie and Sid for a short time but this is the way she described my precious friends. She said it is pure love that she sees in their eyes. She said when Roxie hugs her it is like God is wrapping his arms around her. Beautiful!!

To Sid and Roxie thanks for being you! I love you folks and am blessed to have you as friends, a brother and a sister in the Lord and as board members with Boaz.

This is what worship is and sounds like

The heart of a child and a worshiper. I have nothing else to say today. Let this little girl minister to you.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=lf#!/video/video.php?v=150631624955703

Worship

Last month I was blessed to take 15 teenagers to SoulFest 2010. It is an amazing four days of hearing great bands and speakers, spending time together and most importantly spending hours worshiping Jesus.

I love to worship, in fact on the last night at SoulFest I sat under the stars praising the Lord along with the group Skillet, I was incredibly blessed. It is so hard for me to fathom why Christians would not desire times of worship more than anything else.

Yesterday I was thinking about worship again and was wondering why people are so unwilling to worship God even in our church services. I believe that one of the reasons people don`t worship Him on Sundays in our church services is because we are not committed to a deep relationship with him the other six days. If we are spending time everyday with the Lord and are committed to a deep relationship with Him and understand His heart for us what else could we do but worship Him.

A rough analogy might be when we are dating that new person in our lives. I think back to when I was dating my wife, I could not wait to talk with her every day. I would sing her praises to all my friends and tell them how wonderful she was. I would go out of my way to spend time with her, and made her that priority. I didn`t worship her but it was pretty close.

I have so many reasons to worship Him. I have to! It doesn`t mean that everything in my life is perfect, it was never meant to be. I worship Him because He is awesome!

Have you truly entered into worship today, and have you spent that quality time with Him today. Have you made Him the priority in your life the other six days of the week. If the answer is no, you are really missing out. If the answer is yes, you know what I am talking about. It is so wonderful to have the freedom and the genuine heart to worship.

If you are not in the habit of spending time with Him on a daily basis I would encourage you to do so. He has so much for us in that relationship, so much he wants to share with us. If you want to know His heart, become a worshiper and a committed disciple of His.

If you are someone that knows His heart then you are ready for an exciting life of following Him. It is so much more than we could ever imagine.

Movies, Sports or...

If you ask me what is my favorite movie, I would say "Blindside", which is based on the true life story of Michael Ohur. Michael as a young man that was abandoned by his family and was taken in by another family. "Big Mike" then went on to be a NFL football player, which he still is.

I am not a movie lover at all, but I am someone that really enjoys watching sports. The reason I don't like most movies is that they often have a very predictable Hollywood ending. I am not interested in going to movies that have only warm and fuzzy endings. If you enjoy movies, please don't take my views personally.

The reason I love to watch sports is that anything can happen. A game can be going in one direction and on one play the whole course or outcome of the game can change. It is also unpredictable, no matter how much you believe a team will win there are no guarantees.

Why have this discussion? We all know that some of the decisions we make will have predictable outcomes. For instance if a child never has any boundaries the outcome is predictable. It is that way unless the game changes and that child has a moment when someone steps in and changes the course of their life.

We also know that children and teens that are abandoned by their parents have a very hard time being successful in life. Each one of those kids will experience added struggles. If someone invests in that persons life things can change.

One more area of predictability is the use of drugs and alcohol at a young age makes it so much harder for that child/teen to be able to get their education and be successful. Often that person cannot change their future unless there is some sort of intervention. Sometimes that is by people, but the greatest interventionist is Jesus.

For some reason Hollywood is not really interested in showing how Jesus can impact a persons life. You and I know different! When Jesus impacts our lives, no matter what script has been laid out for us by our choices, situations change. He is the ultimate change maker!

We can enjoy our movies or enjoy our sports, but don't become so busy in either one that you and I neglect the Hero of our Faith.

Opinions are like...

Opinions are like elbows, everyone has a couple and they are usually pretty pointy.

The older I get the more I realize that not evryone agrees with everything a person does, no matter how good that particular thing is. No matter how you do something or why you do something there will always be critics and skeptics.

I have a question? Why do people seem to think it is their obligation to comment on everything. You cant read an article on the internet without their being both positive and negative comments no matter how uplifting or sad a story is.

Yesterday I was reading an article on CNN about the death of the first US Army chaplain in Afghanistan and how this family man had made such a sacrifice for his family, country and God. It was very moving, and then I looked at some of the comments. First people took aim at why a stupid story had to be written about a chaplain, who must have been there to shove Jesus down peoples throats. Others talked about how his sacrifice was no big deal since others had died.

I could go on and on but I wont, but it made me think about some of the things I say. I am glad that God is working in my life to make me see that I don't have to comment on everything and that I don't have to listen to everything said about me either, whether it is good or bad.

I really desire that I am true to God and obedient to Him. I want to know His Word and apply the things that I learn from His Word to my life. I have decided to do a personal study on the church and how we view church and more importantly how He views it. I have to take what I learn and then decide how to process what He shows me.

One of the things I was reminded of today as I studied His Word was that God always wants us to keep the perspective on Him when it comes to church. He doesn't want us to be worshiping the pastor or the worship leader or the carpet or the stained glass windows or the steeple, he wants us to come into His temple to worship Him. Period!

I was also reminded that no matter how many blessings I receive in life I need to be sure to give Him the glory. I need to do this because He is the only one who is the true blessing giver. He is the one that gives life, He is the one who extends His grace to us and gives us what we do not deserve.

God is good all the time! Remember to always choose to honor God, then it really doesn't matter what everyones opinions are!!! Following God brings criticism, don't give in to it or give up.

Comments....

Are you ready

I don't know why I am so intrigued by hurricanes. I know they are destructive and many people get hurt in them. I am also amazed by the power and impact they have. I am perplexed by peoples reaction to the coming hurricane and not heeding the warnings.

I guess one of the things I like, if you want to use that term is that you have lots of advance warning that one is coming your way. For about three days now we have been hearing about hurricane Earl and the path of destruction it could leave to those who are in its way. You know and I know many people will not listen and go out on the rocks and sit to watch the waves crash in.

Being in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina I learned a few important things:

1. When people tell you to get away from the coastline, you better do it.

2. If you think you are safe because you are in a brick building you aren't, because the water will gets inside when the storm surge comes and even the strongest buildings are not immune.

3. Bridges topple like dominoes when the wind is strong, even when we are told they are safe.

4. Hold on to your possessions lightly

5. Have a plan to follow...and then do it. If the plan is on paper and you don't follow it, why do you have it in the first place

6. Hurricanes affect everybody, it doesn't matter what color you are or how much money you have

7. If you can't swim, you won't learn how to in a hurricane

8. Insurance companies don't always pay out what they say they will. In other words not everyone who says they will help in a storm actually does.

9. Many people see that there are people in need but few actually will go out of their way to so something.

10. When a hurricane is coming, be prepared. It is too late after the storm is right on top of you to plan to drive on the evacuation route. It is probably already under water.

What does all this have to do with Boaz. Not much unless you can see it from the perspective of their are families headed for storms in their lives. They are not heeding the warnings and they are about to enter some terrible storms unless they do something now.

Go back and read those ten things from that perspective. Maybe it will make more sense.

Oh by the way, hurricane Earl may be upon us this weekend. In fact most models tell us we are right in the projected track. Prepare now. Trust me I would rather be prepared and not need the preparation than wait until the storm is here and wonder why I did not take the warnings seriously.

What does ministry look like?

Have you ever really thought about what ministry looks like? I wonder sometimes if we put ministry in a box and think that there is the only way that ministry happens. I am a pastor in a church and I love that type of ministry. I love spending time discipling teens and young adults. I love reaching out to the teens that are invited to our church by some of our teens. It is good!

I am a big supporter of parachurch ministries. Parachurch ministries are ones that take part outside of the work of the local church. I would venture to say, though I cant say for certain, that more people are ministered to outside of the church than inside it. Parachurch ministries like Boaz and my other ministry Christian Outreach International are more interested in going out and ministering to people outside the church walls.

I want to be sure and let you know about another outstanding ministry location here in our city. I want to make you aware of it because it is making a huge impact in our city. My good friends Lynn and Patrick operate Triniteas Cup, a ministry that reaches out to people in a Christian environment. Triniteas is not a cafe that does ministry. It is a place of ministry that serves lots of great food and non alcoholic beverages.

I personally spend a lot of time at Triniteas. I do so because I want to support this ministry with my money. It is not easy to be a Christian ministry some days. It can be discouraging. They work long hours and have many folks that they minister to, it is a labor of love for them. Make no mistake it is part of their calling to minister to people in need of someone to talk with. They are passionate about this calling.

I want to encourage you to come and spend some time getting to know these missionaries who are living by faith. I want to encourage you to swing by and spend some of your resources and bless this couple and their ministry. They are located at the bottom of Regent St. between King and Queen.

I often here people say that they want to make a difference in peoples lives. Well this is one of those opportunities. We need to support those who labor for Him. They are reaching people right here in Fredericton.

I hope to see you there really soon.