As I promised in my message today, here are my 10 Suggestions for Embracing Masculinity:
• Open doors for women, especially your wife.
• Make sure women have a seat & help them sit first.
• Help with the kids.
• Actively resist anything that devalues women.
• Carry stuff for women.
• Remember special occasions.
• Look women in the eyes & practice active listening.
• Seriously consider a women’s perspective-What do you think? How do you feel about…?
• Be verbally generous.
• Be confident!
Don’t underestimate the power & influence of the words coming out of your mouth! Scripture claims that death & life are in the power of the tongue! (Proverbs 18:21) Are we unintentionally & unnecessarily bringing death, disease, discouragement & discontent into our lives by the way we talk? Well, stop it! Try this experiment: For 1 week commit to saying these life-giving words (or something similar) everyday to the different relations in your life-your spouse, your children & yourself. Remember, everyday for a whole week. (If you do not have a spouse or children, then substitute a boss, co-worker or someone you see daily) After 1 week observe & write down what is happening. I can’t wait to hear from you. Continue Reading…
We’re just starting our “40 Day Challenge to a New You.” (Wed Mar 9th through Sat Apr 23rd) Below are the 4 Essentials to get everything out of this challenge—
1.Don’t miss one of the Sunday Celebrations during the challenge. I am doing a series called Re-Lent in which we will examine 7 major events in the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. (If you absolutely must miss one of these live celebrations then try & follow online.)
2.Determine the time slot you will pray in our new Prayer Room. I’m asking you to pick a 30 minute or hour time slot to pray. So, if you pick Tues at 3 am then you have Tues at 3 am during the entire challenge. Our goal is 40 days of non-stop prayer to God. Get ready! God is going to rock some things. To pick a time slot click on “40 Day Challenge” on our website. Obviously, more then 1 person can be in the prayer room at a time!
3.Choose foods &/or activities you really enjoy & go without them during the 40 day challenge. (Exception: There is no fasting on Sundays! This is when we celebrate our life & victory through Christ.) For example: Jill & I will fast from TV, movies, non-essential spending (no shopping), coffee (Starbucks), alcohol, sodas, etc. The 1st 4 days I’m not eating anything & only drinking water but after that I plan to move on to soups & salads. So, go ahead & pick some things to do without…you will not die! & remember, no fasting on Sundays!
4.With your Bible, pen and an open heart follow along in our “40 Day Challenge Journal.” (These are free & can be picked up anytime at the church) Each day of the challenge there is a scripture reading & space for you to journal your prayers to God, your thoughts & what you feel God is saying to you.
Let’s do it! Are you in?
I traveled last week with my Dad to Lima Peru to spend a few days ministering to 2 wonderful churches in that City. It was a pleasure to spend time with both Pastor Arturo Ramos and the great family at Catedral de Fe and Pastor Robert Barriger at Camido de Vida. We love & are heavily invested in the work these churches are doing in the nation of Peru. In fact, last year we sent $33,000 in support of their work there!
Here is a brief video recap of our trip:
In January of this year Jill & I became the Senior Pastors of the Community Church. Seasons of transition & new leadership can be difficult for any business; especially a church family. In fact, when long term successful founding Pastors step down, churches normally experience significant decline-sadly many end up closing their doors. Well, we are just about to finish our 1st year & we’re so thankful to God & to you for all your support. I’m thrilled to share that instead of shrinking, our church has grown 7% and our giving is up 19% over last year. More people are coming to Christ, being helped, healed, lifted up & made whole than ever before!
Allow me to review with you some of the highlights from 2010-
- One of the 1st things we needed to address was our mounting indebtedness which was just at $300,000 (not including our mortgage). Literally, phone calls were coming every week for bills that were 60 & 90 plus days overdue! Can you say, ‘pressure!’ Well, to date all of our accumulated back bills are now paid off, we are operating within our budget & we have put aside a small reserve! Also, 2 years ago we had cut salaries & let critical people go in order to survive. Things were looking pretty grim. Well, as of today all staff salaries have been restored, they each even got a small Christmas bonus & we have started hiring back critical positions. Continue Reading…
