23,000 Gallons Later...

So yeah, I preached on the previous blog on Sunday, and when I returned to TX and pulled into my driveway after being gone all week, I was given an opportunity to practice what I preached. My sprinkler system, which I haven't turned on since we have lived in our house, out of the blue decides to come on...the week we are out of town for the holidays!! For all I know that water could have been running steady for 6 days straight! For a Church Planter, that is already stretched financially, emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually, and so on, this was beyond a huge deal.
So, I called the water company yesterday and the lady told me I should probably set down before she read the damage to me. They had just read the meter, and we had already used over 23,000 gallons of water! We typically use around 5,000 in an entire month! Thank God that she is going to work with me due to my unfortunate circumstance and cut the usage nearly in half....for real, THANK GOD!
All of that said to say....I still will not be moved! Satan is defeated and Jesus is in control, I refuse to be moved by any circumstance.

I Will Not Be Moved

This is really something that God has been doing in me and MANY other people right now. I have talked to lots of folks who are dealing with some pretty heavy issues at the moment. Psalm 16:8 says, "I have set the Lord ALWAYS before me, because He is at my right hand I will not be moved." Yep, that sums it up pretty well.

Obedience Through Suffering

In my prayer time this morning, Hebrews 5:8 jumped off the page at me. It states that Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered. Jesus was fully God and fully man as well. With that said, in His humanity, He was subjected to suffering just like the rest of humanity so that He could empathize with us as our High Priest and also show his love and commitment to us. Through all of His sufferings, He learned obedience.
When we suffer we tend to want to back out of that situation. When the fire gets white hot, our natural tendency is to jerk our hand away. Take for example, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will." Jesus wanted out if there was any way around it. In the end, His love for the Father, and for us, drove him through the suffering. He was obedient even when it was difficult beyond imagination, even when the suffering raged with its' greatest intensity.
Since Christ endured, and was obedient through the suffering, we now enjoy fellowship with the Living God, and also have eternal life laid up for us. We must endure the hardships of life...there is a Great Reward that awaits us in the end!

Preperation for Your Destiny

Here is what I have experienced in my life pertaining to the release into my ultimate destiny. The steps are as follows:
1. Validation
2. Testing
3. Release

God will first validate you, by building you up in Him. Following that will be a season of trying and testing to determine the authenticity of your faith. Lastly, you are released to use that testimony, fulfill your destiny, and utilize your God-given potential. Just a thought, hope it helps somebody.

Cowboy Church "Buck Out"

Last Thursday night I went to The Cowboy Church of Ellis County in the big town of Waxahachie and watched their "buck out." It was AWESOME! I totally reconnected with some of my old roots. I think half of the crowd were SAGU students. It was pretty fun watching them get on all of those bulls. Much props to all of the SAGU girls that rode, and to Jordan for riding his first bull for 8 seconds! Nick Bardee got his head busted with a horn...It's all good though, he doesn't feel pain! I definitely plan on visiting the Cowboy Church again.

The Lenses of Past Experience

We filter our daily decisions through the lenses of past experiences. That can be good and bad. Learning from our mistakes and filtering everyday encounters through that wisdom can be extremely helpful, but filtering everyday encounters and relationships through the scars of yesterday can cripple us for life. The only healing that I believe there is for such a skewed mentality is the Cross of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is able to break the shackles of yesterday, and by the power of His Spirit He is able to sustain us and renew our mindset daily. The absolute truth is that there is no alternative therapy that can even come close to doing that kind of work in the human heart. Only Christ can heal us and help us to overcome negative past experience while enriching our lives and the lives of those around us on a daily basis.

Are You Happy?

OK, so I have been asked this question on a number of occasions by other Pastors. For some reason I thought about it yesterday and decided to blog about it. This question always bothered me, because in essence and in many cases what they are asking is, "Are you totally happy with your current circumstance, or would you rather come work for me?" As if they are the perfect Pastor with the perfect situation! Look, happiness has very little to do with the immediate calling of God. We cannot be moved by current uncertainties or discomforts. We operate in the calling of God through difficulties in order that happiness and fulfillment might come to us and God in due time.
What would the Lord have said if He were asked that question on the way to the Cross? It wasn't about His immediate happiness. Instead, it was all about His ultimate reason for being on the Earth...the redemption of mankind. Hebrews 12:2 states, "2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Jesus endured the current discomforts (to put it lightly) for the joy that was set before Him. He knew what he was doing was not in vain, eventually it would pay big dividends for the Father's Kingdom.
As long as we are doing exactly what God has instructed us to do, let us stick unswervingly to that path. We cannot give in to every sugar coated opportunity with the hopes that it will provide us with an easier way out or a quicker path to success. Usually, the Lord's way is tough at the moment but effective, productive, and fulfilling in the end.

The Secret of Contentment

God has really been dealing with me on the issue of discontentment here lately. Being discontent in a visionary sense is crucial, because you can never be satisfied with where you are now, but sometimes discontentment can bleed over into other areas of our lives and become a detriment to our well-being. It is impossible to "bloom where you are planted" when you have allowed discontentment to give you a flighty mentality. The secret and answer to all of it is found in Philippians 4:11-13. Check it out.