Here are just a few highlights and insights from my Sunday.  Hope you enjoy the pictures and are inspired by the words!

Today has been a great day, but still one of those days where my flesh and spirit are locked in a continual battle.  There was so much that was right about today and yet I found myself engaged in spiritual warfare all throughout the day.  I don’t guess this is a bad thing, because it just reminds me of how dependent I am of the power that is outside of me.  In other words, even when it’s all good, I still need my Creator!

The morning started off good with a great time of meditation and devotion.  At some point in a future blog I am going to talk about some of the meditation I have been doing to clear my mind and prepare my spirit for a great time of learning through my devotional reading and praying.

Bible Study was different.  I shared a passage out of Colossians and then we all went outside to take some time to walk the campus and just listen for the Spirit.  I then lifted my Bible up in the air and held it there.  Everyone took that as a sign to come and gather round.  We shared some of the insight that the Spirit had provided for some of us and then circled up in a big circle and spent some time in prayer asking for God’s guidance and blessing.

Worship was really sweet and it continues to amaze me at how folks just keep showing up Sunday after Sunday and they keep coming in, until the place is full.  I taught from Matthew 4:12-17 about how the steps we need to take are simple, but different!

In verses 12-15 we learn that the Spirit already has the trip marked out for us.  This reminds us that there is a plan, even though we tend to forget that sometimes.  We don’t have to know all of the plan, we just need to be willing to take the next step.  This kind of living is different from anything our limited human minds can imagine and this is why we need to yield to the Spirit.

The second point came out of verse 16 and it was simply a reminder that this really is about dark and light.  Sitting and not being involved in active ministry is an indication that we have gotten used to and comfortable with the darkness.  Our job is to be illuminated with Jesus and for us to illuminate where we live.  The light of Jesus rises in us to reveal sin, redeem the sinner and restore us to a right place with our Creator.

There is a different life to live and this is what we learned from verse 17.  There comes a time in life when you draw a line, not to step over, but to walk around.  Now is the time to repent and change direction, because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.

This afternoon was great.  I had a great time cooking BBQ with some of our men and was excited to see our first hispanic service take off and fly with Pastor Greg and our new spanish speaking friends.

Our youth and children’s groups have taken off.  What a blessing to my heart to walk in this past Thursday when the kids were out of school and see the worship center full of teenagers working together and having a great time.  What music to my ears to walk across the campus and hear children laughing and having a good time.

We were very blessed on Saturday to get to go and pick up a 25 passenger bus that will be used to help with some of the challenges we face in the area of transportation for these groups.  God continues to do amazing things that confirm His presence and power at Grace Place.

I just want to finish by thanking God for an answer to prayer.  About a year and a half ago, a group of us were sitting at Grace Place talking about what in the world we were doing there.  There was just a handful of us, but we were faithful to show up each week and worship God there together.  Someone in the group made the comment that it was possible for God to fill the place up during the next year or two and that it was our job to remain faithful and this is exactly what I saw God doing tonight, as we had to pull out chairs for folks.

In closing, I would just like to say thank you to all of those that have contributed in some way during the past several years.  We were not always sure about what God was up to, but we were always sure that God was up to something.  Because of the faithfulness of so many then and now, we see God at work every day in incredible and miraculous ways.

Just a little video blog update for this Friday.  I have been thinking a little about relationships and positive thinking and how the two come together to help us to live blessed lives!  Hope you enjoy the video and this amazing day that we have been given to live positive!

Lately I have been thinking a lot about man-made things.  Things like fairness, partiality and discrimination.  God is not fair.  If He was, then we would all be in trouble. God does not show partiality, because if He did, then we would classify His own creation.  God does not discriminate.  He is simply our Creator, Source and Provider.  If unlimited God is none of these things, then they must be creations of our limited humanity.

Our Creator does not show preference to some, while depriving others.  He is all and He gives all to all.  When we learn to live in harmony by bringing our inside and outside lives together, then we begin to realize who we truly are.  We are so much more than our physical experience.  We are spiritual seeking to live in harmony with our created purpose.

Everything is sacred, because it is made by our sacred Creator.  We do not have or experience the sacred power, because we to often try to make for ourselves what God offers to flow into and thorough us freely.  God is unlimited and has everything we need and so much more.

Use what He gives you and there is more waiting to fill you back up.  The key is learning to use what He gives us!  If you try to keep, save or horde this power, it becomes nothing.  The power of God grows in effectiveness as we allow it to flow into and through our lives.

Our goal is to learn to live in harmony with Him.  In all of our thoughts and our behaviors, we need to stay connected, submitted and surrendered to God as our source.    I am not more important than anybody and no one is more important than me.  When we begin to exclude others from really mattering in this life, we exclude ourselves from the power of God.  True faith does not exclude, it includes!

Exclusion eliminates spiritual power from the flow of our lives.  That which divides us, is not of God, while that which brings us together in unity is of God.  When we learn to stay centered on what unites, rather than what divides, then our thoughts stay in connected harmony with the spirit and power flows uninhibited.

Here are three steps to help us to learn how to live an impartial and unbiased life:

1.) Treasure And Be Treasure!  You are a treasure and have much to offer to others.  Start now to get rid of the spirit of judgment that contaminates the flow of God’s healing and growing Spirit.  When you look at others, look for yourself.  What do you see in them that you see looking back at you from the mirror?  We have something in common with everyone, because we were all created by the same Creator.

2.) Get rid of labels!  You don’t like it when someone labels you and others don’t like it when you label them.  We are so much more than what any label could tag on us anyway.  Labels limit and we were created as unlimited.

3.) Be generous!  We are a part of the whole.  I cannot without you and you cannot without me and we cannot without them and they cannot without us.  Share, give, receive and allow life to flow freely, unconditionally, without prejudice or judgment.  This is a life of peace, joy and fulfillment.

Pay attention to the interactions of your life today and ask the Spirit to guide and direct you to see, hear, feel, experience and share in submission to the leadership that the Spirit provides.