The frenzy of worry!

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? (Matthew 6:25-27 NIV)

God forgive me. I'm a worrier. I can't help it. I love my Lord, but when I walk into the unknown I become anxious and wonder about the outcome. I know God is in charge. I know the strength and power of my Savior. But, I still wonder, I still worry about how my sinfulness affects the outcome of events. Will God use this situation to teach me something. Will he provide pain and suffering to teach me a valuable lesson? I'm afraid of the pain.

If you are like me you can really get yourself "worked up" into a frenzy of worry. When that happens I always turn to prayer. It's always works. The peace of my loving God can be found through prayer. He understands my weakness and my worry. He can calm me even I the wildest of circumstances. The paralysis that I feel when I worry is completely gone when I turn it over to Jesus. 

Thank you Lord for your wonderful peace. Thank you for the calm you provide to get me through times of stress. I love you and could not survive without your love and grace. All I have is yours!

Judge not!

This is what the Lord says: “For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not relent. Because they have rejected the law of the Lord and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire on Judah that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem.” (Amos 2:4-5 NIV)

It's so easy to ignore your own sins and shake your head in disgust at someone else's. As a great leader you always need to be just as critical of your own faults as the faults of those you lead. We have all fallen short of the glory of God! We have all made errors in judgement, we have all ignored God, we have all sinned against others and God.

A huge barrier for most christians is the sin of others. It's funny how our sins are always less than the sins of others. Of course we know that's not true, but we act like it. It's sad that we can't share, openly, our own sins as tools to show God's amazing love. It's sad that we won't even try to build relationships with the lost because of THEIR sins.

Please Lord, open our eyes and our hearts to the lost. Help us to do whatever it takes to bring the lost to you. Lord, you love me knowing my entire life. You love me regardless of my past. Thank you Lord, you are wonderful and I praise you for my life filled with you!

Stand the Gap!

“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.” (Ezekiel 22:30-31 NIV)

I have a slight fascination with Bridges. Many of the great bridges of the world are quite beautiful. I've been across the Brooklyn bridge, the Mackinaw Bridge, the Golden Gate, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-tunnel, the great Skyway Bridge in Tampa and hundreds of other beautiful small bridges in our country. These great expanses of steel and cabling help us traverse huge barriers. 

God is looking for me to "Bridge the Gap" for those that do not know him. He wants me to provide the path for the lost to discover his grace and love. Sometimes the divide between this world and the God of the universe is huge, other times that gap is no larger than a stream. But, we are called to fill that gap. Yes, the project may take years, the work may be slow, but we can not give up. There are times I feel the efforts will never bear fruit, yet, with Gods power it always does. 

Praise God for the opportunity to serve and love beyond all comprehension. Thank you Lord that others bridged the gap for me. I would not be here today with out the wonderful love of your faithful servants.

"What have I done."

I have listened attentively, but they do not say what is right. None of them repent of their wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Each pursues their own course like a horse charging into battle. Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons, and the dove, the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration. But my people do not know the requirements of the Lord. (Jeremiah 8:6-7 NIV)

It's just not popular to talk about sin. It's not one of those sermons that draw people to a church. We are a sinful people. We need to confront our sins head on. There comes a time we need to say "What have I done?" We need to go to our loving and grace filled God, ask his forgiveness, repenting of our wickedness. We are called by God to repent and seek his grace. We can't overcome the sin in our lives without Jesus. We need to be open about it with the God of the universe. We need to fall on our knees to petition for his grace and forgiveness.

Lord, you know my heart, you know my life and the sins I commit. Please Lord forgive me, take away the sins that keep me far away from you. Take away my sins against my family, friends, and coworkers. Give me strength to overcome those sins and lead a life more pleasing to you. I love you and praise you for your amazing love you show me every day.

Find time to lead!

Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. (Jeremiah 3:15 NIV)

1. Attitude Skills – A servant’s heart, both positive and persistent.
2. People Skills – The ability to relate to others: communicate, delegate, motivate, confront, etc. 
3. Equipping Skills – The ability to train and develop others for service.
4. Leadership Skills – The ability to cast vision, plan strategy, direct teams, and empower others.    Dr. john C Maxwell "30 day Leadership Reading Plan"

I saw this list of leadership skills and thought it was a very "complete" list. These four skills are important for all Christian leaders. What leadership skills do you have? 

Many people really avoid leadership positions in churches and ministry. They literally run away from being asked to serve. Right now we are in the midst of officer nominations and elections for my Christian Motorcyclist Association chapter. Every year we struggle to find people willing to lead. It greatly saddens my heart. When I became a Christian I became a doer, a doer of the word. Worship is important, study and prayer are important. Nothing is as important as serving. So why is it so difficult to get people to serve?

As in most churches, 10% do 90% of the work. I think you would be hard pressed to disprove this in ministries. Everyone is so busy! At the risk of sounding arrogant, I'm pretty busy myself! Yet, I find time in the midst of full time work, service to my school, my family, my 6 grandkids, and CMA! I take leadership positions at school and in ministry. Others should be able to do the same. My fellow officers also sacrifice time and energy right along side me. They have the same commitments with family, work, and various other ministries. I've always found people will make time for the important things in their lives. If God truly is number one in your life, you will make time to serve. You will lead! I am so thankful for this years officer team that they were willing to serve. Their dedication will be honored by God.

I'm not claiming to be the leader I want to be. I have not mastered the four skills list above. But, I am in pursuit of those skills so I can lead for the kingdom of God. I will set myself apart so I can serve, not to bring glory to myself. I ask everyone to pray where a god would have you serve. Let the spirit of the Lord lead you into service and leadership for him. Praise God he believes in me enough to give me leadership positions for his glory!

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