Category Archives: personal growth

Church, Discipleship, God, grace, Gratitude, personal growth, self improvement, spiritual enlightenment

Be Anxious For Nothing!

When I was planning our worship service at Eureka Baptist Church for this first Sunday in June, I certainly did not think that I would be spending it laid up in the hospital ICU. Proverbs 16:9 says: “A man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” I believe this to be true and I am certain of it from personal experience. Last week as I was planning the service, the Spirit of God drew me to Philippians 4:6-8 which says “6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

My plans were for us to read this verse together as a Pastor and Congregation and to follow up it’s reading with a celebration of worship with that good ole classic hymn: Peace Like A River! The song says: “I’ve got peace like a river.” ‘I’ve got love like an ocean.” ‘I’ve got joy like a fountain.” Followed by all three together: “I’ve got peace love and joy like a river!’ I was not able to be there to lead us in this sweet time of remembering God’s faithfulness, but I believe it more than ever and look forward to getting back with my spiritual family as soon as possible, so we can celebrate God’s goodness to let us plan, but still have Him taking care of our steps.

One of my favorite songs and an always great reminder of my dependence upon God is: “I Can’t Even Walk!” https://youtu.be/Z4JFCHcbqEE

In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 the great Apostle Paul talked about his thorn in the flesh. I have often thought of my flesh as one great big thorn! 😉 But it takes Flesh and Spirit to serve God and I am grateful that God has taken care of both of mine. I am not quiet out of the woods yet, but I feel like I am at least through the woods and believe that God is going to use even this for our blessing and His glory.

I love all of my family and friends, more than words can say. I truly look forward to every time we are together and even more so, after this little challenge. And you know that this just fires me up for all that God has in store for us that much more… 🙏🏻

bible, Blogroll, Discipleship, Expectation, faith, journey, personal growth, self improvement, spiritual enlightenment, Spititual Development, vision

No Limits!

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You are capable of so much more! The only limits that you have to live by are the limits that you put on yourself and the great tragedy for most of us, is that we allow way to many limits to get in the way of our true potential.

“For nothing will be impossible with God.” -Luke 1:37

You are a special creation of the Most High God. You are created in the image of your Creator and made of the stuff of your Creator. You have incredible power, unlimited potential and overwhelming priviledge. It is time to wake up to the giftedness that you have been blessed with. It is time to utilize the power you have been given and live the special life of blessing you were created for. It is time to tap into your potential and start enjoying this everyday adventure that we call life. It’s time to start living up to your God-given potential, so that others can be encouraged, inspired and motivated to their best life as they get to witness you living yours…

To become the “no limit” people we were created to be, we are going to need to use some of the tools you have been blessed with, that we sometimes tend to neglect. Today, I want to draw our attention to three very special tools, that make a big difference in my life and living: My Church, My Bible and My Framily!

My Church – Everyone needs a congregation to be a part of. Men, women, boys and girls that we can do life with. People that we can bless and be blessed by. A good church is not just about what you get, but also, it is just as much about what you give. It is the give and take of blessings that created an incredible flow into and through our lives that grows us in ways that nothing else can.

My Bible – It’s been called a lot of things: A love letter, instruction guide, wisdom, God’s Word, Holy Scriptures and the list could go on and on and on. What is important is that each one of us have been given a book that has exactly what we need for exactly when we need it. The tragedy is that many of us never ever take the time to open it up, read it and take nourishment from it’s pages. Just start to read it. One verse a day is better than no verses a day. You will be amazed at how opening up your Bible will open you up to the blessings and growth of God.

My Framily – Framily is really two words put together: Family and Friends. Each one of us have people around us that we are supposed to bless, grow and encourage. We have people around us that are supposed to bless, grow and encourage us, but we have to be open to giving and taking. Look for the folks that God has given you and give yourself to them in the special ways that only you can. You will be amazed at the difference this makes in your life and living.

You are capable of so much more, now start living by claiming what is rightfully yours!

affirmation, Blogroll, life, Ministry, personal growth, positive, present, Uncategorized, vision

The Ministry Of Presence!

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” -Galatians 5:13

Some times the greatest gift that we have to give to someone else is simply the gift our our presence with nothing added and nothing taken away. I’m not sure if you are like me or not, but I am one of those people that often thinks “I’ve got to fix it!”, but the Spirit is teaching me that I don’t have to fix it and there are going to be times that I can’t fix it, but I can almost always be present and my presence is more than enough.

My wife used to come home from school and she would start telling me about her day and the challenges that she faced and I would immediately start telling her what she should and should not have done. One day while we were having this very traditional back and forth, she just put her hand up and said: “I don’t need you to be my preacher, pastor or friend, I just need you to listen and let me get it out.” And from that day on, I learned the value of a sore tongue, because I have almost bitten a hole in my tongue while biting it to try and keep my mouth shut.

One of my teachers in middle school used to say: “God gave you two ears and one mouth, so you should do twice as much listening as you do talking.” There are times when we worry ourselves ragged trying to figure out what to say or what to do to help someone else, when honestly all they need is our presence. Just to know that someone cares is often more than enough to get a person through what they are doing their best to get through.

I ran into the above little poem about ministry and it reminded me that each and every one of us have the opportunity to minister to others.

We can minister to others by taking the time to listen. We can minister to others by looking for and accentuating the joy. We can minister to others by helping someone else, even when we feel like we are the ones that needs the help. We can minister to others by asking God to use us to share His love and blessing with others. We can minister to others by putting our arm around someone’s shoulders, giving them a hug around the neck or maybe a pat on the back. We can minister to others by encouraging them by finding the positive that has to be in there somewhere. We can minister to others by praying for them and with them. We can minister to others by serving them and meeting whatever need we can. We can minister others by comforting them with our words and actions.

Ministry at it’s best is about our presence. Some time, most of the time, just being there is more than enough…