Tech and God.

Over the past few weeks and even days I have been doing a lot of thinking and praying about this short of thing. Is my phone taken over my extra time I could be spending with my Father? The answer has been yes. As some of you may know I do not update my twitter and facebook as much. The reason is that I was wasting so much time on that junk. I look over those I follow here and there but I do not just waste time updating to be updating. I have seen pastors over the past few months not bring there bibles to the pulpit anymore. They bring there cool ipad or iphone and preach from it.

Fellow brothers and sisters in Christ over the next few days I put a challenge out to you to put your phone and ipad and so on to the side and pick up your bible or just sit and listen to God. Call it a fast. This is not easy but we all need to do it.

Thanks to Aaron over at Blogging Theologically for a post with the video and getting me thinking even more.

Praying?

So a few months ago I got a book called Em Bounds On Prayer and the other day I picked it up to start reading. This is one of those books that many pastors talk about as a must read. Let me tell you from the very first page I was hooked. Just the first chapter was not just mind blowing but also I butt kicking. The way that he talks about prayer and how it is a full body act is so amazing. Prayer should and must take every aspect of your soul. He takes a look at Jesus in the garden. He talks about how when Jesus was praying his full body felt the weight of the prayer so much that he had blood coming from the inside of him.

I thought that my prayer life was OK but after reading this I have felt God speak to me about how I need to kick it into gear.

If you are looking for a book to start reading about prayer this is a must to pick up and read. I would also say that a book called the valley of vision is another one. I pray that God will move in your prayer life and may it effect you as it has me.

By His Wounds

By His wounds we are healed. By His wounds we are saved. By His wounds we have life and life to the full. By His wounds the curtain was torn in two. By His wounds we are called God's Sons and Daughters. All of this and much more because of His Wounds.

Blame God.

A few years ago when I was a teenager I had a bumper sticker that said Blame Canada. As you may think this sticker got me in trouble many times with people from Canada. Even though I thought it was funny I ended up taking it off my 1989 white van ( I was pimping).

I feel that at times we use the thought of Blame God when bad things happen to us. When a family member dies or a major earth quake happens we blame God. But yet when good things happen then we take all the credit for it right? This is all so wrong it is not even funny. Why do bad things like someone getting cancer or losing there job or a husband or wife running out on there family happen? It is because of sin and not God. We have to take the heat for it. When God made us we were made perfectly in the image of Him. Adam and Eve took and ate the fruit and at that very moment sin entered in the world and us. Bad things happen because sin entered the world.

This means that we should not be blaming God for the bad things but take some of the blame ourselves and lay it at the cross of Christ. Today I spent a long time in prayer and meditation on who God is and I started to cry uncontrollably because of how great God is. I do not blame Him for anything. But instead I thank Him that even though I am sinner He brought me into His family to live a life for his kingdom. To me that is a humbling thought.

Hall Pass is trash.

Last night Kim and I went out on our weekly date night and I saw a preview for a movie called Hall Pass. I can not believe that I heard some Christian friends say that they can not wait to see this movie. This movie is trash and we as godly men and women should not see it.

Long story short it is a movie about two guys that get "hall passes" from there wives. A hall pass is a week off of being married and gives them the OK to hook up with other women and do what they want.

When I think about this movie it truly makes me sick. This is what the bible would call adultery. God does not take that as a joke. As a Christ follower you should not want to support a movie like this. Do not let impure thoughts into your heart. Instead of seeing trash and wasting your money on this just take a second to sit back and think " what would I think if a pastor in my church would get a Hall Pass ". Would you think it is funny then. Would you go pat him on the back and say way to go? No you wouldn't so why turn to Hollywood and do the same thing.

This is a toxic influence and should be avoided in every way it can be.

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee (run away) from youthful lusts but pursue righteousness, faith, love with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

COME TO SAVE US

Jesus came from heaven to us in a manger. This is not just a christmas story but it is the story of God restoring a broken relationship. May you ,today know Jesus Christ and know that he did not come to condom but to save.

The Prosperity Gospel is crap.

So I do not know about you but I am sick and tiered of churches in america preach a message like" you want a better car,job,etc well God will give it to so ask for it because you deserve it".

Ladies and gents we dont deserve anything but hell and wrath and God gives us mercy and grace and yet we have the guts to go to him and say thanks for the job that I have but I deserve a better one so give it to me. If you belive this crap you are fooling yourself. God wants you to be satisfied in him and him only not the junk of this world but Him. THe king of Kings, Lord of Lords. Our Saviour. NOT OUR STUFF BUT HIM.

Please if you believe in this prosperity gospel please fall to your knees and repent of the idolatry that you are in and run to cross of Christ and be made new.

More videos:

Video 1

Video 2

Thirsty People

As I preach I pray that people to become fans of me but I pray ,as I hope you do fellow pastor/elder,that the church will become fans and thirsty for the living water from God. Do not entertain your church with funny jokes but instead give them passion, the passion for more of God.

We all need to become like a deer, thirsty for more of the stream.

WOW.

So this morning I was writing and I started to think about the year I have had. Talk about a roller coaster.

I was at a church for only three months when the pastor told me about a few families that wanted him out. My first church meeting in January I saw how ugly people and sin can really be. After the meeting that lasted about four hours they kicked the pastor out. I was only the youth pastor now without a senior pastor. In just 6 months I saw and heard things from people in a church that would make some people wanna throw up. It was sick but yet God kept helping me to fall in love with The Church , His bride. During everything that was going on with people cursing other people out right before and during the service God was growing the youth ministry. I can remember times that we did not have enough room because of the kids that showed up. Students where getting saved and being baptized and it was sweet. In October Kim and I left there and are now at a church named Mosaic in Highland ILL. God is doing so many things in and around our ministry it is really cool.

Kim and I over the past year have grown so much and I am so thankful that God has done the things in my life and marriage that he has done. This year I have learned a little more of what it means to be a pastor after being a husband. God has also blessed Kim and I with a child that will be born in June 2011.

As you can see God has been up to a lot just in my life and it is so cool. I am really looking forward to seeing what God does in 2011. I pray that I will stay close to him and never stray from hearing His voice. May God bless you in 2011.

Prince Of Peace.

The last few days I have been thinking a lot about one of Jesus' names The Prince of Peace. In the days that we live in I know that it is hard for people to truly see this. We have war all around us, people are loosing there homes and jobs and at times it may seem like there is no peace in the world. Let me tell you about a family that knows the prince of peace.

This past Sunday I was talking to a guy at Mosaic and I have found that they do not know if his wife will be around the next day. She has so many viruses and some of them the doctors have no clue what they are. This guy has not be able to work for about 11 years now but he leads his family and he is at church every Sunday and his wife is out greeting people and I could tell just by talking with him that they love the Lord.

You may think that your life is going nuts and your world is spinning out of control but before you go crying and throwing in the towel you may want to look around. Jesus Christ is the Prince of all Peace and if you will take time to speak with him he will show you that. He loves you and wants to have a relationship with you. We are not perfect but I thank God that we do not need to be to know the King of All Peace.

Be blessed this Christmas.

The Weight we carry .

Over the past two years I have been able to feel the full weight of what a pastor carries on a regular basis. We are called to carry this weight but we are called to rely on Christ on a daily basis. Praise God that he is our strength.

STOP

When was then last time you stopped and gave a great God praise. Right now take a few minutes and thank God for being such a wonderful God.

Church stop playing and start being!

May God use this song to stir in you a heart for those who are hurting. A heart for those who do not know Him. A heart for those in africa that have no water. THose in africa who are being thrown into war. THose in your city who may not have a christmas this year because they don't have the money . STOP PLAYING CHURCH AND START BEING THE CHURCH.

The Cup

Every time you think about the cross you should never forget about the garden. The work of the cross was done before he went to the cross.

Are you truly thankful?

Do you really live life as if you were truly saved by the coming of the Kingdom? I just got done a few months ago doing a sermon series on the beatitudes. The first two weeks I talked about the kingdom of God. It is an amazing thought to think that what was promised in the old testament has come through Jesus Christ. We can be saved because the Kingdom came and the king of the kingdom is Jesus Christ.

I don't care.

So the last two days all I have heard is have you seen the new iphone? I don't care. As I am seeing some people(Christians) say that they need to have this new phone I am seeing idol worship. It is like if they get this new phone that life will be better. People IT'S JUST A PHONE. I just don't know why so many people let the idea of staying up with there neighbors effect them.
A few weeks ago I went and got a new phone. I wanted to get the new Droid but two things hit me one it was a little out of my price range and the other I figured that I can do what I need to with out so I got a cheaper phone. My phone is not the hot new thing but it works for me. I just feel that Christians let things of this world just consume them more then Christ. I could go on and on but I am don