So here it is.

As you know I am a guy who does and will speak my mind. I am not afraid to let you know what I think about some pastors. One thing that God has been doing in me for the past few months is helping me how more grace because with out that grace I would not be saved.

So why am I saying this? What am I about to say?

I am sorry if at anytime I have made you upset by something I have said. I feel as if I have become known not so much for my love for the gospel and for Jesus Christ but more for being angry about things. As a Christian I want to be known as a man who is saved by God's amazing and unbelievable grace.

I just wanted to let you all know what God has been doing.

Some thoughts on Love Wins

The past few weeks or so I have been listening and reading what a lot of pastors are saying about Rob Bells new book Love Wins and I just want to let you know where I stand on this peace off work. First I want to say that over the years I have learned a lot from Rob Bell. I really think that the way he communicates is amazing. He can tell a story in ways that I could never. However, his theology and doctrine is so far out of wack it is not even funny. I have seen over the years Rob Bell fall further and further away from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now as this new book has come out He truly has become and false teacher. I known that there are people who would say that I am judging him by saying that but I am only looking at what he teaches and testing it to the Word of God and it does not line up.

We do not know if someone goes to hell or heaven. It is not for us to judge that but God is the Judge. There is a real place called Hell Jesus himself preached about it and called people sons of hell. If there was not a place of punishment then I would say that God is not a father at all. God as our father does not want to send people to hell but if someone does not believe in him then they are punished. It is just like a father when there son or daughter does not obey him he punishes them. To me the God of the bible ,who is the God I serve, would not be that God if everyone was welcomed into heaven. Then tell me what is the point of Jesus on the Cross and being or sacrifice for our sins. This would be pointless.

This week I will be preaching on how we as Christians need to test everything to God's word before we let it influence us and so I say church do not let this false teacher and his other gospel influence you.

Rob Bell I will be praying for you but as for me and my house you are not aloud in it anymore.

Keep your facebook post to your self.

Over the past year I have seen how facebook is good and also how it is bad. Let me first put out there the good of facebook.

1) Facebook is good to reconnect with old friends

2) Facebook is good to spread the gospel.

3) Facebook is good to know what other people are thinking about things.

4) Facebook is good to post funny videos.

Now let me share with you why Facebook is bad.

1) Facebook is bad because you can reconnect with old "flings"

2) Facebook is bad because there is ,at times, to much openness.

3) Facebook is bad because you can share to much about what is on your mind.

4) Facebook is bad because it can hurt people.

I want to hit on this last part for a little bit. Facebook is bad because it can hurt people. Over the past year our so I have seen and heard how people in churches us Facebook to hurt people. They use it to slander people and because of that I have seen churches ripped apart. When it comes to posting thing on Facebook you really should keep in mind the thought of "if you can not say anything nice do not say anything at all". Now as I write this I know that I have ,at times, not followed this. However God has been doing a lot of work in me the last few months and this is one thing that I have watched at times.

So what are you using Facebook for? Are you using it for one of the good or is your reason on the bad list?

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.

Church Planter By Darrin Patrick.

Church Planter by Darrin Patrick is a great book and I believe a must read for any pastor and/or Church planter. Most people think that when you pick up a book by this title that it is going to give yet another method on how to plant churches. Let me tell you that you are far from the truth here. Darrin does ,through out the book, give you ideas for the how's and whens of church planting but this book goes right at the type of man called to plant a church. Darrin Patrick does not waste anytime getting at you about your calling,doctrine and comes right out and asks you the question are you called to plant a church.

At first I started to run through this book but after the first few pages it caused me to sit back and do some thinking and talking with my wife and fellow pastors. If the idea of planting a church is in your head at all then I must say go now and pick this book up. But let me give you a heads up that while you are reading it you are going to be forced to ask some hard questions of your self. This book is not for people wanting to "play pastor'. This book is for men who are called by God and are ready to get there hands dirty and do the work. I highly recommend this book to any man wanting to plant a church and to pastors to challenge yourself while ready it.

Young and Dumb.

As a young pastor I am always trying to stay humble and open to things that I need to work on. Last night I got an email from a older man that carried enough about me and my ministry that he sent me this email just to say hey I am seeing and heard this just wanted to give you a heads up. When I called and talked to him he was wanting to make sure that he did not tick me off by sending it. I told him that I would be stupid to be mad about the stuff that he brought up to me. Him and I talked and after I sat back and thought a lot about some of it and I am grateful that he did this.

Why am I telling you this? As a young pastor or even just a young man we need to always have a older man to speak into our lives. I have a few guys that I have given full rights to knock me up the side of the head if need be. There are times that they do and I am so grateful for it. I feel that I am a better man today because of this. We will never learn if we can not take a few gut shots from time to time to learn.

If you do not have someone to speak into your life or even beat you up from time to time let me be the first to tell you go right now and pray that God would give you one or two. This will help you become a better man.

The Well. A New Church coming to Lebanon

Some may already know this but I wanted to let you all know what is going on.

In October of 2006 God laid on my heart a church called The Well. After much prayer and seeking Him and listening to Him He has called Kim and I to plant a church called The Well in Lebanon IL.

The Well is a church where people are restored by the cross and serve there city.

We will be starting this March meeting in Lebanon and I can not wait. God is doing so much right now that I do not have time to write it all out and tell you. If you would like to know more information please feel free to shoot me an email mhampel82@gmail.com.

There will be much more information on this coming very soon. Right now this is what I am going to ask you. PRAY for us. Please pray that God's will will be done in this new church. Also please pray about maybe seeing if God would have you be a part of this new church. Starting in January we will be sending out invites to people for some informational meeting and calling people to join us on this journey.

Reaching the lost.

So today I went had coffee with a fellow pastor and I asked him a question that I am glad I asked. The question was" what are some ways he reaches out and shares the gospel with people?".

Wow we had a good talk and we came up with an idea for the next time we meet ,which is every other week, we are going to start going around to places like Denny's and so on and start sharing the gospel with people and being a part of peoples life's. We also talked about how we can do this on a regular basis.

Here are some ideas.

1) Ask your waitress right before you pray for your food how you could pray for her

2) Start working on sharing the gospel with people in 30 seconds.

3) When you go to Starbucks while you are waiting for your coffee talk to the people waiting around you about how is life for them. Don't act like you care but really care about them.

4)Bless someone with a cup of coffee and tell the person waiting on you to tell the next person in line that the coffee is free and so is God's Grace.

These are just some of the ways that I will be trying to share the gospel of Jesus Christ more. Go for it and try it. It is easier then you think.

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.

Why the ESV Bible?

I was reading a blog called why the ESV Bible and I really wanted to pass it to you. One of the main reasons that I trust the esv in my preaching and own studying is that I have found that I can trust the way it is written more then any other translation. It does not change the wording to make people happy. It does not change the wording to fit our lifes. But it helps us to understand the the bible is speaking to us. Check the blog and this video below.

ESV Trusted By Leaders from Crossway on Vimeo.

Men are not fit for Marriage.

This morning I was reading a devotional and one of the things that hit was that it said " men are not fit for marriage" and this is why we have the problems we do with porn, and sex. We are not brought up like girls are to look forward to the wedding day.

Most men ,because there fathers never have taught them about it, look to the world for who they are to be and sadly that is sex hungry beasts. After reading that today I really think that the men in the church and fathers should start talking to there sons about the wedding day and how the bride is the church and we (the groom) are Christ. We need to take our sons back from the world and show them who they are called to be and not sex hungry beast. Just my thoughts.

The Past

So today I was watching the news and I heard a clip from President Bush from his upcoming interview with Oprah. The clip really spoke to me. Oprah kept asking him to talk about Sarah Palin or Obama and he said that he is not going to wade in the swamp water. He is going to stay out of it.

As some pastors and/or church members leave a church it can be easy to bash there past church. But I really think that we need to not wade into the swamp water. We are called to pray for those people and that God's will will be done and by us bashing the church it helps no one. So next time you are tempted as you will be to just put a toe in the water stop and think about what you are about to do.

What's important?

As some of you may know I just got back from my vacation with my wife and we had a great time. As soon as we got back I felt God telling me that things are going to be changing and they are changing very fast. As thing are changing I can feel that I am getting out of control. I am becoming a very busy person but my focus is not right. Even though my focus is on God and then my wife both of them need more focus from me.

This starts to make me think. Pastors we can get to busy at times and say we are focused on things but we say it so much that it feels like we are but we really are not. Paul tells timothy to watch your life and I am sorry to say that I have not been watching like I should have been. I think that if you are real with your self you will most likely say the same thing. Stop the habits in your life that take you away from what really matters. I just thought that I would share this with you and may it bless you and your walk with Him.

Respect For Leadership

So I was talking with a friend today and we started to chat about the church in China and what God is doing there. One of the things that we talked about was how they have great respect for there leaders in the church. Here in the west I am starting to see that the respect level is so low that it is hard to see. Over the past few months I have seen and heard things that clearly says that there is no respect at all.

In Proverbs 6: 16-19 there are six things that God hates and one is an abomination to him. I have heard and seen people in churches lye and bear false witness about leaders in the church. God hates murdering, haughty eyes, lying tongue but to devise wicked plans is an abomination. The church should trust the men that God places in the position as pastor/elder. So ask your self a question, if you are not in leadership at your church do you respect the man and women that God has placed there or are you wanting to lead the church your way? This is a pride issue so you may have to check your heart.

Reflect

So I woke up today feeling very sleepy and ready to go back to bed and I think it is so easy for pastors to say let's take a day off and rest. But then I started to think about some of the things that are happening in my ministry and I ,even though still sleepy, get pumped.

Last night two students came up to me and they both want to get baptized in the next two weeks. Also after talking with a bunch of the students I could tell that there is about to be a mini revival at the two schools that I serve. There are these two students that are ready to see everyone at there school to get saved. They are so focused on this that you can tell that it is driving them.

Also this Sunday I will be meeting with some people that are ready to see the future and pray for God to use us in a way that will give Him glory and that will change us and others. Even now as I sit in my office and think about this my legs are shacking because I get pumped when I think about what God is up to.

As a pastor I think it is easy for us to sit back and say this is all because of me and what I am doing. I was fighting that a little last night. It's called pride and for pastors it is a fight every day. But then I remember that I am only doing what I am because God has called me and so then all the glory goes back to him. So I just thought that I would let you know.

Piper on Suffering

Amazing

T4G 2010 -- Session 9 -- C.J. Mahaney from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

As a pastor who reads and watches other pastors I know how hard it can be to strive to be a name in this world. I do know that this is my sinful pride that gets me to those thoughts sometimes. Please watch this amazing sermon from C J Mahaney who is a Godly Man ,Godly Pastor, and Godly Husband who ,through his books, sermon, and ministry is a mentor of mine. It helps you to know the true calling on a pastors life and what we go through on a daily basis and it is all for the Kingdom of a great God.

Pick a church Any Church.

So the other day I was driving in a town and saw a sign that said "pick a church any church".

What ever happened to pick a church because of there theology or doctrine? It seems that the church is far worst then I thought. I have heard over the last few days because of other peoples sin in a church that they feel like they might loose there salvation. People are wanting just fluff in there sermons from a pastor rather then theology or doctrine. I have been praying today and I get the feeling that the church of Christ is more religious then I thought.

My Heart is broken and then I read 2 Corinthians 12:19-21. This is nothing new. Paul was having the same problems but I think that the difference in his day is that Paul and timothy did something about it. They did not just sit back and take it because they want to please the people. Church leaders you are not here to please the people but God Himself. Get that through your thick heads. We don't need a bunch of Barney like church leaders. We need MEN who will be men and do what they are called to.

Just my thoughts.