I made a video to post on the blog, but before I could post it – I had to upload it.  Uploading was not a problem, but getting the upload to complete was.  I tried this over and over yesterday and then I came in this morning and it just clicked!  Lesson:  Never give up, keep trying, every time you fail – you have just learned one more way that won’t work and you are a step closer to what will work!  Hope you enjoy the video!

This morning on the way into the office I was listening to the radio and “The Voice Of Truth” by Casting Crowns was playing and it was just a really good reminder to me that what we really believe - really matters!  Do you really believe that God loves you?  Do you really believe that God has a plan for your life?  Do you really believe that God’s plan is the most awesome and amazing plan that there could be?  If we really believe all of this, then it should change the way that we live our lives!

I think that most of us want to believe it, but then we start to hear and even listen to the competing voices.  I know what I want to believe and I know that what I want to believe is the right thing, so I am making the choice to ignore the competing voices and listen to the only voice that really matters!  The song puts it this way:  “But the voice of truth tells me a different story, the voice of truth says “do not be afraid!”  And the voice of truth says “this is for my glory!”  Out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth!”

In the Bible our Savior Jesus declares:  “I am the way, the truth and the life!”  Do you really believe it?

What is on the heart and mind of God?  This is one of those questions that we fail to even try and answer because it seems way to big and impossible to answer, but the truth is:  God wants us to know His heart and mind and this is why He has given us His Word!  When I read and study the Word – I realize very quickly that love is on the heart and mind of God, because God is love!  God loves you and me and He desires for us to love Him back, while loving and caring for one another.  It is really a very simple truth.  One that I know and have known for some time and one that I often forget – while allowing my mind and life to become full of so much other stuff.

If love is on the heart and mind of God, then love needs to be in my heart and on my mind!  If I am going to fit into God’s plan and work to touch and change this world, then I must have His heart and mind.  To make sure that I have the heart and mind of God, I need to make sure that I am spending regular and meaningful time in prayer.  During this time, I need to make sure that I am listening for and yielding to the plans of God.  This will require that I am continually adjusting my life – so that it lines up with His will.

God is at work all around us and He invites us to join Him!  God has an amazing plan for every person’s life – no matter who you are and no matter what mistakes you might have made!  Don’t be afraid of God’s heart and mind.  Open your life up to Him and you will be amazed and blessed at what a beautiful thing you will experience!

Okay – maybe asking for theme ideas during the middle of the week was not such a good idea.  We are all tired, worn out and “workin for the weekend!”  But we surely can muster up enough energy and creativity to think about some creative ways to try and communicate what we believe God is doing and going to do in our lives during the next year.

Maybe some of you are not sure of what I mean when I say theme.  Some examples might be:  “Doing Life Together!  Back To The Basics!  Impact Greer And The World!”  Does that give you an idea?  What has God done is your life and what would you like to see Him do?  What do you think God wants to do through the life and ministry of Northwood?

Several of you commented that you could not the “COMMENT” to work.  If you can’t just shoot me an email at pastor@rightdirections.org  I am really looking forward to hearing from you – so think about it, pray about it and then share your ideas!

We are getting ready to finish up our study on “Our Church Experiencing God!”  I have and I am really enjoying this study and God has opened my eyes and heart to a lot of different things that we need to do and be as a church and that I need to do and be as a Christ follower!  I am excited about the direction that I believe that God is taking us and can’t wait to see what He is going to do in us and through us.  In the next few weeks – as a community of faith we are going to be talking about what we see God up to and how we as a Church can join in with Him.

I thought that it might be fun to have all of you that read this blog to throw out some possible themes for the next year of ministry at Northwood.  You don’t have to be a member to suggest a theme.  If you can think of a theme, then please take the time to leave a comment at the bottom of this post or email me with your thoughts.  I will try and share some of the theme ideas and maybe even take some of them and try a blog poll.

What is God saying to you about Northwood and what we can join Him in accomplishing during this next year?  Please share your thoughts and ideas and most especially your THEME!  Let’s have some fun with this!

God has been speaking to my heart a lot lately about “MAKING DISCIPLES!”  In Matthew 28:19-20 we are given the command to “GO and MAKE DISCIPLES!”  I am not real sure how good we are at this.  I am not real sure at how good I am at this!  I think that I have spent a great deal of my life and energy trying to make Christians – that is, I have worked hard to try and help people see their need for a life changing relationship with Jesus.  I think that I have done okay in helping people get into the relationship.  I am not so sure that I have done such a good job in helping people experience and grow into the life changing part of it.

It’s not that I haven’t tried!  It’s just that in order to make disciples we must, I must spend personal one on one time with people.  I think that the reason Jesus said to GO is because disciples cannot be made in the safty and protection of our own self built kingdoms.  We must get out into the world and experience life with others and share Jesus in these experiences.

I think the best way to MAKE DISCIPLES is by being a disciple that others can learn and be encouraged from!  It is a very big job, but God would not have commanded us to do it – if it were not possible!  I’ve got to go and so do you, because we’ve got work to do, if we re going to bring a smile to His face today!

I am spending a little time outside today – just enjoying creation!  The leaves are changing colors, the sky is a brilliant blue and the sun is warm in the cool and crisp air.  I love to get out and away from everything else.  When I get away I hear and see things that are normally all around me, but that I miss because I am trying to take in to many things at one time.  In this moment I can hear an airplane off in the distance, crows that are really excited about something in the woods, leaves being rustled by a gentle breeze, a squirrel chasing another around and around a pine tree.  And I can see beauty all around me – not the man made kind, but the stuff of God.

Everyday God is saying to you and me:  “I LOVE YOU!”  Our problems is we are just not listening and looking!  I encourage you to take a little time OUTSIDE today and listen for God’s “I LOVE YOU!” to you.  I hope you hear it and and hope that we all take the time to say “I LOVE YOU!” back!

Take some time today to find some place where you can get alone, still and quiet and listen for God’s voice!  Seek to really push out and get rid of all of life’s distractions.  He desires to talk with us!  He wants us to hear Him!  He has some really amazing and cool things that He wants to speak into our lives!  Even if you can only carve out five or ten minutes – take the time today!  By the way you might want to get outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun and crispness of the air!  Hope you hear Him!

Are you really ready?  Sometimes when we are getting ready to go some where and I am waiting on Joy to get ready, she will almost always at some point yell out from the bathroom – “I’m ready!”  Through a lot of years of marriage, I have learned that this means that she is almost ready.  This means that she has taken care of the big stuff such as hair, makeup and cloths.  But she still has some fine touches that she wants to add to the total package before she is really ready.

I think a lot of us are like this when it comes to the things of God.  We think we are ready.  We even say that we are ready for God to move in a mighty and miraculous way.  But are we really ready?  What would we do if God showed up and began to do incredible, amazing and unexplainable things in our lives?  God loves us and is not going to show up, unless we are ready – really ready!

A lot of times, I think that I am ready, but this morning God helped me to realize that there are a few fine details that I need to take care of to make sure that I am ready.  I am going to be working on those things this week and I am hoping that very soon all of us can say that we are ready!  I’ve got a feeling that when we get to that place - we had better be ready, because God is going to show up and amaze us with His presence and power!

What do you need to do to really get ready for God to work in and through you?

This week the blog is going to take on a little bit different direction!  I am going to try and share on a lot more of a personal level.  I just finished a great devotional time with God and I can’t tell you ‘what’ exactly, but I know that God is up to something in our lives.  (Although I do have some ideas!)  I know that He has amazing plans that He is getting us ready for.  I heard, felt and experienced God this morning in a fresh new way and I am so excited about His inviting us to adventure with Him.  Please pray for me this week, as I seek to hear from Him, yield to Him and share Him with others.

I love each one of you and thank you for your prayers and I am so glad that we get to do this thing called life together.  The enemy would seek to depress and discourage us, but He that is in us is greater than he that is in this world!  I just get the feeling that if I am hearing God is such a special way, that many of you must be hearing from Him also!  God wants to use us to accomplish some amazing things for His Kingdom.  I am looking forward to an amazing week for all of us – don’t miss out on what God has for you and for others through you.

I plan on spending some special time in extended prayer and study of the Word today and this week- pray that I will be protected from the distracting attacks of the enemy and that I will hear and see what it is that God is speaking into our lives!

Well I have to go and fill up the gas tank on Joy’s car – I overheard her say she needed to get gas today and thought I would surprise her with a tank already filled up when she gets in her car this morning.  It actually was God’s idea – I am just trying to listen and obey!  Don’t forget to ask God how you can show love to your special someone and then do what He tells you!  It is going to be a real God Blessed Week!  Press On!