Beating the Wind

“Blessed are the peacemakers, because they will be called sons of God.”
Matthew 5:9 (HCSB)

I believe that every moment of everyday people are searching for peace. There is so much strife, chaos and turmoil in the world. People are hurting and searching. They are looking for hope, they are looking for peace. If there was ever a time in the history of the modern church that Providential peace was required, I believe that the time we are experiencing now would qualify. So many are searching! This could be a great time of revival for the church if Christians would just take the opportunity to introduce the people to the God of peace. Jesus said, “blessed are the peacemakers”. Notice He did not say blessed are the peaceful. He was addressing a specific group of people. He was talking to those who are not only living in peace, but also those who are capable of bringing peace and harmony to others. As Christians, we are live in peace. We are to search out and seek ways to help and minister to others. We are to help people reconcile with each other. I believe today that real revival would take place in the 21st Century Church if true believers would genuinely reconcile with each other. In order to be a peacemaker, we have to be willing to forgive one another Are you a peacemaker? Jesus was. He was sent into this world to make peace between God and people. If you are searching for the peace of God today, you have to know the God of peace! In order to be called a son or daughter of God, we must be at peace with Him and those whom we come into contact with. My prayer for you today is that you will totally realize the peace of God! I love you all!

I took this picture with my phone the other morning. It was the kind of view, that required a moment of silence. God is an amazing artist.

“For what I have received may the Lord make me truly thankful. And more truly for what I have not received.”
Storm Jameson

During this season of Thanksgiving I want to encourage you to take some time and think about all of the things that you are truly thankful for. This exercise in counting your blessings might just surprise you. First, we need to remember the source of our thankfulness. What are you truly thankful for? For many people this may be a tough question to answer. So many people are struggling and dealing with real life issues. I have found in my own life, that when I am dealing with major life issues, my God is at work. These times of challenge many times allow me to realize my proximity to my Savior and often bring me closer to God. Many times our condition of thankfulness comes from the “stuff” that we own. The possessions that we accumulate are nice and we should be thankful for those things, but if you really think about it, we have so much more to be thankful for. If you are like me, I tend to take my real blessings for granted and totally miss the opportunity to give thanks for what really matters. So today, I am declaring an awareness of thankfulness. I am going to list the top 10 things that I am really thankful for…so here goes:
1. I am thankful that I am loved by a Holy God and that my life has been bought and paid for at a HUGE expense.
2. I am thankful…for every breath that He (God) allows me to take. I realize that His plan for my life is to Boldly Proclaim Him.
3. I am thankful for the Word of God…it truly is our instruction for life here on this earth and it brings me much peace, comfort and conviction.
4. I am thankful for a wonderful (Godly) wife that He gave to me. I could not have done this on my own…I am beyond blessed and I realize it more and more each day.
5. I am thankful for three beautiful daughters that love the Lord their God with all their hearts, minds and souls.
6. I am thankful for my grandchildren. They truly are a great blessing to me, and for this I will be forever thankful. I am looking forward to seeing how He is going to use them.
7. I am thankful for the irrevocable call to ministry that He has placed on my life…I could not imagine doing anything other than what He has called me to do and the people that He has called me to do it with.
8. I am thankful for family and friends…they bring value to my life and provide me the opportunity to minister and be ministered to.
9. I am thankful for His great creation, the serenity and power of the ocean, the grandeur and majesty of the mountains. Only God, could have built something so awesome and for the blessings of being able to enjoy His creation, I am thankful.
10. I am thankful for the wind…because it is a constant reminder that God is with me and that I am to stay clean and close.

What are you thankful for?

“Blessed are the pure in heart, because they will see God.”
Matthew 5:8 (HCSB)

In our 21st century culture, sometimes I cannot understand the control that Satan has over the church! I have discussed recently with some friends, that the Church’s standard is only slightly higher than that of the world. It’s true, Satan is (still) walking around like a roaring lion seeking whom he is going to devour. I believe that Satan loves to use unsuspecting church members in helping him carry out his evil agenda. Can I make a true statement today? Purity really matters to God. The Standard for believers was set over 2000 years ago on a cruel and rugged cross on Calvary’s hill. Our Standard is Jesus. And His message for us today is the same as it was 2000 years ago. We live in an un-pure world and are daily exposed to wickedness! You might be wondering how we can be pure in a world that is so horrible and bent on doing wrong. You must understand, alone we cannot be pure. Apart from Christ, we are vile and horrible. Our only shot at purity is through the blood of Jesus. He bought and paid for each person who call’s upon His name. To be pure, we must have a heart that is free from deceit. We must possess an inner moral purity! Jesus said in John 15:3 “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” Being pure is a byproduct of living a life that is pleasing to God! The Christian life is a process, each and everyday we should strive to grow closer and please the Lord. As we grow closer we understand the importance of purity in the life of a Christian! And when it is said and done! We get to see God! We get to worship Him forever! Purity matters! Live a life that pleases God! Start today!!!! I love you all!

“Blessed are the merciful, because they will be shown mercy.”
Matthew 5:7 (HCSB)

I remember as a child playing a silly game called mercy. I would play it with my cousin George who was much older and stronger. Can I just tell you this morning, Cousin George showed me very little mercy in playing this game. He would try and break my fingers. Most of you are probably familiar with the game, you lock your fingers together with your opponent and you try and bend their hands back as they are trying to bend your hands back. It really hurts! The loser is the first one to shout mercy! I was stubborn, but he was much bigger and stronger so I would always hold out as long as possible, then I would shout mercy. George, would always hold me a little longer than necessary after I shouted the magic word with this evil smile on his face. Sometimes, he would make me say other things before he would release my hands. I must admit that I smile when I think about those innocent childhood games. But I also can’t help but think, that I am glad that God is not like that! He showed us mercy before we were even capable of showing mercy. This beatitude is probably one of the most misunderstood. By reading it casually, it appears that our being merciful is a condition of receiving mercy from God! This is not what it means. God shows us mercy because He is GOD. What this verse means is that we (believers) should be merciful because we have obtained mercy. There is a promise here in this verse; the promise is that God will show the merciful…mercy! Being merciful is a characteristic that all Christians should have! The ability to show mercy to others shows growth in the life of a believer. We should possesses the ability to show forgiveness for the guilty as well as compassion for the suffering and the needy. How are you doing at showing mercy to those you meet everyday? My prayer for you today is that you will seek out opportunities to be merciful. I love you all!

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, because they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6 (HCSB)

We see Jesus kind of change gears here in verse six. He uses something that is common to everyone so that all can understand. Jesus knew that we all get hungry and that everyone gets thirsty. I remember as a child telling my grandmother that I was starving. I would routinely tell her this only a few hours after eating a large meal. She would always gently remind me that I really did not know what “starving” meant. Of course she was right, I just wanted to get what I wanted. Jesus here in verse six is talking about people who have an expressed desire for things to be right! These people desire not only that they may completely do God’s will from their heart, they also desire that justice be done everywhere. These are the people who are diligently seeking the Kingdom of God. I have talked about the word “Blessed” before in my blog. The literal translation of the word “Blessed” means “congratulations to”. Blessed comes from the Latin word beatus. The sense of the word in verse six means “Oh the blessedness of…”. So verse six put in our everyday language would go something like this. “Oh the blessedness of those who desire to be good, because their desire will be met.” I love what the Living Bible says “Happy are those who long to be just and good, for they shall be completely satisfied.” In Peterson’s paraphrase of the Bible he puts it this way “You are blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He is a food and drink for those who are spiritually hungry. He is also the best meal you’ll ever eat.” So my question…Are you hungry today? Are you hungry for the things of God? My prayer for you this day is that you will realize the power and presence of God like you’ve never felt it before. I love you all!

Blessed are the gentle, because they will inherit the earth…
Matthew 5:5 (HCSB)

Continuing to look at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, verse 5 brings us to a Christian Characteristic that many (me included) need to work on! Gentleness or meekness is a value that is possessed by people who have lots of self-control! People who posses this characteristic have ridded themselves of anger and they have replaced a vengeful spirit with kindness and compassion. In the Beatitudes we see that they all start the term “Blessed”. This literally means “congratulations to” so verse 5a is really saying “Congratulations to the gentle”. The word inherit often relates to entrance into the promise land. So Jesus is telling us in verse 5 this: “Congratulations to the gentle, for you will enter the promise land”. Jesus is helping us to see and understand that it is the gentle, not the strong, aggressive or harsh that will enter heaven! Are you gentle? How do you deal with those that you come into contact with? My prayer today is that God helps all Christians to understand the virtue of gentleness! I love you all! <><

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is equipping young leaders. God has blessed me over the years as many young people growing up through my ministry have chosen vocational ministry as their career path. This is a great blessing to me. I believe in this generation and pray that they (this generation) will pick up the ball that prior generations has dropped and make the needed changes that will get us back on track. I love teaching college students leadership principles. Some of the things that I have learned over the years I will share with you here in this blog post.

1. If you are going to lead…you have to read. I love to read, I love balancing out my reading so that I am exposed to different styles, I have recreational reading, I also enjoy reading books by ministry leaders. They are ministry leaders for a reason and it helps me to understand how they are accomplishing great things for the Kingdom of God. I also love reading books on leadership, I love reading about men who have had extraordinary lives innovating change and leading people. These books help me in my leadership roles.

2. I also love to invest in others. I enjoy spending time with young leaders. I love hearing their plans and the process that is going to help them achieve their plans. I love to put books in their hands, I love to talk about the books that I put into their hands, and I love to share my life and experiences with these young leaders.

3. I also like to experience life-It is hard to lead from the back row. You have to get out front and lead. There are dangers that come along with leading. People may not like the way you are leading or the direction you are going. I experience life, when I take the vision that God has given me for the ministry He has called me to do by taking the challenge and leading the people that He has called me to minister to. You have to lead from the front. You have to remember “Mission First” and “People Always”. As a leader, I have to remember the people that I am leading. I have to love them and share the vision that I have. I have to encourage and lead!

4. Also as a leader, I to be an encouragement to young leaders. I want them to have fun. So many leaders take themselves way to serious. I want to experience life. To quote an old James Taylor song “since we’re only hear for a while, we might as well show some style”. Leading can be fun, let us show some style. Share your passion with the people that you are leading. Let them know the direction that you are leading. Listen, learn and have fun!

I love to camp… and I want to encourage everyone of you who reads this blog today to not only think about camping, but do it. I want to encourage you to make plans to take your family camping soon. There is nothing like getting outside and around a campfire with those you love the most. Family camping brings the family together and creates memories that will last a life time. My family looks forward to camping. We even love the planning that is involved prior to the trip. I like involving everyone and make the planning a fun part of the process. Planning ahead, helps to guarantee your trip will be memorable and it also gives you an idea of the area you have chosen to camp near. The first thing you need to do, is find a camping spot. I live in the sunshine state and the Florida State Park System is one of the best in the country. We use Reserve America to procure our spot. It is easy to set up an account with them and they have some neat features that acquaint you with the campground prior to your arrival. Knowing the area that your camping will help you successfully plan your trip. The second thing that you need to do, is make an equipment list. Doing this ahead of time will save you many heartaches. If you are a beginning camper, you should talk with people who camp often. By asking them to help you put together an equipment list, you will ensure that your family is going to have a wonderful experience. For the beginner, instead of going out and spending a ton of money to outfit your self for the trip, you can borrow most of what you will need to make sure that this is something that you will truly like. I loan out gear all of the time. I love taking families camping for the first time. Over the years, we have accumulated a lot of gear. I have learned that when it comes to gear, less is more. I camp for the enjoyment and family time. I have found that if I spend much of my time setting up and tearing down, I miss out on some of the fun. Remember LESS is MORE. Below, I have compiled a list of what I consider the must haves! Enjoy your time Camping with your family! I love you all<><

Tent-one that is easy to put up and that provides protection from the elements. We have a Coleman tent, it was inexpensive, it is easy to construct and does well in inclement weather.

Air mattress/cot-I like an air mattress, I have a coleman twin that is durable, comfortable and easy to stow. My wife has a coleman camping cot, she likes it because it is easy to get out of. I do not like a cot, because I roll a lot during the night and I feel very confined.

Camp Chair-we carry (a) camp chair for everyone that is going on the trip. We have purchased many chairs over the years but I have learned that by spending a little more money for a chair will guarantee comfort and that the chair will last more than one season. Another note, if you camp in humid areas, or areas where heavy dew may fall, you will need to remember to fold the chairs up before bed, and stow them under cover. They will then be dry the next day when you want to enjoy them.

Cooler-spend a little more money, it will save you in the long run. A cooler that keeps ice for more than two days will easily pay for it self in a season.

Coffee Pot-this is a must for my family, we love our coffee. We currently have a cheap (no name) automatic drip that we bought in a dollar store. We use it only for camping. It works well. I am hoping that my family reads this blog and remembers that my birthday is coming and I would really like the Coleman Propane Coffee pot. It is nice because you do not have to have electricity.

Storage Bins-We use the rubbermaid rough necks. They are durable and we can use them to store food, and equipment. The top stays on them, so that your food and gear will stay clean and dry.

Extension Cords/Power Strips-we have a dedicated storage bin for our electrical needs

These are some of the things that you will need to ensure a wonderful camping experience.
Read my blog camping in the real florida and the things I like about camping

Blessed are those who mourn, because they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4

Jesus is continuing His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 and He shifts from the poor in spirit and now opens dialogue about those who mourn! Many who read this passage today, may miss His real meaning. In speaking about those who mourn Jesus is referring to those who are repentant! He is talking about people who grieve over their lost friends! He is talking about people who are broken and have responded humbly to His grace. God is close to those who are broken hearted. I have learned that when we humble ourselves before Him, that is when we are the closest to Him. The people of God’s Kingdom are supposed to be humble, not arrogant. So He is telling us in this verse “Blessed are those who are humble, those who desire for their friends to know Me and those who are broken”. He is telling us this because He is going to bring comfort to those who are humble. I love the song that says, “I stand in awe of you, Jesus”. I just know that this is how it is going to be! When I see Him, I am going to stand or fall in awe of Him! What can I learn from this verse? I can learn that if I am humble, I will be comforted. When I am humble, my life will be different! When I am humble, God is going to be near…I love you all!