BE THANKFUL FOR YOUR JOB

Maybe you have seen the show on Discovery Channel call Dirtiest Jobs. Mike Row goes from job site to job site in search of America's dirtiest employment opportunities. One of the shows features men going through sewers with piles of cock roaches, rats, and of course sewage. I got sick just watching. One of these guys were asked how could you do this and he said, "I am just thankful to have a job." I remember similar remarks from a woman in Kenya who worked 12-14 hours a day and made the equivalent of $2.oo a day.
Your job might not always be the source of overwhelming joy. In fact it might be down right frustrating at times. Even if your work can be difficult at times, during this Labor Day weekend take time to give thanks for your job. It is a blessing from God!

THE JUST WONDERING IF ANY ONE NOTICED BLOG!

I noticed after writing my last blog several days ago that it had been a while since any one had read or posted a comment so I had this crazy idea that I would not write until someone noticed that there had been no knew blog postings. Thank you Kevin!
One thing I have noticed since doing this blog is that it is a lot funner to do it when people read it and especially when they comment. I guess it is that way with anything in life. Take time tomorrow and tell someone thanks for the things they do or let them know that some one notices their hard work. It might seem insignificant to you but it might make a real difference in their life.

BUT HANNAH MONTANA vs. JESUS

My daughter Mackenzie is a huge Hannah Montana fan. Today tickets went on sale for her concert in Nashville and they sold out in like 2 seconds. I know most of them went to ticket brokers who trying to resale them for ungodly amounts of money. We have seen single $50 tickets going for as much as $700. Is that not ridiculous?
Now it is no slap at Miley Cyrus who is Hannah Montana because I know her and her family seem to be great Christians, but I wonder why why her concert sales out so quick and churches have a hard time getting people in the pews. I know it is not the product because it does not get any better than Jesus. So the question has to be asked is the church relevant to this generation? Jesus said if we would lift Him up that "all men would be drawn unto Him." I know He will keep his end of the bargain but I think we could do a little better at ours. JUST A THOUGHT!

THE ONE TIME

I thought I would share with you one of the most precious possessions of our family. A baby laughing might not seem like much to most people but it was the only time that it ever happen with our son Chase. God allowed us to capture on video by accident. I actually thought I was taking still pictures and I had the digital camera set to video mode. A year in a half after Chase past away it still blesses me that THE ONE TIME Chase laughed and giggled God allowed us to capture that memory and have it for a life time. GOD IS GOOD!

PRAY THE PRICE

Occasionly my wife Tyra can talk me into going shopping with her. When she does I have a ritual that I go through about everytime. I go immediately to the clearance section and see if there are any bargains that would save me 50% to 75%. If I see nothing that would make me feel like I stuck it to the store then I find a chair and wait on Tyra to finish.
I have to admit if I am not careful I can have this same approach in my prayer life. I know that sounds terrible but I am guilty of doing this on more than one occasion. James said, "The fervent prayer of a righteous man is powerful and availeth much." Do you ever go to God and want a bargain. A big miracle with little effort on your part. Fervent prayer is not easy, in fact it is hard work and is often time consuming. But it is this kind of prayer that the Bible says God responds to.
Have you been believing God for something? To get it you have to PRAY THE FULL PRICE.

PRAY THE PRICE

I love going into stores and finding bargains. In fact if my wife can ever get me into a store I will go to the clearence section and look at the items that are 50% to 75% off. I love feeling like I stuck it to the retailer. If I don't find a bargain quickly I go outside the store and find a chair and wait for Tyra to finish up the painful excursion that we call shopping.
Unfortunately I have to guard myself about having this same approach with God. I find myself going to the Lord in prayer and wanting the 50% to 75% deal, meaning I spend little time and get great rewards. I have found this does not work. There are no short cuts in prayer. If you want God to meet the need you have to PRAY FULL PRICE!

CREED

CREED is defined as a set of religious beliefs or guiding principles. I have been thinking about the principles that guide my life, and the principles that guide our church at Music City. What are our guiding principles?
Connecting locally-- That deals with being a community of believers and not just a
congregation.
Reaching globally-- This speaks to our commission to evangelize our community and reach
ourworld with the gospel.
Engaging worshipfuly-- Worship is one of the chief purposes we were created and is that the
unites believers and brings us to a place of being in one accord.
Equipping purposefully-- The great commission is not just about winning the lost but
also making disciples. Discipleship is a life long journey that equips
believers to live for Christ and achieve his purposes and plans for
their life.
Driven by Eternity-- Colossians says that "everything" we do should be unto the glory ofGod.
Our mission or creed guides us but eternity drives us.
My prayer is that these would not be words only, but truly our CREED (the principles that drive us).

A PIECE OF JUNK THAT DOES COOL TRICKS IS STILL A PIECE OF JUNK

Last night while on my way home a piece of junk car pulled up beside me at a red light. When I say a piece of junk I am not making fun of this person or exaggerating. I looked at the guy in that car with his girlfriend in the passenger seat and he looked my way eye contact. I nodded my head as to acknowledge him and he looked at me with a look of disgust. He then did something that made me laugh and his girlfriend bury her head in her lap with apparent embarrassment. What had he done? He hit the hydraulic button on the car and the front of the car began to elevate then the right side went up in the air then down again. It was quite a show and I guess it was his way of showing off. The car sputtered off and all I could think about as I laughed rather hysterically was this guy must have spent more on that hydraulic system than he did that car.
I was not impressed and it was obvious his girlfriend was not. I am sure she was thinking the same thing I was; why did this guy not put more money into a better car that would be more dependable.
I guess it is a question of priorities. We resource what we value. It was clear this guy valued looking cool and not a dependable car. What do you value? Jesus said it his way, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

THE HIGH SCHOOL MUSIC PHENOMENON

Last year Disney made a movie for $4.5 million called High School Musical that made them over $500,000,000 and brought in over 170,000,000 viewers. Most of you probably are like me and don't get the reason for it's success. My daughter Mackenzie along with the 10's of millions who watched the sequel last night totally get it. Disney has made and properly marketed a product that resonates with it's target audience.

Christians have the greatest message that there has ever been but we do not always do the best at marketing this Gospel message. How do we market the message? "Let your light so shine before men, that they might see your good works and glorify God in heaven." Disney's cause is to gain another viewer and make another dollar, our cause is to pull people from darkness into light and bring souls to eternal life. Let's get excited about our cause.

WHAT DID CHURCHES DO WITHOUT A/C?

My father tells me that when he was a child their church nor home had air conditioning. He says that the local funeral home would provide fans that the congregation would use during service to keep cool. I have been to so many churches overseas where to speak of air conditioning in church was to open the doors and windows of the make shift building.
Our church sanctuary today had three of the 4 units that cool the sanctuary go out. I have to admit it was hot. In fact I was so mad that this happened until I begin to think about all of the people who are around the world today who meet in underground churches with none of the modern convieniences we know and they risk their life to do it. When I think of it like that, I thank God for the freedom we have to worship even if it is in a hot building!

WHAT'S HAPPENING IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT'S GOING ON

All through the Bible we see stories where it appeared things were going terribly wrong only to find out what was happening was not really what was going on. In the case of Moses living in a wilderness as a wanted felon is what was happening but being prepared by God to lead a nation of people out of slavery and bondage is what was going on. In the case of Jesus a cruel death on criminal's cross is what was happening but God brining forth the means of salvation to a lost world is what was going on.

I still struggle at times with the death of my son Chase. I know that God has a purpose even in such devastating situations. I firmly believed that when we stood in Thailand dedicating the boys home that some of God's purposes were being revealed. It is our prayer that a nation could be changed because of the boys who come out of this home.

We all go through situations where we do not exactly understand what is happening but we must believe that what is going on is that God is working all things out for our good. It is impossible to understand when we are going through it but what is happening is not always what is going on.

BACK TO SCHOOL

What a powerful service we had this morning as we sent out our students as missionaries on to their campuses. It is very important for us to remember our students in prayer and resource them as the missionaries they are to make a difference on their campuses. I did not get to this point this morning but here is a few ways we can pray for our students and children as they go back to school.

1. Pray for the Lords protection upon their lives
2. Pray for God's boldness in their witness
3. Pray for their influence among class mates and faculty
4. Pray for the vision to see their school as a mission field where they can make a difference
5. Pray that they would not be negatively impacted by culture but that they would positively impact their culture

Let's commit to pray every day for our children and students just as we would missionaries we send out on the foriegn mission field. Remember, "You don't become a missionary by crossing the sea but by seeing the cross."

NEW LEADERSHIP

It was a long process but after to days of deliberating we have a elected a new Superintendent and Assistant Superintendent. It is always amazing to see God unfold his plan for his people. Dr. George Wood is our new Superintendent and Rev. Alton Garrison the assistant. Please pray for these men that God will help them as they lead the Assemblies of God. Please continue to pray for us at this council that God will give us continued wisdom as we have a lot more business to conduct in a short amount of time.

PRAY FOR THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD

I am asking that each one of you pray for our denomination over the next couple of days as we meet for the General Council of the Assemblies of God. This is our national assembly that is held once every 2 years but this year has great importance. Our General Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, and treasurer have all resigned or retired and we will vote in new leadership for our denomination. Tyra and I will leave tonight after church so we covet your prayers as we travel to Indianapolis for these meetings. The elections will begin tomorrow at 11:00am so pray that God's men will be brought into these very important leadership roles.

MAN IT'S HOT!!

I walked outside carrying a ladder at the church today and when I came back into the office I felt like I had spent a week in the Sahara. It feels like it is 200* outside.
My dad's family were Share Croppers growing up. So he worked long days picking cotton and then came in to a non air conditioned home. I remind myself of that every time I am tempted to complain about these kind of conditions. I also think about the men and women in our military who are in the heat of Iraq with full fatigue's on and carrying a 80 lbs of supplies on their back. You know when you think about it we really don't have it that bad, even when the temperature has hit triple digits!

THANK YOU GOD FOR A FLAT TIRE

Yesterday as we were traveling home from Memphis we had a flat tire. We had prayed before we left Memphis that the would protect us and give us His traveling mercies. It would have been easy to complain about changing a tire on the side of the Interstate, but all I could say is "Thank you Lord." I just had a feeling that through the inconvienience of a flat tire God was saving us from something. Maybe it was an accident, maybe it was a ticket, perhaps it was just a lesson in dependence that he wanted to teach. Reguardless, I say thank you Lord for that flat.
This morning when we woke up and was on our way to the church would you believe that another tire on the same vehicle was flat. What if they would have both gone out on the interstate? That would not have been good. So we had to replace two tires today, but my family is safe and God is good.

LATE FOR THE PLANE

I was in an airport early this morning in Hawaii and there was a family who came in who missed their plane. This was a local airlines who sells cheap tickets to hop from island to island and if you miss your flight you are just out of luck as this family found out. First, I over heard the argument at the ticket counter. Then I heard the argument as he called the corporate office with no avail to get another flight at no additional cost or at least a matching rate. They informed him (I know because I was being nosey) that his tickets were void and the discounted rate was only available 30 days out. The bottom line was it was going to cost him an extra $1400 for his family to get from Maui to Oakland, CA. Needless to say this guy was not a happy camper.
Two thoughts came to me as I watched this scene play out. The first was I wonder if we could charge a double tithe for people who are late for church. (just a thought) The second and more serious was about all those people who would miss the rapture. For what ever reason when Jesus returns they are just not ready and it will really cost them.
God help us all to live right and do right that whenever we die or the rapture of the church takes place we will not be caught in the position of this man and his family, no ticket to the destination we desire.

WOWIE IN MAUI!

Tyra's father who went to Thailand with us was generous enough to rent a condo in Maui for a couple of nights so on our way home from Thailand we could fly in and have a litte R and R. The plane ticket was like a $100 extra to come on our way home from Thailand but I can tell you it is the best $100 I have ever spent. This morning I got up and went on a 7:00am snorkel. I was alone in the ocean at that hour (at least as far as people goes). The thought went through my mind as I saw fish of every color and shape, that I was swimming in God's aquarium. We serve a wonderful creator and we are prize of His creation. I hope I am not making all of you jealous but I had to share my experience. I really felt close to God out there though I did keep my eyes open for JAWS. I went 20 minutes with out bringing my head out of the water and when I brought it up I realized I had gotten a pretty good ways from shore.
Thank you for your prayers! Though the ministry leg of the trip is over we pray God will refresh us here and give us safety as we begin traveling home!

LONG TIME NO BLOG!

I have tried like crazy to get to a computer and have found it very difficult until today. Thank you so much for your prayers God has really brought forth fruit for the kingdom. The last day in Chiang Rai the missionary took us to have a little fun, an elephant ride through the jungle. Mackenzie was white as a ghost and so fearful. I did not think that we would ever get her on the elephant but once she did she loved it. I thought how much that is like our walk with God, the greatest experiences often are the most fearful to step out and experience but once we do we realize how awesome the journey is and how great our God is. We also held a 15 ft. 200lb. snake. Now God had to help me with some fear issues on that one!