What about the dreams we have in life. Recently I have been having dreams about snakes. I don't care for snakes, and I have killed my fair share of them in my life. But what about the dreams that occur and change your life? Are these dreams valid? Are they sent to challenge us in our current state of affairs? Are they sent to speak a message to us about our lives changing? Are they sent to us at all or are they merely a figment of our imaginations?
Well, speaking from experience, not all of my dreams have come completely true. My senior year of high school I dreamed I got a green Ford Bronco, but what I actually got was a green Chevy truck. It was the greatest truck on the face of the earth! Still running...
I have also had a dream that consisted of me being introduced as the pastor of a church of which I was not currently pastoring. It came to fruition. So...I do believe that dreams come true...Not the kind of dreams where people say..."I'm gonna be a Dallas Cowboy some day", but the kind of dreams that are life-changing, life altering dreams that completly changes everything in your life.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
The World of HDTV...
I'm sorry for those who are still in the world of regular cable tv. HDTV is incredible! There is so much detail in the picture! Anyway, what else has happened today? Well, I've discovered that I am not a fan of any cities over 100,000 people. Yes that includes many places. The only cities that are not included on this list are College Station and Bryan. Together they form about 120,000 people or more, but they are seperate, incorporated cities, therefore they are not on my list.
I thought Austin was bad, but San Antonio is just about as bad. The only thing that is missing is t.u. No, t.u.s.a. does not count. I'm still working on my idea for my book about the common stupidity and ignorance of people that I seem to be surrounded by. At the stores, at the schools, at the hospitals, at the dr's offices, at churches, every where! I think that I want to buy my own island, make it a completely income tax, social security tax, and Obama free country. The name of my country will be the Island of Common Sense. The only law will be in place the outlaw the ignorance of liberalism. Everything that the b.o. administration is, the island will not be.
I thought Austin was bad, but San Antonio is just about as bad. The only thing that is missing is t.u. No, t.u.s.a. does not count. I'm still working on my idea for my book about the common stupidity and ignorance of people that I seem to be surrounded by. At the stores, at the schools, at the hospitals, at the dr's offices, at churches, every where! I think that I want to buy my own island, make it a completely income tax, social security tax, and Obama free country. The name of my country will be the Island of Common Sense. The only law will be in place the outlaw the ignorance of liberalism. Everything that the b.o. administration is, the island will not be.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Trouble - People on the Horizon
Well, what do you do with people? They are trouble. You would think that most people have your best interest at heart, but the reality is that most people do not have your best interest at heart, rather they have themselves in mind. Natural I suppose. One can read the Bible and find out all there is to know in about being self-centered. Sodom and Gomorah, Adam & Eve, Jonah, all of Jobs friends, the Corinthian church, and the list could go on and on. About the only one in scripture that was never self-centered was Jesus Christ. So how do I as a new pastor in a new church handle these situations that have come up where I assumed people have each other's best interest at heart but really they are trying to undermine me and the ministry staff of our church? Why do we constantly have to battle and struggle in this life against the flesh?
I can think of three answers...
1. Sin - We are sinful. We wreak with sin. The stench of sin that surrounds us brings us to a place where we cannot help but think of ourselves rather than others. We stink of sin when we let our own motives, our own desire to play the role of the "martyr" so that we can gain sympathy, it's awful!
2. Darkness - We are in a dark world. Just the other night, a big thunderstorm came through Pearsall and dump about 2 inches of rain, plus hail. But what we didn't know was that the storm had knocked out power. We would not have had any light even if we tried to flip the switch. So, we were in complete darkness and didn't even know it. How many people around us are in complete darkness and do not even perceive it?
3. Satan - He is seeking someone to devour and someone to use as a weapon against this church. The lioness will hunt a herd of game for weeks until she finds the weakest link and then she positions herself to attack and in the attack she will seperate the weak animal and kill. This happens in the church. Hello tares?
What do we do?
Most importantly!!! FOCUS ON LIVING A CROSS CENTERED LIFE!!! If you're in God's will, you will have trouble, but God will fight that battle for you! You live for Him. Praise be to God that He would find me in this place and care for me and love the way only He can.
Back to the question at the top, what do you do with people? Love them.
I can think of three answers...
1. Sin - We are sinful. We wreak with sin. The stench of sin that surrounds us brings us to a place where we cannot help but think of ourselves rather than others. We stink of sin when we let our own motives, our own desire to play the role of the "martyr" so that we can gain sympathy, it's awful!
2. Darkness - We are in a dark world. Just the other night, a big thunderstorm came through Pearsall and dump about 2 inches of rain, plus hail. But what we didn't know was that the storm had knocked out power. We would not have had any light even if we tried to flip the switch. So, we were in complete darkness and didn't even know it. How many people around us are in complete darkness and do not even perceive it?
3. Satan - He is seeking someone to devour and someone to use as a weapon against this church. The lioness will hunt a herd of game for weeks until she finds the weakest link and then she positions herself to attack and in the attack she will seperate the weak animal and kill. This happens in the church. Hello tares?
What do we do?
Most importantly!!! FOCUS ON LIVING A CROSS CENTERED LIFE!!! If you're in God's will, you will have trouble, but God will fight that battle for you! You live for Him. Praise be to God that He would find me in this place and care for me and love the way only He can.
Back to the question at the top, what do you do with people? Love them.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Game of Golf and Life
It is difficult to play on a golf course that you are not familiar with. I can be extremely difficult when you do not know where the green is, and even more frustrating when you shoot at the wrong one.
No this didn't happen to me, but to someone I was playing with recently. It makes me think about my own life and those lifes that I have been placed in charge of to watch over and lead. If I have no familiarity with my people, and if I do not know who I am ministering to, then I can misfire and completely miss the target.
More than that, if I, in my own life, do not follow God's word and that "narrow road" that Jesus teaches about, then I will completely miss the target and when that happens, well, I sin and step out of God's will. There are many more important lessons that a person can learn from the game of golf, but this lesson is important.
Aim at the right target! --> God's Word
Try as hard as you can to par every whole! --> Be obedient
Try even harder to make a birdie! --> Invest your gifts that God has given you
When you bogie, move on and don't dwell on it! --> Confess your sin, and be forgiven.
God bless.
No this didn't happen to me, but to someone I was playing with recently. It makes me think about my own life and those lifes that I have been placed in charge of to watch over and lead. If I have no familiarity with my people, and if I do not know who I am ministering to, then I can misfire and completely miss the target.
More than that, if I, in my own life, do not follow God's word and that "narrow road" that Jesus teaches about, then I will completely miss the target and when that happens, well, I sin and step out of God's will. There are many more important lessons that a person can learn from the game of golf, but this lesson is important.
Aim at the right target! --> God's Word
Try as hard as you can to par every whole! --> Be obedient
Try even harder to make a birdie! --> Invest your gifts that God has given you
When you bogie, move on and don't dwell on it! --> Confess your sin, and be forgiven.
God bless.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
A New Start
We have recently moved to Pearsall. I nice community in South Texas located about 45 minutes southwest of San Antonio. This is definately a new start! Coming from Muldoon which was a great place to live, but small, and then moving into a community of 7,000 people has been quite the culture shock. Muldoon was a quite place, except when the trains come through at all hours of the night. The pace of life in Muldoon was definately slower. But here in Pearsall, things are different. Here's why...
1. It is only 4 blocks to the grocery store.
2. It is only 1 mile to Wal-Mart.
3. It is about 1 mile to the schools.
4. There are choices for restaurants in which to dine.
5. Police!
Life in Pearsall is definately different.
That reminds me of the change that we have available to us in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behond new things have come."
The old is gone and the new has come. Do we dismiss the old and completely forget about it? Well, in some regards we do because we do not want to live the old lifestyle. But we learn from it, we grow from it, we mature through the changes that come and go.
I pray that you will discover this life-change in Jesus Christ.
1. It is only 4 blocks to the grocery store.
2. It is only 1 mile to Wal-Mart.
3. It is about 1 mile to the schools.
4. There are choices for restaurants in which to dine.
5. Police!
Life in Pearsall is definately different.
That reminds me of the change that we have available to us in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behond new things have come."
The old is gone and the new has come. Do we dismiss the old and completely forget about it? Well, in some regards we do because we do not want to live the old lifestyle. But we learn from it, we grow from it, we mature through the changes that come and go.
I pray that you will discover this life-change in Jesus Christ.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Back Porch Thoughts
Welcome to my world. I have started blogging on the advice of my older "little" brother. I guess I'm supposed to write my thoughts down in this world of "blogosphere" and I am now involved in blogomania not to be confused with "Blago" from Illinios.
I'm very proud of that older "little" brother of mine. He's just returned from a year long tour in the middle east and he served his country well. So, today, or tonight, I venture off into the world of blogging. My old man is a preacher, and I followed in his footsteps. We have just moved to a new community in South Texas and my first Sunday is this week. I am excited about the prospects of this community.
Why "Back Porch Thoughts"? Well, that is were I like to go to think and escape. Some other places I like to go are my office, and bed. But neither of those places made a fun name. I think of sermon ideas, and concepts for my doctoral project. In high stress moments, it is a place of refuge and a place of restoration. One of my favorite verses in scripture is Acts 3:19 whichs tells us that if we will merely repent and return to Jesus, then times of "refreshing and renewal" will come. Many times I watch my children play in the back yard off the back porch and I realize once again that I am a blessed man. Not "lukcy" but blessed!
So, here is the great adventure. I hope you will join me as I write about world events, life events, and church events as they relate to a Biblical world view. I pray God will bless you in 2009.
I'm very proud of that older "little" brother of mine. He's just returned from a year long tour in the middle east and he served his country well. So, today, or tonight, I venture off into the world of blogging. My old man is a preacher, and I followed in his footsteps. We have just moved to a new community in South Texas and my first Sunday is this week. I am excited about the prospects of this community.
Why "Back Porch Thoughts"? Well, that is were I like to go to think and escape. Some other places I like to go are my office, and bed. But neither of those places made a fun name. I think of sermon ideas, and concepts for my doctoral project. In high stress moments, it is a place of refuge and a place of restoration. One of my favorite verses in scripture is Acts 3:19 whichs tells us that if we will merely repent and return to Jesus, then times of "refreshing and renewal" will come. Many times I watch my children play in the back yard off the back porch and I realize once again that I am a blessed man. Not "lukcy" but blessed!
So, here is the great adventure. I hope you will join me as I write about world events, life events, and church events as they relate to a Biblical world view. I pray God will bless you in 2009.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
