Inner Strength

In Luke 22:63-65 in The Message Bible it states that "The men who were guarding Jesus began mocking and beating him. They blindfolded him and demanded "Prophesy! Who hit you? And they said many other insulting things to him."

During this stage of Christ's suffering, his disciples had abandoned him and he had been arrested at night and brought before the Jewish council. While blindfolded, he was repeatedly ridiculed, spat upon and struck in the face. I am not so sure that either I or you could handle that stressful moment quite like Christ. He experienced and endured undeserved hardship during that trial. Yet in the midst of this overwhelming situation he was able to keep his emotions and responses under control. His "inner strength" was a result of his "inner connection" with his Father.

All of us have encountered explosive moments in our lives. Littered in our past are regrets piled up everywhere. And almost always our inability to control ourselves has only made things worse. In the heat of the moment our flesh often cries out for vengeance and retribution! It's in those desperate moments when we find ourselves about to cross over the line and add another regret into our lives that we need to seek out God and request that He place His "inner strength" inside us and help assist us to navigate through these unwanted periods of crisis!

Left unchecked, we are all capable of damaging our reputations, character and potential future use for His Kingdom purposes when we unleash our anger in unhealthy and ungodly ways. Let's all learn to cry out towards God for His intervention during those times when we are the targets of unfair treatment, taunts and pain. Let's all keep that "inner connection" consistent!!

Mounting Concerns

When you and I are face to face with concerns that are overwhelming and too great to bear alone. God invites us to toss our burdens and cares upon Him. He alone is able to sustain us in every situation we encounter. We shouldn't show a lack of faith in His ability or love for us. God can meet all our needs!

Psalms 55:22 ( Message Bible )
"Pile your troubles on God's shoulders, he'll carry your load, he'll help you out!"

1 Peter 5:7 ( NIV )
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Anxieties can be those things or circumstances that cause us to be troubled, agitated, and bothered. They keep us in a state of unsettledness and upset us to no end. For many it even robs them of their sleep! Each of us, myself included, need to learn to cast ( fling, hurl, toss, throw pitch, even sling ) ALL our anxious moments and problems towards God! One thing is for certain... He is available, always!!

My prayer today is that you and I will realize that there is no change of heart with God. His never ending love for us is constant. His concern for our lives and circumstances never just stops. He can be counted upon to always be there and available to meet our needs. Each person who is struggling with the unwanted weight of concerns in their lives needs to release that full weight of their fears, hurts and problems. He is our ever present help in the time of our troubles!

Sunday Splash!

Sunday was such an excellent day at Sunset Chapel!

Our attendance was encouraging.  

It was good to see some familiar faces once again in the crowd  that we've been missing.

And we had two guests from Denmark! Wow! God is really bringing people from far away! 

Actually it was one of our son's girlfriend and her mother. 

They came to Miami to check out one of our area colleges.

Thanks SC for being such awesome examples of Christ today! 

You made a great impression on them!

I really loved the new look in our sanctuary. It was fascinating to watch people 
come in and not see their customary seats available! I think God had a great big 
smile on His face as he observed our reactions!  I really appreciate John Kricker 
for assisting me on Friday to make the changes.  We are preparing to perform 3 
weddings in the next few weeks and our new set up is perfect for these upcoming 
ceremonies!

I felt like the message really hit home today!  I am so stinking tired and 
disgusted by the Devil keeping people gripped in fear, doubt, oppression and 
defeat! We exposed him for who he is!  He really is a liar, fraud, loser and punk!! 

He preys on unbelievers and followers of Christ alike. He targets believers with 
relentless attempts to sidetrack and hinder us from fulfilling God's Will in our 
lives! I can't wait to hear how God's Word changes people's lives who heard 
today's message and made the decision to take a stand against the Devils 
influence and schemes! Victory is ours in Christ!!

Can I just say that I am extremely proud of so many of our new attenders who 

really get the message about participating in God's Kingdom work. 

Their energy and enthusiasm is such a blessing! 

Thanks to all our volunteers for stepping it up in recent weeks! 

You can sense that the spirit is different. I really love the new vibe 
that I'm sensing in all our services and ministries!!

Has anyone else besides me noticed that we have a new streak going on at Sunset 
Chapel???  We've started our services on time for consecutive weeks now!!  Incredible!!  :)

This will be a very busy and challenging week for me.... so please keep me in your 
prayers as I try to accomplish much for Christ and His church this week!!

Whose side are you on?

Reading from Luke 11:23 (NIV) today in my devotions it says, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters." It is totally impossible to remain neutral and on the sidelines regarding this spiritual conflict. There is simply no safe zone in this spiritual tug of war! The Message Bible says it this way "This is war, and there is no middle ground. If you're not on my side, you're the enemy, if you're not helping, your making things worse."

Let me break this down for you, those who do not join with Christ in opposing Satan and his evil influences... have in reality already set themselves against Christ and God's purposes on earth. Evil is never idle or inactive. It's destructive intent and effects are seen everywhere in our words, actions and attitudes. With no exceptions you are either on God's side and truth OR you are on the side of Satan and his constant lies.

Knowing that half-hearted commitments and partial obedience are unacceptable. By doing nothing and allowing our walk with God to dangerously drift and become lukewarm... we are in reality siding with Satan.

My prayer today is that you and I make right choices that clearly demonstrate to others through our actions, conversations and countenance that we won't allow our relationship with Christ to become compromised in any way.

May our example create open doors for transparent connections with others to take place so that we can become better servants and "gather" rather than "scatter".

College Student Hangout!

As promised here are a few of the College Student hangout pics! Shari and I really enjoyed hosting this gathering at our house. There were some very interesting moments and conversations around the dinner table! Deep discussion over tattoos... I am just saying that had to hurt! lol Also watched a considerable amount of youtube videos!!

Laughter is always good!!