Monday, December 31, 2012

Prayer for this week...

I would appreciate you praying for me on Thursday as we have our Prayer and Vision night for FLOOD at Purpose Church: Claremont. We are spending the evening together (starting at 6:30) praising Jesus, looking at God's vision for Claremont, and praying for God to do the impossible and incredible once again through this ministry.

Chapter 01 of God through FLOOD has been amazing these past three years. I can't wait for Chapter 02 to begin.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Thank you so much... and Merry Christmas!

Hi all,
I just wanted to take a quick minute to thank you for your continuous prayer ministry for me. I can't thank you enough, and the things that I have seen God do since you all committed to this has been incredible. I've got a week off starting tomorrow and I am so excited for a little bit of downtime. I hope that you have a great Christmas.

I love you all more than you know.

The Wilderness Is Part of God's Plan


"And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil." — Luke 4:1

Did you know that the wilderness is part of God's plan for every person who desires to be a follower of Jesus? It is so easy for us, when we go into times spiritually that are difficult or when God seems far away, or when temptation seems stronger than normal, to automatically think that there is something wrong in our lives where we are not pleasing Jesus. Now, I will admit that there are times that this may be the case, but not necessarily all of the time.

Notice what the verse says in Luke's Gospel:

1). Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit.
There was no break in fellowship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Rather, right after Jesus's baptism, he was full of the Holy Spirit.

2). He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
Jesus did not go into the wilderness on his own. Rather, he was led there by the Spirit. Jesus experiencing temptation, and that by the devil, was the will of God for him. He did not fall into this, or walk away from God's will, resulting in his wilderness experience. Rather, this was God's will for him to go through.

3). It was not a short amount of time.
Jesus was tempted by the devil for forty days. It did not last a few moments. It did not last a couple of days. Rather, Jesus was tempted for 40 days in the wilderness while at his weakest because he ate nothing in his time there. We have to be prepared for the fact that our wilderness experience most probably will not be for a few short moments but rather for as long as it takes for God to accomplish his will in our lives.

If you find yourself right now in the wilderness, ask God to convict you if there is something to be confessed. But if there is not, then first, rely. We as Christians are invited by God to completely rely on him. At no point is he expecting us to be able to face this life alone. Rather, he invites us to rely on him. But second, endure. Every time that Jesus was tempted he used Scripture to combat the temptation. We must be people of the Bible. We must know what it says so that we can stand against the temptation of the enemy. And in due, the enemy will leave us.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Prayer for this week...


Hi there,

Here's how you can be praying for me this week:

1). This Wednesday night is our FLOOD finale service. It is the last FLOOD service on Wednesday nights at PFB Church until our move to purpose church on Thursday nights in Claremont on January 10, 2013. It is going to be an exciting night. Please pray for me as I pray through, prep, and preach the message this Wednesday night. We are also having baptisms. If you have time this Wednesday night, and can join us in person, please do.

Click here to read all about the move.

2). On Sunday morning I am team teaching with Pastor Andy and Pastor Jay in Claremont at Purpose Church. Please pray for us as we share with the people at Purpose what God has been teaching us this Christmas.

Thank you so much for how often and how faithful you pray for me.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

For Unto Us... God!

This is the message that Jesus had me teach last Sunday at PFB Church. I was absolutely floored by what it is that he said and did that morning. I share this as a way to say Merry Christmas. May we once again be amazed and in awe of the Christmas season.


Monday, December 10, 2012

Prayer for this week...

Here's how you can be praying for me this week:

1). This Friday morning I am speaking at chapel for Crossroads Christian School to their junior and senior high school students. Please pray that I would hear what God wants me to preach for that morning.

That's if for this week. I've got a lighter week as you can tell. Thank you so much.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Prayer For this Week...

Here's how you can be praying for me for this week:

1). On Wednesday night at FLOOD we are looking at part 2 of our series called "47". The phrase we are looking at is "finished the race..." So please pray for me as I pray through, prep, and preach this message.

2). On Sunday morning I am preaching at all of the morning services at PFB Church. The title of the sermon is, "For Unto Us...GOD!" The main point: trying to fit our minds around the fullness of the Godhead in the little baby Jesus. I'm trying to wrap my mind around the Trinity and it is leaving me more in awe of the incarnation of Christ. So please pray for me as I pray through, prep, and preach this message.

Thank you so much for praying.