Thankful

I'm thankful for:

- A home to live in and raise my child in
- A comfortable bed to sleep in
- Food to eat
- A nice kitchen to cook the food in
- Comfortable furniture to sit on
- The opportunity to work and make enough to pay bills
- My beautiful family
- That my beautiful family is no longer horribly sick
- Friends who care
- God's grace to cover all my wrongs...my weaknesses
- The ability to play and sing music
- Nice instruments to play
- A car and a van to get around in

Y'all...we have SO much. We've been blessed far beyond what we deserve. Please, during this holiday season...don't give in to the "Jones's" game. Don't whine about not being able to give your kid another 4 wheeler.

Just get a little perspective by taking a look at the countries on our planet where little children are sleeping on a dirt street at night and scavenging through garbage dumps for food. Realize how MUCH you have and don't complain about how much you WISH you had.

God is good and you are blessed. WE are blessed. I'm just thankful all the way around.

Happy Holidays (which I say to include Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Years..not to skip out on saying Christmas so don't bust my chops)

J

Relevance

I gotta tell ya: I'm really concerned for much of the new leadership from my generation that are starting churches. There seems to be many...most actually, of the new churches being started with the primary purpose being to "show the traditional church how it should be done". Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that cultural relevance is wrong or that it automatically means you are selling out the Gospel. This is what it looks like to me:

Many of the previous generation's church leaders were successful in reaching people but very quickly seemed to decide that it was their methods that mattered even more than the message. So, they stopped changing and eventually stopped growing and reaching people. So, my generation comes along and many of the new leaders decide that they'll show the older generation how it should be done. So they start churches with new methods and are reaching people. But, almost immediately they become more concerned with their methods than the message.

This is what I'm seeing: A lot of churches are chasing down cultural relevance and how trendy they can be and focusing on how they can package things; and then sprinkling the Gospel on it like some sort of seasoning. Instead of focusing on the Gospel and communicating the heart of God and then sprinkling cultural trend and programming on that in order to be relevant to the current culture.

I believe wholeheartedly in striving to be culturally relevant. Jesus did it. But, He walked around with the Good News on his lips and flowing from His heart. He had God's word on the tip of his tongue. And when he encountered fishermen, He talked about fishing for men. When he encountered shepherds, He talked about lost sheep. With poor people, He spoke of lost coins. He added relevance to the Gospel. Not the other way around. He didn't walk around with a bunch of stories and then decide to sprinkle them with a little talk about the Father.

So what are we doing guys? I know there are some churches that have it right. But most of the ones I've been encountering lately are totally backwards with this. So I don't care how trendy you are. Without the Gospel...without Jesus...we're all a bunch of losers.

So, please quit trying to "OutCool" the previous generation and seemingly losing sight of having Christ at the CENTER of everything you do. He's shouldn't just be a topping on your Trendy Pie.

There's my 2 dollars.
Johnny

God is always Faithful

I just realized that my last post might have sounded like I've been in the dumps or something. It's not so. That was simply my way of declaring out loud that Satan wouldn't win this battle for my emotions.

God has continued to show Himself faithful in my circumstances. He continues to knock pieces of me away. The phone has continued to ring with opportunity to minister and provide for my family.

In fact, this week I almost started to get bummed because I had 2 Sundays in November that were open. And with November having 5 Sundays it would have been a great month to get a little ahead financially. But I confessed to my wife and then proclaimed a faith-statement. I said "God said the phone would ring...so the phone just needs to go ahead and ring".

Mind you, this was on Wednesday...and one of the open Sundays was this week. So the chances looked slim. But here's the awesome thing. The phone rang within an hour. And then it rang again. And then again. I went from underbooked to having to turn away an opportunity so I wouldn't double book. God is good. To Him be all glory.

It's more than just provision...He's changing me. I want Him to. I want so badly to please Him.

More later I reckon.
Johnny

Kick in the gut

Just when you start proclaiming out loud that you trust God more than ever and that your faith is getting stronger...Satan comes along and kicks you in the gut. He'll try to pour fear and anxiety on you...make you think you are all alone...and fling guilt and condemnation at you.

Listen you little weasel...you lying little punk... IT'S NOT WORKING THIS TIME. I WILL not be afraid, because my God is with me and for me and nothing can separate me from His love. And you're right...I'm NOT GOOD... but GOD will provide for me according to HIS goodness, HIS mercy, and HIS glory. So back off you jealous freak! Consider this to be the resistance that God said would make you FLEE. Run like a little girl..Run Forrest Run!

Any Amens out there?

Johnny