Highway to HELL . . .
A church in Anderson, SC called NewSpring opened up with the video above this past weekend. I would even encourage you to click their link and listen to Pastor Perry preach the truth. You might not agree with them opening up church service with Highway to HELL, but over 300 people put their faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior this past Sunday.
I was on a Highway to HELL and many could see that very clearly. The problem is there are many roads that lead to HELL! Not all road look like mine, and many traveling toward HELL do not even realize it. Truth is there is only ONE road that leads to SALVATION and that is Jesus Christ. If you have never full turned from yourself, the bad you do or the good things you do as an answer to why you will be allowed into heaven, then do that NOW. Ask God to forgive you of your sins through the forgiven offered by Jesus Christ. No one has ever been good enough or bad enough for God, Jesus is the only way . . . Everything else is a Highway to HELL!
Changed Life – my story in 4 min . . .
This is my story in 4 min . . . When the worship design team from theVine asked me to share my store in 4 min. I was thinking, “there is no way it will fit.” Thanks to the amazing video work of Greg Hampton (worship art’s pastor) it fit and still comes across making sense and without losing the radical power of life change. Pastor David used this on Easter as a final sermon illustration to drive home the Risen Savior’s desire to be found . . . turn and see he has been there the whole time.
Here is a link to the sermon Pastor David preached yesterday . . . one of the best presentations I have ever heard of the empty tomb and His desire to be found.
Family Dance Party . . .
We have a new member of the family (read below) . . . This is our first dance party as a new family. He joined right in and there should be plenty more where this came from.
Here is what Nikki wrote about the last 24 hours of our life . . .
“The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind….at times I feel like I am dreaming…..then I look around and I see 3 beautiful children looking back at me. Yes, 3 children. Last night at 10:00 Jason and I rescued a little 9 month old, Deontae, from a homeless life on the Atlanta streets. This is the samelittle boy we were hoping to adopt about a month ago, but the mom had decided not to go through with it. We were over joyed with her decision and never questioned her again. Then around 7:30 last night the mother of Deontae called Jason and told him she wanted us to pick up her son and adopt him. She wanted a better life for her son, a life she could not give him on the streets. Jason and I dropped everything, Mr. Ken came over to babysit, and we ran to Atlanta to pick up Deontae. Now, 24 hours later, he has adapted well and is sleeping in a small crib in our bedroom. Weatherly and Tennyson have also done really well with a new baby in the house. Weatherly has taken on a motherly role and Tennyson just watches him. Little Deontae lightens up whenever Weatherly and Tennyson are around – he begins to dance and smile. It is so fabulous to watch them all play together 
Fault of Familiarity . . .
One of the reasons I love serving and worshiping at theVine is the creative ways we come up with to help those within the walls of the building understand the message of God’s word and challenge them to take their NEXT step. Here is a video that was produced in house and just really sums up one reason many people do not share their faith . . . call it the “Fault of Familiarity”
Just think how many people do struggle with this – “Fault of Familiarity” . . . having lost the AWE factor in their relationship with God and something like this video can help them remember they need to introduce their friends to the satisfying power of God through Jesus Christ.
Do you ever find yourself suffering with the “Fault of Familiarity”?
“get off you donkey” shirts . . .
I only have few XXL shirts left . . . I have had the opportunity to preach the story of the Good Samaritan a couple of times lately and now have a few people wanting to get the “get off your donkey” shirts. 12stone has given some of these shirts out as they have been calling their church to “get off your donkey” with a recent sermon series and their “inspire – share – give” campaign. Here is my dilemma - I have make two print runs on these shirts and now contemplate doing it again, but need to know how many people are interested in buying this shirt @ $15.00.
YES – check schedule & ask wife . . .
Yesterday while having lunch a statement came out of my mouth that has taken many years to build into my life. When I was talking with Keith Arnett about an opportunity to serve . . . I said, “you don’t have to pray about opportunities when you are gifted and passionate, just check your schedule and ask your wife.” This statement has come from many years of me using the phrase many christians will use, “let me pray about it”. Really, do I need to pray about it. Actually NO! If the church of satan invites me to preach from the Holy Bible about Jesus – I don’t need to pray. It is an opportunity to do something I am passionate for and gifted at . . . so I simply need to check my schedule and ask my wife.
Here is an example: I have been asked if I might be able to preach for a church where one of my best friends is worship leader on the 21st of Feb. I would love to do it, but the schedule doesn’t work out. I am going out of town the next weekend to preach a treat in MS and I was just out of town last month for a weekend retreat. I did go ahead and ask my wife what she thought just in case she could see a way where I could see none. Even though I know I can’t go, deep down I want to take every opportunity to serve the Lord when I am asked. The answer is always YES, let me check my schedule and ask my wife.
What is your answer when an opportunity to serve comes your way?
In a Miniature Earth . . .
Where do you fit in a Miniature Earth? Watch this video and be challenged with just how blessed you are and ask what you should do with what you have . . .
Road Blocks . . .
Just got word from Pastor 7 that the mother of the little boy we have been praying for since Monday has decided to keep her son. We have also learned that this mother accepted the Love of God through Jesus Christ this past Sunday and is now gathering her strengthen from him. Over the past few days she has received peace where there once was none and we must understand the Road Block for us to adopt her child is the restoration of the family God intended. The Road Block is God’s Will bringing this mother peace and this child his mother full of the Love of Christ. Praise God for his perfect will and his perfect timing. Praise God for Road Blocks!
Nikki and I will still have the opportunity to help this little boy and this mother . . . see every Monday night for the past year Ken and I have gone to the Garden and spent time Loving on the women and children. We have gone every Monday night to teach bible study to the women and children that they can know and experience the Love of God and the life transforming power that comes when you surrender to all God intends for you. Not only is your life changed in Christ, but your family is changed. We will continue to Love God through Loving this family as God restores them to the family he created them to be.
Thank God for Road Blocks!
Do you keep praying? pt 2 . . .
Of course you keep praying . . . 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says we are to always pray. The thing is – if you have already prayed and asked God for something or asked God for direction with regard to something and it shows up, then should you keep praying about doing it? No . . . your prayer should change for his guidance as you walk through and for him to block any path which is not of him. You continue to pray for his will to be done and for him to be glorified.
As we are looking at the potential of Loving God through Loving this little child it lines up with the prayers we have prayed before. Now we can sit around and continue to say let me pray about this once the situation arrises or we can begin to walk out in faith with the prayers we have already prayed and continue to pray for God’s will to be done and for him to be gloried. We can pray for this mother to know the presence of the Lord and be guided by his hand and not and emotion or a sense of desperation. We can pray God’s blessing over our children as they have an unbelievable chance to model the Love of Christ to someone else. We can pray that God will have this mother keep her child if she feels through God’s strength she can raise it.
OR
We can tell Pastor Seven we need to pray about this (even though this is just the way we would have dreamed something like this to happen) and possibly miss the opportunity to be the hands and feet of God to this mother and child when they need us most. While we are off in our prayer closet they may be at the end of their rope.
We do continue to pray but we must GO forward and pray as we GO because we were prayed up when the opportunity came up. The key to serving the Lord is always being ready.
Do you keep praying? . . .
Last night I was at the Garden preparing to teach the regular Monday night bible study Ken and I do when Pastor Seven shared with me about a mother who has a desire to give her sweet son (pictured below) to a loving couple. Seven and I continued to talk when I shared with him, “Nikki and I will take him”. This is actually been a prayer of ours for a while now. We have talked about adoption but felt we will not adopt in the conventional method. With all of the work I do in the streets of Atlanta and the number of times I come into contact with mothers of young children who feel they have no hope, we have felt God would send us an opportunity just like this. So here is a picture of me and this sweet little man . . .
Now comes the time to GO for it – to step out on faith and step up and Love God through Loving Others as yourself. Do you keep praying when God sends the answer to something you have already prayed? What if it is big? What if it is going to really mess with your life? How about letting God be God and trusting if this is his desire he is the one working it to be in the first place.
I think we will roll with the last, “surrendering to God being God and letting him work out the details” and if it doesn’t work out then it must not be his will for this time.
