I need your prayer!  It seems that the cool weather has brought out and about a good number of men and women who have decided that their major calling in life is to quench the Spirit of God with their negative, critical and often mean spirited attitudes.  It seems like every year – as we get closer to the big holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas, they just seem to show up.  It’s not that they are not around at other times during the year.  They just seem to be around more and up to doing more harm than good during this time of year.

I love everybody, but I have to be really honest and tell you that I have to pray a lot more than usaul to find and share love with the Spirit Quenchers!  They drain the life out of me!  I can be happy, excited and ready to go for God and then after a run in with a Spirit Quencher, I am sad, drained and in need of a nap!  The Bible tells us to not quench the Spirit!  In fact it has some rather strong advice for those that would allow themselves to become quenchers of the Spirit, so be careful!

I am not sure what we can do about Spirit Quenchers – they have a mind, heart and spirit of their own and they get to decide for themselves!  I do know however, that I don’t have to let a Spirit Quencher turn me into a Spirit Quencher!  So I will keep talking to my God who loves me and has an amazing plan for my life.  And I will keep listening to my God through the love letter of His Word.  And I will ask you my family and friends to pray for me and with me – that I will stay strong and yielded not to man, but to God!  By they way, I will be praying the same thing for you!

I am big on list!  I make a list everyday that I call my “To Do” List.  It is a list of things that I need to get done to feel like I have accomplished something.  As important as it is to have a list of things that I need to do.  It is also important to have a list of things not to do.  The truth is most of us waste a lot of time doing things that we really don’t need to do, and if we can stop doing the things that we are not supposed to do, then we will have more time to focus on the things that we need to do.

I read a book a while back that got me to thinking about list and the importance of different kinds of lists.  To get some help on what you might put on you “Not To Do” list check out this blog by the guy that wrote the ”Four Hour Work Week”   http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/08/16/the-not-to-do-list-9-habits-to-stop-now/

We had a great night of thinking, sharing and planning last night at Northwood.  I believe that we as a congregation are working hard to see what God is up to, and I think that we are getting very excited about joining Him in the journey.  We know and are beginning to think about the fact that Salvation is about more than Heaven.  When we are saved we are promised eternity in Heaven with God, but if being saved were just about Heaven, then the very moment that we are saved – God would take us on home to Heaven, but He allows us to stay and continue to live life here on earth, because there is work for us to do in partnership with God.

It is important to remember that salvation is the work of God!  God saves us according to His plans and for His purposes.  When we are saved our being in relationship with God should reflect who He is and what He is about.  In other words – our lives lived should point people toward God!  Our relationship with God is a very personal thing, but we should never keep it to ourselves.  We need to share our relationship and the difference it is making with everyone in everyway that we can.  When we are saved, we are born into a spiritual family.  This is one of the most often over-looked and taken-for-granted gifts of God.  I tell the world that I am in relationship with God by loving Him and loving others with the same kind of love that He loved me with.  If I am really saved, then I will live a life that is submitted to God and His calling upon my life.

Do you really love Jesus?  If you do then make sure that you are doing your part to grow, deepen and perfect the love.  If you really love Jesus then live as a part of His spiritual family and fulfill your role in the family.  If you really love Jesus, then make sure that you are an active part of His growing body.

We are the people of God and we are a part of the kingdom of God!  God loves us and we will show our love for Him by being a church that helps people come to know Him in a real and personal way, while we grow in our relationship with Him!  I am glad that we are on this journey together and I am so excited about what God is dong and going to do!

We have had some absolutly beautiful days.  I went outside to record a few words that I hope will be an encouragement to you as you face whatever it is that you have to face today!

I was planning on writing a post yesterday, but spent two hours waiting to vote!  I want to take just a moment today, now that this election is over and remind everyone of some things that we as Christians cannot afford to lose sight of!

1.  The election is over and a winner has been declared!  Barack Obama is our 44th President!  You may not like the results or you may love them, but the results are the results and we that are Christians should respect those results and not get side-tracked in frustration or overjoyment!

2.  We still have the same job to do!  Regardless of who wins the White House - our job as followers of Christ has not changed.  We are to go and make disciples!  The election may not have turned out the way that you wanted it to, or it may have turned out exactly the way that you wanted it to, but either way, it does not change the fact that we have a higher calling placed upon our lives by a higher power!  We’ve got work to do, people to encourage, hearts to unburden and lives to change!

3.  Respect is always a good thing!  I was brought up to respect my elders and people in authority!  I have noticed that one of the big things that is missing in our society today is RESPECT!  Most of the young do not respect their elders, because they have not been taught by example from their parents.  When I was a boy – Ministers, Doctors, Policemen, Firemen and Community Leaders were respected!  Now a days, people that serve our community by fulfilling these positions are analyzed, criticized and joked about on a regular basis!

We as Christians need to bring honor to God by being respectful.  So don’t tell that joke and don’t listen to that joke.  Instead of criticizing, take the time to pray for our leaders and most especially our President.  Regardless of what happens in elections – God is still on the Throne!  God deserves our best and most dedicated service and our country needs it now.  So, if your candidate won, don’t gloat and rub it in!  If your candidate lost don’t attack and tear down the other person!  Just remember who you are and who you belong to and get busy building His Kingdom and bringing glory to His name!

I have been involved in ministry for over twenty years and I can tell you with complete assurance that I am so glad that I surrendered my life to full time Christian service back when I was a teenager.  God has been faithful and I am so excited about all that He has done in my life.  And I must say:  I could never, not even on my best day, deserve His goodness!  But what I am really excited about today, is not what God has done, but what God is going to do!

I AM THANKFUL OR GOD’S TEACHING!  I have been in an ongoing and growing relationship with the Lord for a pretty long time and God has taught me some amazing things.  Over the past few months, God has been reteaching and reminding me of some things.  I am so thankful that God gives me eyes to see what He is up to, ears to hear His sweet and gentle voice and a mouth that can talk about what an awesome God He is!  And I am thankful that God has blessed me with some of the sweetest, most encouraging and most loving people that a pastor could ever want to lead.  I am thankful that God has brought us together to join Him in His Kingdom work and I have so enjoyed our learning together over the past few months!

I AM COMPELLED BY GOD’S LOVE!  When I really know His love, then I can’t help but to share His love!  It is not something that I have to make myself do.  It is just something that happens naturally as I live out my relationship with Him.  When I get a grasp on the love of God and allow the love of God to get a grasp on me – it is absolutely amazing what can happen.  Because of His great love that I get to experience everyday – I make the choice to live for God according to His ways that He has laid out for me in His Word!  His love drives and motivates me to love others for His glory!

I AM MOTIVATED BY TIME!  The day is coming and will come like a thief – when our Lord and Savior shall return.  The stuff that we think matters will all be destroyed – the earth will be laid bare!  When Jesus comes, I want to be ready.  Since I don’t know when He is coming back, if I am going to be ready, then I must live a holy and Godly life everyday as I wait for eternity and desire God’s return!  There is much Kingdom work to do and less time today that we had yesterday – so let’s get busy for God’s glory!  There are men, women, boys and girls that have been abandoned by the modern day church – we have a calling and a challenge to share the Jesus that means so much to us with everyone – everywhere!

I AM DRIVEN BY A PURPOSE GREATER THAN MYSELF!  Jesus is the light of my life and He says that I am to shine as a bright light in a dark world!  The calling that God has placed upon every BELIEVER’S life is more important that anything that our earthly minds can dream up or imagine!  My relationship with Jesus gives me everything and I need and more to accomplish the Kingdom work that God has called me to.  The relationship that you have with Jesus has given you everything you need and more also.  Let’s work together to grow God’s Kingdom for God’s glory by reaching out to those that have been neglected, abandoned and forgotton!  I am so looking forward to what God is going to do!