White Washed House

Many years ago I worked for a ministry in Virginia which had me traveling to Washington DC several times a week. I was fresh out of high school and being in the global-city was somewhat of a continuing of my education.
Back in those days security in DC was more lax than it is today, and it afforded great opportunities for me to see historical buildings and places, now almost off limits to the general public. I took the White House tour often. I was fascinated with the building, grounds and occupant.
After being on the tour several times, I became sort of friends with one of the tour guides. On one of the tours through the White House, he began pointing out the buildings flaws to me. Chipped paint, worn floors, burned out lights…he went on and on. After awhile I became a little perturbed with him because I was in love with the building, and decided it was the last time I toured with him.
Here is a thought; did you know God is so madly in love with you and I that he chooses not to point out and expose our flaws to the world? When all we see our personality warts, attitudes and bad habits, he sees us as “fearfully and wonderfully made.” He chooses to see us as his sons and daughters.
That is incredible news! 
Friends, our value is far greater that we realize and that should motivate us to take better care of ourselves. You can walk away from addictions and abuse, because of your incredible worth. You can raise the bar in relationships, not settling for just anyone, because you deserve better. Actually, you deserve the best!
So this morning as you prepare to head off to work and you stand, looking at yourself in the mirror, choose to look beyond the flaws. Instead, chose to see yourself as God’s child. Someone who is highly favored and set apart for greatness. Someone who deserves all of God’s best!
Have a safe weekend, everyone. God is with you!

Are you smarter than a 3rd grader?

When I was in parochial school, I had the best 1st and 2nd grade teachers you could ever want. As a matter of fact, I secretly wanted to marry my 2nd grade teacher. She was pretty, she was kind, she was smart, and I was in love with her. Well as much as a 7 yr. old could be.
Then came the 3rd grade. 
I had landed myself in the classroom of the (rumored) most meanest, most nastiest, most evil teacher in the whole school. 
She wasn’t pretty, at least not as pretty as my 2nd grade teacher, and forget about my 1st grade teacher, she was a nun and wasn’t supposed to be pretty. 
She wasn’t nice. She ruled the classroom with an iron fist and a yard stick as sturdy as a 2 x 4. She had fiery-red hair and the temper to go along with it. All of that was enough to set fear in the hearts of everyone in her class. 
I wanted to go back to the 2nd grade were the lessons were easy the the teacher was pretty! 
Looking back on that time in my life, once I got to know her, and pressed through all of the false rumors and perceptions of her, I learned so, so much. Much more than the 1st grade, and much more than the 2nd. As a matter of fact, she was one of the best educators I ever had.
Often our circumstances might not be very kind, and they might be harsh on the eyes and mind, but the education we receive from them prepare us and propel us toward the next level. For me it was the 4th grade, for you it might be more responsibility, a promotion, buying a house, starting a family or launching a business.
You’ll never grow by avoiding the process and as a matter of fact, by avoiding it, you may have to repeat it. God doesn’t always allow us to understand the how’s and why’s of the path we are on, he just requires that we trust him and stay on the path. 
Keep pushing for greatness! 

Keep climbing that mountain in front of you!

Never be afraid of the circumstances! 

Stay committed to the classroom you’re in!
They are the fuel to where you are going.
God is with you, the best is yet to come.
…and God bless Mrs. Patterson!

Just do it!

If you can’t love, care for and minister to people where you are now, you will never love, care for and minister to people where you are going.

Your future is in the past!

God never intended for the mountains, valleys, battles, problems and pain in our lives to destroy us, but rather to promote us.

When walking through life and you find yourself facing difficult and dark times, remember those times in the past when you were facing impossible odds and you made it. Those times should encourage you to keep going.

God was with you then, and he will be with you now. You are going to come out on the other side victorious. You are going to make it!

Not because of us!

God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

What’s your pain level on a scale of 1-10?

Pain is often the most misunderstood feature of the body. Simply put; pain is our body’s way of communicating something is wrong, and without certain forms of pain, we would likely die.

For instance, hunger pain reminds us we need to eat, or we could starve. Cold communicates we need to cover our skin, or we could suffer frostbite. A pain internally means we should probably see a doctor.

However, often we practice pain-management, rather than getting to the bottom of what is wrong. We treat symptoms rather than the actual problem.

Friends, pain is one of God’s way, and usually the most effective way, of getting us to make changes.

If you’re in pain today, ask God to show you what the problem is and how to address it. The pain you’re experiencing could actually be trying to save your life.

V.i.c.t.o.r.y. that is our battlecry!

Those days when we feel like quitting, giving up, walking out and throwing in the towel, should actually be the days when we anchor in, stay the course, recommit and set our faces like a flint.

Understand the devil fights, tempts us and does his “best” work against us right before the miracle, right before our biggest breakthrough and right before we experience our greatest victory.

Preparation > Promotion

Never forget a long season of preparation will always precede a great season of promotion. There are no shortcuts to greatness and success. Stay the course. Pay the price. Ignore the doubters. Finish strong!

‪#‎nofearfriday‬

Never forget, fear will try to make you run from something that isn’t even after you. ‪#‎nofearfriday‬

CHURCH QVC

A little lengthy, but valuable for every Christian.

Stealing this from Michele Brent Bissig page, who borrowed the article from another pastor.

As a believer, when searching for a new church, you had better be led by the Holy Spirit. From personal experience, Michele and I have never left a church without knowing where God was leading us next. Never!

Wandering from place to place “shopping” is not the Lord’s plan, and always leads to a wilderness experience where you either dry up, get weird, flakey and religious, or get devoured. (When you get devoured, you’re not a martyr either, just say’n.)

Psalm 92:13 12The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 13planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. 14They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.

I’ll let Michele take it from here…

When the pastor knows he has people visiting from another church, who are “shopping” for a church, he can do one of two things;
A. Be himself…a Pastor, or…
B. Go into audition-mode and become a recruiter and a salesman.

Hopefully, the pastor will be himself and Pastor.

The second pulls the pastor out of his gifting and purpose, leaving him feel like he is auditioning or trying-out for the “church-shopper”. Unfortunately, far too many church-shoppers unknowingly force pastors into the last scenario.

Shopping for a church is wrong.

Patrick has always taught people must be called to a church. If you are attending a church because of it’s amenities or your friendships, once the amenities change or your relationships change, you will be gone.

God calls people to a local church to be equipped, and to serve. Many Christians never completely understand those two concepts. They want to be equipped the way they view training, and what they feel they need. But, more often than not, God has a completely different plan. (Kinda like the Karate Kid movie…”Wax-on, wax-off!” Daniel didn’t understand his training, but Mr. Miyagi did. Once Daniel submitted to the training, he learned and then won gold).

Many jump-ship during the process because they never understand what God is doing, or believe he is taking too long. Because of how we are wired, we then unfairly blame the pastor or staff.

When our son completed his drivers ed training, he received his drivers license. One night, not long after, he asked for the keys to our brand new Expedition. Patrick Bissig, declined. Ryan was disappointed that he didn’t get to go driving his friends around in the new, family truck.

Having a drivers license only gives you a legal right to drive, but doesn’t mean you are ready…or mature enough…to do so. After Ryan proved himself to be responsible, level-headed and a careful driver, we had no problem with him driving our truck.

One last thing; shopping for a church that will fulfill your hunger, ministry-calling, or aspirations is the always the wrong approach.

Jesus must be the well, supplier and equipper.

Anything, or anyone else meeting those needs will always leave you shopping.

http://careynieuwhof.com/2016/04/5-key-differences-church-shoppers-unchurched/