Windy

I’m sitting in the living room tonight with our fireplace going.  Boy, does it feel good right now!  Talk about one of those unusal weather days….at 3:30 this afternoon it was 61 degrees and right now it is 27 degrees!  Burrrrr!   We had severe storms pass through the area (how wild is that for January) with a few tornadoes.  As I sit writing this blog I can hear strong winds blowing outside.  The weatherman said that the rain which the storms have brought will be turning to snow tonight.  We’ve had it all today!  I can’t wait to crawl under those warm sheets!  Good night.

Pointing Men to Jesus

John the Baptist was given a special mission in life.  God called John to “prepare the way” for Jesus.  John was given a ministry of preaching repentance (i.e.-calling people to turn from their sins and open their hearts to God’s rule) and baptizing those who desired to turn from their selfish ways and follow God.  One day Jesus appeared on the bank of the Jordan River and John pointed at Jesus and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  What a profound and fantastic declaration that was!

As believers, our task is the same as that of John–we are to point men to Jesus!  What a thrilling mission in life!  I believe that Jesus is the only one who can bring forgiveness, love, peace, and transformation to our lives.  When we point men to Jesus, we are pointing them to the One who can meet their needs and change their lives. 

Not long ago, Mary Lou and I were traveling to a place that we were unfamiliar with and lost our way.  We stopped and asked someone for help and they were able to point us in the right direction.  How thankful we were to be pointed in the right direction and reach our destination safely.  Many people today are spiritually “lost” and do not know where to find God, or connect with Him in a meaningful way.  God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to show us way that we can know Him and experience His love.  When we point people to Jesus, we are pointing them to the One who can radically transform their lives and connect them with God. 

Friend, pointing men to Jesus is the most important thing you can do with your life!  Will you join me in letting God use our lives so that others can come to know Jesus?  Is there someone that you know right now that you could point to Jesus?  Think of the changed lives that will result from our vibrant, bold witness for Him!

“Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’.  And he brought him to Jesus.”        John 1:40-41 

What is your expectation?

The last several days the story of the woman who suffered with an “issue of blood” problem in the Gospels has gone through my mind over and over again.  I have been impressed with the urgency of her visit to see Jesus.  She had tried everything that she knew to do to find healing from her physical problem.  She had gone from doctor to doctor, and had spent almost all of her life’s savings.  Still she suffered!  Finally, in desparation she makes her way through a crowd of people to see Jesus.  She believed that if “she could just touch the hem of His garment” she would be healed.

So, with as much energy as she could muster, she fights her way through the crowd in order to touch Jesus.  Wow!  She really does mean business!  She must get to Jesus.  Nothing will stop her.  She must reach out and touch Him if she is to find healing for her life.  Friends, here is a woman with great expectation!  She expected to be healed.  She expected Jesus to help her with her need.  She moves through the crowd with great faith!

What do you expect in life?  What are your expectations each day as you go to work, or school, or about your business?  Do you go out in faith?  Do you believe Jesus can help you?  Do you believe Jesus has the answers to your questions?  Do you believe Jesus can help you with the things that cause you suffering?  Do you go out each day believing that “good” things are going to come to you?  Do you go out expecting God to work in your life…in your circumstances…and in your problems, so that His will can be done?  Some people go dragging through life miserable and discontent, never believing that anything good will come their way.  They never expect God to be at work in their life.  What is your expectation?  Do you BELIEVE?

God wants us to be people of expectation!  He wants us to go out each day expecting Him to be with us; believing that He has the very best in mind for us; and trusting Him to see us through!  If we do encounter difficulties and trials along the way, we will go forth with expectancy knowing that He is “in control of all things”.  When we go forth each day with this kind of spirit, we will face life with confidence and joy!

“Be it unto you, according to your faith.”    

Getting Ready!

Our staff met today for more than 3 hours going over details and planning for the Launch of Journey Church on February 10th at the YMCA on the eastside of town.  This is a very exciting time for us and the answer to many prayers.  There is still a lot of work that needs to be done.  For all of our friends who read this blog, please lift us up in PRAYER that God will anoint us with His Spirit, give us wisdom in all that we do, and plan so that His name will be honored in all that we do!  

“But my God shall supply all of your needs through His glorious riches in Jesus Christ.”   Philippians 4:19 

A New Friend

I made a new friend today, Eric.  I met Eric over the phone several days ago, and we set up a luncheon today at Taco Bell.  We shared our testimony and journey of faith with one another over several cheesy cordita crunches!  Eric is deeply involved with Campus Outreach on the USI campus here in Evansville, and has such a passion for sharing Jesus with young people.  He has been working on the USI campus for about four years and has seen a number of college students find forgiveness and hope in their lives through a vital relationship with Jesus Christ.  His weekly activities include meeting kids for meals, sharing the love of Christ with them, holding Bible study groups on campus, mentoring them, and just enjoying life with them.  Eric is married and is the proud father of a seven-month old boy.

I enjoyed so much meeting and sharing with Eric today.  I loved to see the passion in his eyes and hear the thrill in his voice as he talked about his work on campus.  His love for Jesus and for life is truly contagious!  As we visited, I was thinking to myself, “Wow!  How fortunate these young people are to have someone like Eric to be a part of their lives.  Someone who truly cares for them, and wants them to become devoted followers of Jesus like he is.”

Isn’t it good to know that God has so many wonderful, committed, passionate workers for Him in the Kingdom of God!  We may be called to special places of ministry, done in uniquely individual ways according to our gifts and personalities, and ministering to different groups of people….but we are all working for the SAME Savior.  I thank the Lord for the opportunity to meet a new friend, and be able to sit and share with him about what God is doing in his life.  

For those of you who read this blog, would you remember Eric in your prayers as he ministers on the campus of USI.  Pray that God will open doors for him, and make him fruitful in his labors.  Pray that he will invest his life in the lives of younger college-age kids who will become spiritual leaders in the future.  Moses had his Joshua….Elijah had his Elisha…Paul had his Timothy…who do you have?   With whom are you spending time mentoring and developing?  Why not ask God for someone whom you might pour your life into!

“And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men who will be able to pass them along, also.”     2 Timothy 2:2

Extravagance

I was reading today in Mark 14 about the woman who broke the jar of sweet perfume and anointed the feet of Jesus with the perfume and wiped His feet with her hair.  Jesus was amazed by the love that this woman showed to Him.  He was deeply moved by the expression of sacrifice and extravagance that was displayed in the expensive perfume which she anointed His feet with.

I wonder how many people go through life wondering–how little they can give to God, instead of how much?  I wonder how many people give God the “scraps”, the “left-overs”, the “anything will do” kind of faith.  I have to admit that there have been times when my faith was dragging, and not always the most exempliary.  I am challenged by this woman’s act of extravagance!  This was very costly, expensive perfume.  This was a huge gift she was giving.  And, she gave it so willingly and unbegrudgingly.  It was the best she had to give!  And she will give it all even if it does raise some eyebrows.

Jesus was amazed at the gift of love which this woman gave!  Have I ever given/or done something so extravagant for Jesus that He was amazed at what I had done?  I hope I have.  I hope that as I continue to follow Jesus I will be extravagant in my love and devotion to Him.  I hope that there will be times in my life when Jesus will be amazed to see me “breaking a jar of sweet perfume” for Him.  He is worthy of my BEST!  He is worthy of your best!  I challenge us to be extravagant in our love for Him!

“I’ll live for Him, who died for me, how happy then my life will be.   I’ll live for Him, who died for me, my Savior and my God.”

65th Wedding Anniversary

This coming weekend my wife’s parents (Aaron & Ida Lee Hodge) will be celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary.  They met at a campmeeting in Missouri and were married before Aaron left for WWII.  They are both up in years now, but still very alive in spirit and a blessing to the family.  There will be many of their friends and extended family who will drop by and visit them, or send a personal note of congratulations.  If you would like to send a note to them and express your good wishes to them, you may write them at:  Aaron & Ida Lee Hodge, 948 N. 2nd St., Decatur, IN  46733.

Aaron & Ida Lee have both been devoted followers of Jesus Christ and have served Him for many years.  Their lives have been a wonderful witness of His love, His grace, and His transforming power.  Their influence has been far-reaching in the family circle.  I wish them the very best on this very exciting weekend, and look forward to many more celebrations with them in the years to come!

“I thank my God everytime I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.”    Phil 1:3-4   

Do What Jesus Wants You To Do!

In John 20 we read about a discussion that takes place between Peter and Jesus.  Jesus has been talking to Peter about his future and some of the things that will be taking place in his life.  Peter responds to Jesus’ words by asking, “But what about John?  What is going to happen to him?”  To this Jesus answers, “Peter, don’t worry about John.  What happens in his life should not concern you.  You just do what I tell you to do!”  Wow!  End of conversation!

From time to time, all of us need those same words spoken to our hearts.  “You just do what I tell YOU to do.”  Too many times in life we get to comparing ourselves with others, and then we flip out.  “Oh, I could never do what so-and-so is doing.”  “I’m just not talented like that other person.”  “Why does so-and-so get all the breaks in life and I don’t seem to get any.”  “Why is that other person so successful and I can’t seem to accomplish anything at all?”  “Why is God leading that other person down that path where I wanted to go, when He has not led me there?”  It does not matter if we’re thinking about wealth, success, promotion, good looks, friends, sports, grades, or whatever….we spend so much fruitless energy and emotion when we constantly compare ourselves and our situations in life with others.  What Jesus wants us to do is to follow Him WHEREVER He may lead us! 

The roads we travel in life are not all the same.  God often takes people in different directions.  His will is not the same for every person.  He has a specific plan and direction for each of us.  We each have a purpose to fulfill.  When we compare ourselves with others we fail to realize the giftedness and uniqueness of our own life before God.  We fail to realize that He has something special that He can only do through our lives.  Rather than comparing ourselves with others, we should celebrate what God wants to do through OUR OWN UNIQUE PERSON!  What God is doing in someone else’s life may not be what He wants to do in mine.  I must learn to trust God for the path He has for me.  This means that I must learn to LISTEN to Him daily, and be OBEDIENT to what He wants ME to do.  Constantly looking around myself, and comparing my life and circumstances to others, can be extremely fruitless and rob me of seeing Him at work in my life.  There are things that God can only do through ME.

I think Jesus’ words to Peter are so “right on” today!   Let me paraphrase them for myself.  Today, God is saying to me, ”Dave, don’t worry about what I’m doing through __________’s life.  Don’t worry about where I’m taking them, or how I’m directing their life.  You just do what I tell YOU to do!”  That’s a good word for me today.  I want to be faithful to the race that Jesus has for me.  I want to be faithful to the vision that Jesus has planted in my heart.  I want to be faithful in using the unique gifts and talents that Jesus has placed in my life.  Thank you, Lord, for reminding me of that today!

“You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and appointed you, so that you will go and bear fruit; and your fruit will last.”    John 15:16

A Great Book

I’ve been reading Nelson Searcy’s latest book entitled, Launch, which I received as a Christmas gift.  It is a very practical book outlining his journey planting a church in New York city.  He is very open sharing his fears and his joys.  He writes in such a way that you are easily drawn into his story and experience the joys and challenges that he faced.  All throughout the book he gives reference to great web sites where further information and resources can be found.

Since I am deeply involved in launching a new church here in Evansville, this book has been greatly helpful and inspiring.  I would highly recommend this book for any new church planter, or pastor of a local congregation.  We can all learn from one another and find helpful suggestions for the ministry that God has called us to.

Put It In Jesus’ Hands

Have you ever faced a situation that just seemed impossible?  When you looked at the circumstances around you, and the meagre resources that you had in hand, you said to yourself, “There’s no way.”  I’ve faced many situations in life when I have felt this way.  I still encounter circumstances from time to time that bring these feelings of being overwhelmed.

I’m sure that Jesus’ disciples felt this way when Jesus led them to a desert place and then asked them to feed 5,000.  Where would they come up with enough money to meet this need?  How on earth were they going to come up with enough food?  The situation seemed overwhelming and impossible.  The disciples looked at each other in bewilderment not knowing what to do.

The Bible, though, says that Jesus knew what He would do!  Jesus led His disciples into this situation so that He could teach them faith in Himself.  Jesus wants His followers to know that He is sufficient to meet all of their needs and is always with them in every difficult situation.  A little boy was brought to Jesus who had five loaves and two fish.  These were placed in Jesus’ hands and He was able to multiply them and work a miracle!  Jesus knows today where we are…and the difficult situations we face.  He knows when we feel overwhelmed by circumstances that we cannot handle and He promises to stand with us! 

If you are facing some test today, put yourself and any resources that you have into Jesus’ hands and ask Him to multiply them for a miracle.  That is what He is best at!  Only believe!

“To him who believes, all things are possible.”