It's Adam's Fault

So often I hear people blaming God for everything from Floods and devastation to hang nails.  Read or listen - Genesis Chapter 3   The results of this chapter has given us everything that we experience today.

Stop and think for a moment.  God made the earth perfect and gave Adam everything from naming the animals and plants to just having a one on one conversation with God each day.  There were no earthquakes, floods, or anything but peace in everything he did.  There was just one RULE.  The tree in the center of the garden.  It was because Adam was given a free will to make decisions that encouraged him to name things and make other decisions around the garden.

Satan knew of Adam and Eve's free will too and found a way to get Adam and Eve to rationalize that "God really did not mean what He said."  So the results were not only the labor and hardship things for Adam and Eve then and for everyone from that point on.  He also than allowed the earth to change, from which we get all the devastation we see from that point on until today.

From this third chapter of Genesis the world has been going downhill.  The physical side of the world is seeing the book of Revelation coming true.  We see scientist trying to "play" God in attempts of controlling the weather, and efforts to control our thoughts, nutrition, and lives by governments while discounting God's word.

Yet I believe that God can and does stop bad things from happening.  When you read the conversations between God and Satan in the book of Job, you easily can see that Satan is the master of pain and devastation here on earth.

Therefore the blog yesterday is where we need to focus.  Adam was the physical side of man that was made from the dust of the earth.  Jesus was a part of God and came into the world, not by dust, but by miracle.  He is the spiritual man who gives us the life with God and not the physical Adam (humans) life for eternity.  The spiritual side that rejects God will experience that feeling of pain we physically know today for eternity.

I know it is Adam's and Eve's fault for the fall of man but if were not him, I am sure someone else along the way would have given into Satan and God would have had no choice but to do what He did.

Would that person have been you?  I know it would have been me because I still go against what God wants for my life every day.  So stop blaming Adam and live for the Second Adam.  It is the Second Adam that cleans our lives every day.

Look up and not out!

Glossed over this all those years until Pastor Chris came along

Being a student of the bible for so many years, I read through the Word but most of the time never ponder what is on the page. I knew the end of the story and "WE WIN!"   We have a  Pastor who continues to challenge me and all of us when he reveals something in passing that makes me go, "Hump, never thought of it in that way".  Watching some of Pastor Chris Stephen's past #faithpromise sermons has driven me to dig deeper.  First to see if it is just a "preacher's story" or is it something I need to find out for my life.  Below is a scripture that for years I just glossed over and thought, "Go get-em Paul and Sosthenes for writing the book".

Then after a Pastor challenge I took a closer look. Read the verses first.

1 Corinthians 15:45-49 (MSG) | 

45-49 We follow this sequence in Scripture: The First Adam received life, the Last Adam is a life-giving Spirit. Physical life comes first, then spiritual—a firm base shaped from the earth, a final completion coming out of heaven. The First Man was made out of earth, and people since then are earthy; the Second Man was made out of heaven, and people now can be heavenly. In the same way that we’ve worked from our earthy origins, let’s embrace our heavenly ends.

Adam came into the world and knew no sin.  Then Satan, in his cunning ways, convinced Adam that in disobeying God there would be no consequences.  From that moment on Adam was no longer the pure creation of God.  Then Jesus steps into the picture and Satan thinks he can do it again.  

Yes Jesus was able to be just like Adam in that he could have disobeyed the Father (which children like to do) and the results would have been devastating   If Satan did not think he had a chance to do to Jesus what he did to Adam then he would not have tried.  Satan is NOT stupid.

It was that Jesus was the second Adam in that He did not give into sin and therefore His message changed the world.  Giving us that connection to God and heaven was only possible if Jesus purely stayed as the Second Adam.  

More reasoning for Adam's impact to today will be discussed in the next blog.

Thanks Pastor Chris for prodding me to dig deeper than I had in 50 plus years.

Hey God, Fix-It

We go along our merry way each day until something goes wrong. We have not prayed in a while but when something happens we cry out to God, "Fix-It". But let's stop for moment and examine what we are asking of God. When an element goes out of a water heater, we call a plumber to fix it. It's the same water heater but with only a temporary fix.  The same goes for other things and what we want God to do to other people.  "Hey God, Fix-It".

You may have a situation in your life either with yourself or with another person and in your anger, frustration, or hurt cry out to God, "Lord, Fix this mess or Fix this person".

God may give you some peace of mind for a short period of time but the issues arise again and we get upset with God because the "Fix-It" did not make a total difference in the issue.  Some people walk away from God because they pray for God to fix something only to see that it is not fixed to their satisfaction.

If the water heater is bad them we have to change it our for a new one.  What we have to look at is for change!  This is not an escape in a relationship because I know that the issues will still be around on the next relationship.

We can cry out to God to Change whatever it might be and there are rare times He does exactly that.

I am and will always be a rescuer.  Like an alcoholic, we have been embedded in our brain to react a certain way when the stimulus is applied.  I have had relationships impacted because I was such a hard rescuer that it cause a rife in relationships and I was hurt.

A doctor asked me the question, "Are you tired of being hurt in relationships? Then you have to change something and not expect them to change."  Therefore I have had to re-learn to be server and not a rescuer.

Therefore, take a look at the things you want God to Fix and then look at yourself.  You can change no one but yourself.  They have to change because they want to change.   Telling God to Fix something or some one will never work.  As you take your finger and point faults out to others know that there are four fingers pointing back at you.  We may not see the change for years because of our old habits but you must look at yourself and understand the need to change.

God can change the hearts and lives of people and that should be our prayer but you may want to stop asking Him to Fix-It because that would only be temporary and you will never be happy.  Ask God to Change your heart so you can understand and love people for who they are and not for the person you want them to be.

Something to think about!

God changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

Daniel 2:20-22

Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide

Not too many years ago when we were tempted to do something that we knew was not good for us, a small voice in our heads would tell us to stay away or to go another direction.  Whether we had a relationship with Jesus or not we would pause to evaluate our position on the temptation.  We learned life conscience lessons from our family, church, and parents as to what was right and what was wrong.  It was also instilled in us through famous movies that taught us at a young age about the right and wrong in all of us.   In the 1940 Disney animated move "Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket sang a song to Pinocchio that said,  "Take the strait and narrow path;  and if you start to slide -  give a little whistle, give a little whistle and always let your conscience be your guide.

Famous Movie clip    Let your conscience be your guide

Then somewhere along the way all that conscience stuff got blurred.  

What does that mean today, "Let your conscience be your guide"?

We may speak the words but then when an opportunity to do something wrong, daring, exciting, or adventurous we jump at the chance and quickly dismiss our conscience which is telling us it is not good for us.  We rationalize that we won't get caught or it's just a little thing.

Society has become so desensitized to wrong that our minds are numbed to the difference.  Video games that make violent death exciting leads to taking the lives of children and any other person, not for religious expressions, but from being BORED.  The excitement of the game has faded and they need another kick of excitement so they find ways to kill with no conscience of what they are doing.  Things we do or watch we call entertainment and it does not seem to strike our conscience.  Just because something does not bother you does not mean it is good for you.  Ask yourself, am you being entertained by sin?

For those who have gotten caught in this area, realize that God's laws NEVER change.  We have the choice to do right or to do wrong.  In today's society the conscience is so dulled that we never let it guide us back to the Lord

Just as Adam and Eve sinned against God, we do wrong by not listening to the conscience of our soul but soon realize that there are consequences to our actions against God.  That moves on our heart after we are caught or we feel the consequences of our actions.   Too late.

Getting our act together by developing a relationship with the giver of grace will help you to once again have a conscience that is alive and using the Lord to be our guide.  Stop and talk to the one who wants that relationship with you and give you the grace we do not deserve.

Helps me avoid the consequences.

Not the God of Olden Times. Really?

Today I hear people say that in the Old Testament God was active in the plans for His people then but is not today.  But if you read in Numbers you will see where God had the plans for the the nation of Israel to go into the promise land immediately upon their arrival.  Moses sends out twelve to scout the land and according to God's plan, they were to come back with all the large fruit of the land and come to the people and say,"Let's go into the land now because God is in control".  Instead only two of the twelve said that and the result was that the people wondered for 40 more years and the 10 who doubted God died and never saw the Promised land. God's plan remained but it took a new generation to fulfill those promises.

God's promises are final and he have never gone back on any promise.  It is us who think God has walked away.  It is us who pray for something once or go into a ritual of the same prayer day after day and then wonder why it does not happen exactly like the prayer is spoken.  You doubt God hears you.  Is it because you expect religion to come through without a relationship with whom you are praying?

For ten years now I have prayed for God to move in the area I live.  During the last year I have gone to the same location every week  and prayed over that location and the 14,000 people who are far from a relationship with God.  Yes in one location.

Satan enters periodically and say, "God does not hear you.  You will need to take matters in your own hands."  Being ADHD and impatient I have been tempted but in my quiet time, God say for me to be still and know that I am in control.

God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  I know this because God is assembling a team a people who have moved here from all over the US to this location.  For that I give thanks that God is the God of old and our goal is to be true to Him.  He wants those 14,000 plus people to get to know Him and love Him.

Is there something you have been praying for and wondering why God does not seem to be around?  Keep praying even when you don't feel like it.  It may be years away and a lifetime away but God never fails to His promises that were written in olden times and still true today.

Not Giving our Best

In studying Malachi 1 it hit me that we should listen to what God told Malachi.  Today we are more possessed to satisfy people and impress others rather than to give our best to God.  Yes, God gets our second, third, or worse effort and then in front of others call ourselves Christian.

We talk the game but do not live the game of life to serve God.  As you read the first chapter of Malachi, God addresses the leaders that they offer burnt offerings of blind calves, lame and diseased animals and God only wants the best of what God has blessed us.

Today we do not offer the same sacrifices because of the one sacrifice of God's son.  That still does not give us an excuse to not give our best to the Lord out of love and not requirement.  Instead we ourselves build ourselves up and try to just impress others with our stuff.

I believe God looks down and just shakes His head in that He gives us everything and our life reflects the sadness of caring less about God until we have a crisis.  Then we cry out to Him to fix it.

I am not saying that if you give God your best that you will not have crisis but in developing a relationship that gives the best thing you have to offer.  The Lord will get you through the crisis even better than before the crisis. Remember it is Satan that wants to inflict pain.  (Read the Book of Job and see Satan's conversations with God).  

YOUR TIME in a relationship with the Lord is what He is asking you to do, instead of just saying  "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep."  Giving our best is in time with Him with sincere words, loving others, and giving a small portion of what God has blessed us all.

Read the short book of Malachi in a modern version and you will see what happens to churches and nations when they do not give their best.  But God makes one promise to each one of us and God does not ever break a promise.  Read Malachi 3: 6-12

Then you will see what God promises when we give him our Best!

Romantic Games Adults Should Play - Part 4

             

Here is another game taken from my book. "Romantic Games Adults Should Play"- Designed for the men who are romantically challenged.

Notes Galore

 Items Needed:    

Self-Stick Note Pad

Pen or marker

     Get up in the morning before your love, open a package of post–it notes and write a couple of words, a sentence, or date that is important you. The important part of this game is to fill out about ten to twenty notes. Place them in the kitchen on anything you would like. Try locations everywhere your love might be that day--whether early in the morning or throughout the day. Even try to leave one in their purse or billfold. Don't forget to tell your love often in the notes that you love them and will miss them that day.

     Put one in the cereal box top, coffeepot, the refrigerator, or any other place you can see.  Place one in makeup tables, on mirrors, in cabinets, on top of their underwear, on the windshield of her car, and so many other places your love might frequent that morning. Even if your children find the notes, they will learn what a healthy romantic life should be like.

Act Your Age

Here's the question I am being asked today, "Why are you doing that?  Act your age!"  This all pertains to my birthday.  Being a strong believer that your age is how you feel, some days I feel like 75 but most days I feel my age of about 50.  When someone asked me the question above, I comment, "What does acting your age feel like?  Are you saying that acting my age is what society expects it to be or is it how I feel and act?"   Reality says that I can never do what I did at 18 but then again I really don't want to do that.

A couple of weeks ago I had a blast throwing a softball with some guys from church.  From age 15 until 48 I played softball multiple times each week.  Even after Achilles heel surgery, and two other surgeries on my tendons in the right leg, (which got fixed in the "off" season)  I was playing again.

Then one night while playing with our church I pivoted on my foot to make a throw to first base and heard a "pop".  The left leg was killing me and I thought it was broken but at the hospital, it turned out that I separated the entire calf muscle from the left leg bone.  Officially my playing days were over.

Today I love to still throw the ball and hit but will not do it competitively again.  My mind still says I can but the body says, "Not so fast."  Now people ask me what my age is and  I tell them I feel and therefore am 56 today.  It is the age I feel today. Society set my real age, not me.  Those who know me say, "What, you're not 56!"  Here's the deal.  I told myself that I was not going to age over 60.  Each year after that date, I subtract a year and will continue to do that until I die.

Refuse to act or be your social age.

Therefore age is a state of mind and the more active you try to be the younger you will feel.  As for me I hope to make it back to 25 before I call this life over.  Then again I may not remember much at that age but the journey will be so much fun!

NEVER ACT YOUR AGE!

Losing your Classmates?

One sign of getting old it that you keep seeing on FaceBook the memorial videos and messages of classmates dying.  Years ago, my dad noted that he did not want to get so old that he was the last of his classmates because there would be no classmates to visit his funeral.  I laughed and though it was funny at the time but our high school class is rapidly declining.

FaceBook has been great for getting back in contact with classmates and catching up on their lives, but for me it has more of an impact on me personally when I read about them dying.  I see their kids, and grand kids and all the activities and watch their excitement, their struggles from injury or disease, as well as how their life has developed since high school.

In getting older you need to rekindle old friendships and not play the "what if" game with the memories.  Appreciate where they have been and the lives they have touched since your first had a relationship with that person.  When I pull up an old classmate from high school or college I go to their "about" page on FaceBook and enjoy everything that the Lord has blessed in each one's life.

It is sad to ponder on losing a classmate but learn to appreciate what they meant to you many years ago.  Do it now since you may not have a chance later on in life.  That goes for any person who you call a friend or relative.  Most importantly is to let them know in a note or a letter.

Had to Re-post this Today! - They are ALL "Good Days"

This is from a dear sweet young lady who I have known for years and is going through the trail of her life, literally. Please read her attitude. Love you Landra!

Truth: They are ALL “Good Days”
July 31, 2013 by redorenew

Today, my fear is not pain. My fear is not living a “shortened life”. My fear is not the effects of the cancer. Today, this very morning, my fear is the lack of “good days”. The “good days” give me hope that the rugged days will be over soon. But, what if the “good days dwindle, and there is not reprieve before I return for the next “dripping” of chemo into my veins. I’m noticing that the number of my “good days”, the days I can actually walk without being winded, move without hurting, focus my thinking enough to do laundry, dishes, and cleaning, and eat food that tastes somewhat “correct”, are being stolen and dwindling. I mentally count in my head the “good days” left versus the number of chemo days in this series, and if it continues as is, no good days may be left. That is my fear: no “good days”.

For years, I have kept a daily journal. Every day, I have made it a point to start the entry with “Today was a good day”, then I write why it was good. Even at this very moment, my oldest (now seven) is awake, and journaling as well. He starts his journal, “Today was a good day.” in the past, even on the “not so good days”, i.e., the day I found out I had cancer, the day of a loved one’s death, I still forced myself to write those words. I wrote them, not because I was being untruthful, but because, that day, I was alive. I was saved. I lived the day in hope, and simply being alive required the presence of praise. I must go back to that thinking.

I live with the truth, I am alive and breathing with the truth, that my life is eternal all because of another’s death in my place: Jesus. Not one of my “bad days” can come close to comparing to His death. Not one, and yet, He is with me to comfort me. He allows me to feel sorry for myself. He allows me to acknowledge my pain, my suffering, my hurt, my “bad days”, and my fears. He tenderly listens, lifts me up to carry me on His shoulders, and calms my fears.

So, it seems, for more than eternal life, He hung on the cross. For more than redeeming me, He hung on the cross. For more than making me Holy, he hung on the cross. Because He hung there, He knows. He knows my “bad days”. He knows my pain. He knows my weakness. He knows my need to cry out, “Abba Father!”. He knows. Even on His hardest day, it was a “good day”. His blood was shed for the world. The veil was torn, and now no one needs to be separated from God. There was TRUE hope for more “good days”. The resurrection was the BEST day, as that showed the world, the universe, and all the Heavenly Hosts in the Heavens, that eternal life is available to all. Victory is SURE, and our hardships are temporary.

So, now it seems true–truly true: Our “bad days” are still “good days”. There is NO gray area, no room to fear. What is there to fear? What can steal these “good days”? Nothing! There is no power, no chemical, no incident that can steal eternal victory! Oh, Hallelujah! Oh, I needed this truth! You’ve won, Father! Take me, and keep me in that rest. All my days: good, bad, all, are “good”. All are lived in your Victory!

Jesus holds my hand. Jesus guides me effortlessly through the “Valley of the Shadow of Death”, as the “green pastures” and “quiet waters” are just beyond, and He is my Shepherd. He KNOWS the way. He’s walked here before. He lives! He rose from the dead. “Bad days” are no more! It is a “good day”, everyday, simply because He lives! Pain, and these temporary sufferings, will not suppress this praise! He lives! My cup overflows, and I have more than enough! Hallelujah!

Ps. 23 “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”

Deut. 33:12 “Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.”

Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Understanding the Circle Maker

I encourage everyone to get a copy of the book, "The Circle Maker: Praying Circles Around Your Biggest Dreams and Greatest Fears" by Mark Batterson.    One of the main stories is about a prophet called, Honi.  http://www.thecirclemaker.com/watch


Once you have seen the video, you can see why it is so important to draw circles in your life and to pray hard within those circles.  As for me I have taken this to heart as 10 years ago when we moved to Tennessee, we talked to so many people who are fed up with church, just in this county.   In October 2012 I learned of Honi and thought, "The Lord is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow." so I asked the Lord for a place where these people would build a relationship with God and not a religion.  Many times we had driven by a building and thought that this would be a great place for a church.      A circle was then drawn in front of the doors of this empty building and each week since October 24, 2012 I have stood in the circle and walked all around the building and property in constant prayer for God's protection of this property and for the lives of people far from a relationship with God to have a place to get excited about the Love of God .  There have been times that I have walked in rain and cold weather and felt like, "Why am I doing this?" but I promised God that I would be faithful in this Dream and continue to be.     I admit that there have been times when I think I don't have the time but I made a promise to God to be faithful like Honi.  And God continues to protect that building.   Do you have dreams or fears that need to be circled?  Get a copy of the book and read it to absorb what God can do when you are faithful and not wavering or just wishing.  Be bold in your prayers and don't worry about people commenting about your drawing circles around things in your life.      God knows the timing of answering your prayer and dreams as it all answered prayer has to be for God's glory.  Just don't give up, because so often we give up just before the blessing comes.   



Pray BIG Audacious Circles!

Frustrations of a Dreamer



For years now, I have been told that my dreams are "way ahead of their times".  Recently I have actually prayed to God not to give me any more dreams.  Yet He does not listen.

Why the strange prayer?  I began some time ago writing down those dreams and through out the years I have seen some of them come to life and be exactly what I was told in a dream.  One such dream was three years ago in that I dreamed about an organization in which I was on the Board of Directors.   I presented the idea to the board in a quarterly meeting and it was just noted in the minutes and dismissed.  Two years after I left the Board, I got a call from the current President of the Board and she told me that they were adopting the dream I presented.  Two and one half years later.

If you are a dreamer you will understand what I am about to say.  I get frustrated and hurt when I present a dream and it falls on deaf, unconsidered ears.  Dreams I receive are not just a blurb but are developed during the dreaming period so they are fully ready for adoption.  From that it makes it hard to not convey the dream as to not sound demanding. I am learning that lesson.

A dream about two years ago was a marketing idea that I knew would attract attention.  I presented it to a group of men whose organization I felt the dream was meant.  It was dismissed and never heard from again.  While in Cincinnati I was talking to my son and told him about the dream.  He said that his business adopted the same principle last year and that it was and continues to be successful.

In 1973 a friend at work knew of my frustration  in that I would go into a marketing meeting and present, in detail, an idea that had stemmed from a dream. (Not all dreams are religious).  When it was not adopted and I was clearly frustrated an older gentlemen friend pulled me to the side and said, "Keep Dreaming and know that if only 34% of the dreams are ever enacted, you will be successful."  Then he gave me the baseball illustration.  He said, " A great baseball player may only have an average of 300 for his lifetime  yet we look at him as being a success.  Realize that he was called out seven times out of ten.  More than two thirds of the time he never made it to base.  You may want a 100% of your ideas to be adopted, but if you have over 1/3 of your ideas accepted, then you will be better that any professional baseball player."

Do I get frustrated?  Absolutely!  Do I get hurt?  For use!  Know that I don't ask for the dreams, they just come and so my list gets bigger and someday, someone will see those dreams written down and may think, "Humm, we should try this.

Til then, all you frustrated dreamers, DREAM ON!

What's in a Rose?

What's in a Rose?

Roses sent at just the right time have a language of their own. When deciding which color or combination of roses are best for your romantic event, the following list may help:



Red Roses symbolize love, respect, courage and passion

Dark Red reveals unconscious beauty

Pink carries the message of happiness, gracefulness and gentleness

Deep Pink says, "Thank You"

Light Pink conveys admiration, gentleness, grace, gladness, joy and sweetness

Orange indicates enthusiasm

Bridal White (White with pink tips) symbolize a happy love

White expresses purity, secrecy, silence, innocence, and charm

Yellow indicates joy, gladness, friendship and "I Care"

Coral conveys desire

Lavender symbolizes love at first sight and enchantment

A single Red Rose means, "I Love You"

A Single Rose in any other color expresses simplicity and gratitude

Red and White together signify unity

A bouquet of roses in full bloom means gratitude and is a symbol of great beauty and perfection.

Romantic Games - Part 2

Here is another game from the book I wrote - "Romantic Games Adults should Play"

One Rose Plus Eleven

Items Needed:

One dozen roses (divided into one rose and eleven together in a vase)

Nice local restaurant

One note card



Sometimes you can lose the impact of giving a dozen roses to your love. Try this different approach to presenting special flowers to her.



Make reservations at a nice local restaurant and stop by a florist to purchase eleven roses in a vase and one rose wrapped for delivery. Depending on the purpose of the evening, you may want to check the back of this book to see which color rose fits the purpose of the evening.  (For now, this will be posted in the next blog)

Fill out the card for the roses, telling your love that she is special in your life. Note that one rose is sometimes lonely without the other eleven. Go to the restaurant and ask the hostess to place the vase of eleven roses on your table just prior to your arrival with your date.

Pick up your date for the evening and present her with the single rose. She will put the rose in a bud vase. Then off you go to the restaurant. Upon arrival, find the hostess you talked with earlier in the evening. She will take you both to the table with the eleven roses for your romantic, appreciative evening.

Comparing a Church Model to a Business Model

Over the past couple of years I have heard that so many churches are closing their doors or losing members.  Why?  I believe it is due to churches hanging onto a church model that was successful in the 1950's and 60's but time has passed them by.  The approach was via rules and regulations along with fear of where are you going to spend you eternity and the thumb of the church pressing down on you with the passionate sermon ending.  At least it was that way where I grew up.

Everything was regulated by time and requirements of being a Christian.  The people with society is that from that time until today things have changed.  Business models that were a part of the same period had a similar approach.  You could get yelled at, cussed out, demeaned, and your measurement of success was in the drive of upper management to get numbers. And it was business as usual.

Today I think the church needs to look at current business models and understand that they need to update their approach to meet the needs of people.  Religion is on its way out and relationships are the drivers for people.  People are tired of sitting in a church and just seeing the requirements of religion and being yelled at from the front.

A comparison of how I feel church models and business model should be similar is:
The church Board and vision caster is like the board and CEO of a business
The pastor is the sales person for the company in that they are selling the Gospel and relationship for eternal life which does not include talking down to or yelling at your customer.

Let me stay on this for a minute.  When you buy a product at a store and a salesperson helps you.  What do they do that convinces you to buy?  Value and cost?  They use common words, illustrate how this will be perfect for you and excite you to desire the product.    The same is for the pastor speaking on Sunday.   I see wonderful people teaching accurately the word of God but do not use the principles of selling.  If you really look at the mega churches where campuses are springing up weekly then you will see a sales person in a pastor who selling the product of Jesus Christ.

OK, so I have turned several people off with the above comment but stop and think about it.  Listen to a message on line from so many of these nationally known churches. Whether it is in the message, tithing, small groups, special events, or any part of the church functions, those who grow use the business principles of marketing and sales to drive people to a relationship with the Lord.

Can your church take a model from business to reach those in your community?  Think about the reason why you should do this. . ."Making it hard to go to hell from your community."

It is not in taking attendance and counting the offering.

Romantic Games - Part 1

Men who know me, know that years ago I wrote a book on romance for men called. "Romantic Games Adults Should Play".  It was directed to men on building esteem in their wives through romantic games which showed an appreciation of them in fun games and are uplifting and not just sexually demeaning.

Since I have over 130 games in the book, I will give you some samples that can be used to build appreciation for your spouse.  

Romantic Games Adults Should Play offers creative, innovative ideas that help adults become "kids" without the "adult toys."  

Invisible Mirror, Mirror

Items Needed:    Hard Bar of Soap

          Write your love a message of how you love and appreciate your bride of a week or 40 years upon the bathroom mirror using the bar of soap, but take your fingernail and chip off the obvious flakes of soap. The mirror will appear almost normal. When your wife showers the next morning and steams up the bathroom, your love message will appear and be present for her as she towel dries herself.

          If you do not have a bar of hard soap, buy some eyeglass defogger or liquid windshield defogger. Pour a little defogger onto the cotton swab and write your love note on the mirror. It may take awhile to get the windshield defogger off the mirror, but the great part of it is the message is a reminder for your spouse each time she takes a hot bath or shower.

Mirror, Mirror

Version 2

Items Needed:  A couple of Dry Erase Markers

          This is one game that I do quite often and keep a couple of Dry Erase Markers in my bathroom drawer at all times.  Before your bride showers or baths, write your love message using the dry erase marker on the mirror.  I use the red one to make hearts and the other colors to write the message.  Then go off to work or any activity so it does not draw attention to you but is a reminder to your wife that you are thinking of her.

Make sure you NEVER use a permanent marker as you will have to find some solvent to get the marker off the mirror and “trust me”, you will be in trouble.

Now have fun building your relationship through this simple game.

You can pass this on to other men who need help in learning to be romantic!

Making Every Anniversary Special

When Lynnette and I were getting married, Lynnette had her mind on every aspect of the wedding.  When I asked her about the honeymoon, she said, "Just surprise me."  My reply was "Really?" 

So I set out by using the Internet to pull up places, hotels, rental cars, and events that would be part of our honeymoon experience.  I made a three ring binder and put the planned events of each day in a tab along with pictures, brochures, and possible alternatives, should we run into a roadblock of events. (like an event being closed on a given day or heavy rain for a given event- which has happened more than once in fourteen years)

On our Wedding day we stayed at an airport hotel and Lynnette did not have a clue as to where we were going. 

Keep in mind that Lynnette is a detail reader so I filled a three inch binder full of things to read.  Early the next morning, I went inside the airport and got our boarding passes all the way to our final destination.   Back then you could do that without the person being with you.

Lynnette had no idea where we were going as we landed in Atlanta.  As we walked the hallway looking at each departure gate, I said, "That would be a nice place to go".  Then moved on.  We walked by our gate and I continued to look at each gate.  Finally I turned around and went back to "our" gate to San Francisco/Napa Valley.  I just said, "This would be a great place to go" and sat down in the waiting area.  At that point I handed Lynnette the binder and for the next two hours she poured over each page with a smile and a kiss as we looked at each event for the entire honeymoon.

That was fourteen years ago, last week, and each year since then we trade being in charge of the anniversary.  Last year was Lynnette's turn and this year is mine. 

None of our friends knew the locations or what we are doing so the surprise trip reveal could occur one hour into the anniversary or as much as three hours into the anniversary. 

This year the funds are extremely tight, so I titled the trip, "  Fourteen years and Growing - The Free and Cheap Tour".  Our biggest expense was gas but we saw so many things of nature and destinations which are really inexpensive and was time spent with my bride.

I say all this just to encourage every man to mix up the celebration of your marriage by planning a surprise for your wife.   The three ring binder is a great way to please a spouse who likes plans and details.  If you are the detail person, then the binder can give you peace of mind that it will be a great anniversary. 

This year because of all the rain, we adjusted some days so we could avoid the rain periods.  Nevertheless, this has been a great 14 year adventure and I look forward to the next 14 years of adventures.

Plus I only have to plan seven of them. 

Now go bring back excitement and adventure into your relationship.  The memories WILL last for years and you will have a binder full of those memories to discuss later.

Reading from an ADHD person during biblical times

Many of us have read through the Bible numerous times and the Lord will show you new insights every time.  But when in college many years ago, I was challenged by Dr. Phillips to find other authors who wrote during the first century.  He said for me to look at the Book of Barnabas as it would be a book I would understand.  Humm he knew me well before ADHD was a name.

Recently, I looked again at the Book of Barnabas online http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/barnabas-lightfoot.html   and in reading the book was reminded that he was a lot like me.  He had an attention issue which is reflected in him jumping from thought to different thought from verse to verse in the book.

We hear of Barnabas 33 times in the Bible as he was first  introduced in Acts 4:36   Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”).  While the other Christians were in fear of Saul during his transformation to Paul, Barnabas encouraged them to "give him a chance" because Saul had met Jesus and that was good enough for Barnabas.

During the reading of Barnabas, which I could keep up with as he moved from thought to thought, one verse jumped out at me.  Barnabas had been talking about the old Jewish ways to forgive sin and was quick to say they were no longer pleasing to God since Jesus died and rose again.  (Love his creative way of saying things).  Yet this one verse does a quick summary of previous verses.  
Barnabas 2:10

Thus then speaketh He to us; The sacrifice unto God is a broken
heart, the smell of a sweet savor unto the Lord is a heart that
glorifies its Maker. We ought therefore, brethren, to learn
accurately concerning our salvation, lest the Evil One having
effected an entrance of error in us should fling us away from our
life.

When was the last time you brought a sacrifice to God?  Are you brokenhearted for those hurting or lost? When was the last time you cried during a praise or worship song?  When has your heart broken for others and not just for yourself?  As for the second part of this verse, when was the last time you glorified the Lord?

Maybe we can learn something from an ADHD person.  

By the way, in reading the entire Book I can see why it was not included in the Bible.  Barnabas is hard to follow as his thought process is all over the map.  But that's the way God wired him and he was a Great Man of God!

Lessons From a Four Leaf Clover

As a youth I had learned from my mother that according to Irish tradition, those who find a four-leaf clover are destined for good luck, as each leaf in the clover symbolizes good biblical truths for faith, hope, love, and the fourth is for good fortune for the finder.  The majority of the clovers you see outside have only three leaves which aligns with the Bible.

1 Corinthians 13:12-13

¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Good luck can be hard to come by if you’re relying on finding a four-leaf clover.  The estimated statistical odds of finding a four-leaf clover on your first try is 10,000 to 1.  So as a child my mother would send me out in the yard just before mowing and said for me to find her a four leaf clover.  

Barefoot I would slowly walk in the patch of clover to miss the honey bees (which stepping on them and getting stung was a common occurrence) and then get on my knees to study a small area for the elusive four leaf clover.  For hours, my mind was focused and occupied on the elusive clover.  Over time I found out that I could spot the one special clover faster as my eyes would scan the area and not just focus on one small area.

Last night in about ten minutes I found two four leaf clovers just outside our house from life lessons as a child.  

Here my Godly life lessons:

1. Watch your step as you move into an area that contains your goals to avoid pain and destruction.  But move forward and not jsut stand still.
2. Be patient and do not trample on things you are looking to receive-the same applies to people around us -(Old saying) "Be nice to thouse on your way up so they will be nice to you on your way down".
3. Widen your focus to look at an area you may not have previously traveled and not on just one small piece of life.
4. Know that God has placed many things in nature that points back to His word, if we only observe.  Go outside an absorb what the Lord has created.
5. Train your mind to observe everything around you and look for the best in everyone.
6. Slow down and take a period of time to communicate with God. 

Guess I still have those life lessons in hand but memories of my mother and her wisdom flooded back into my head as I looked for the four leaf clover last night.  For a woman with a high school education only, God gave her more life wisdom than many scholars who have degrees as long as their arms.  

Bet you know someone like my mother.  Thank them for their wisdom while you still can. 

What are our words coming to?

This morning, I heard famous baseball player David Ortiz use the "F" bomb at the pre-game of a Boston game this weekend.  Now during the speech he thanked a lot of people who helped with the capture of the bombing suspect.  The crowd cheered at his words and the FCC will not charge him anything for saying it to an audience of children and adults.  Yet I lost respect for this man.

So those people who influence your children and grandchildren believe that words that have always been "trash" words are just fine to say in order to make any point.

My Dad made a great point to me when he heard people use (what he called) curse words.  Funny how we have softened the term "curse" now to "trash" and will soon me totally removed as any term for words like this that are spoken which condemn God, others, or are sexually inappropriate for children who are learning to speak.

My father went on to impress in me that it is sad to see someone use those words because it indicates a limited vocabulary.  It tells others that they can not chose a valuable word to express themselves but have to rely on a slang word instead.  I took that to heart and on one occasion  I was extremely mad at my sister, which was often while growing up and recall walking away from her and going in the living room to get a dictionary.  Now I was young and just wanted a word to get back at her and relieve my frustrations.  I do not recall the word but I thumbed through and landed on a page.  I looked for the biggest word I could find and checked out how it was to be pronounced, not what it meant.  I then ran back to my sister and yelled out the word.  My puzzled sister did not know what to say, so I just yelled, "Look it Up!"

Throughout my career, I always used, as people would say, "Big Words" to describe my anger, hurt or frustration.  Then in one meeting at a location where I worked, my boss was in a conference room with a mixed group of people and he let out with, "blankity blank" words.  I spoke up and said, "_____, please find other adjectives to describe your frustration", to which the General Manger spoke and said, "I agree."  The boss apologized and said he would try to control his tongue.

Some men were with me when building a house and one man was talking to someone when I hit my thumb with the hammer.  I just yelled and said "ow, ow, ow".  The one just said, "why don't you just cuss and get it over with".  To which my friend said, "He wouldn't say, Sh__ if it was in his mouth".   I now know that it is not hard to find words that do not condemn God, others, or are sexually explicit.

So I encourage you to chose your words carefully because others are watching, both children and adults.   Others will do two things when hear a "big" word to describe your feelings.  First confused and then curious.  What makes you different.  I believe it is because I that the verse below to heart.

For me it is James 5: 12  - And since you know that God cares, let your language show it.  Don't add words like "I swear to God" to your own words.  Don't show your frustration by concocting oaths (like for God to Damn someone or something).  Just say yes and no.  Just say what is true and real.  That way your language can not be used against you (or eliminate your impact on others).

Books in Our Life

Matthew 20:28  That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served - and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage."

Some time ago a speaker at a large church in Chicago came to the front of the room and began talking about the impacts that affect how we live our lives today.  Lined up across the front of the stage were three platforms.  On each platform was a closed book..  As he spoke, he opened the first book and called it “our past”.  He tore out a few pages and tucked those pages in the book on the center platform called, “our present”.

So often we grow up by taking some of the worse or best times of our lives and carrying them on to our present lives.  It can shape us to make decisions that affect those around us.  Little things that drive Lynnette crazy come from events in my past that I have carried into the present.  Most of those I really want to forget, but they just creep back.

Soon the speaker takes pages again out of our past and places them into the third book, called “our future”.  He noted that he completely by-passed the present.

As we mature in age we are sometimes reminded of our failures.  Maybe we were not good athletic in sports.  Therefore when we become adults, we try to live our past though our children and push them to be the best at sports where we were not.   

Yet so often we take pages from our past and bury them into our future.  We try to be what we could not be as a child.  As the speaker noted,  “We make up whatever we need to say or do to “prove” we did not fail as a child." Other times our action are to prove they were right and give us an excuse for our lifestyle and actions.

You see for years as a young man, I was told about my failures as a child.  I can still recall my father saying that I was never going to be successful in life.  I can still recall, “You don’t have enough sense to pound sand down a rat hole”.  Or “Your about as smart as a hill of beans.”  Therefore a part of me pushed to change the past, prove him wrong, and make a better future so the past could be forgotten.  I'm still a work in process and have to analyze my reasoning for a lot of what is taking place in my life.

Jesus was one of the great parts of the past that belongs in our present life books, because He is to only one who can give us a great future book.  Even though I did not learn of His grace for me until later in life, I knew that His life and death is one of hope that takes every failure of our past and throws those pages away. It is me and Satan who reminds myself of failures and not God.

We don’t need to keep the pages of our past or present because we have some great pages in our future book.  

Many times it takes a conscious effort to give the Lord our past, but the new pages of your book includes eternal life and a close relationship with the Savior of the world.  With that in mind you can look at great relationships with family and friends that is free of reminding you of your failures.

Beware of People's Predictions

Who really believed what we heard? Who saw in it the Lord’s great power?

He was always close to the Lord. He grew up like a young plant, like a root growing in dry ground. There was nothing special or impressive about the way he looked, nothing we could see that would cause us to like him.   People made fun of him, and even his friends left him. He was a man who suffered a lot of pain and sickness. We treated him like someone of no importance, like someone people will not even look at but turn away from in disgust.

The fact is, it was our suffering he took on himself; he bore our pain. But we thought that God was punishing him, that God was beating him for something he did. But he was being punished for what we did. He was crushed because of our guilt. He took the punishment we deserved, and this brought us peace. We were healed because of his pain. We had all wandered away like sheep. We had gone our own way. And yet the Lord put all our guilt on him.

He was treated badly, but he never protested. He said nothing, like a lamb being led away to be killed. He was like a sheep that makes no sound as its wool is being cut off. He never opened his mouth to defend himself.  He was taken away by force and judged unfairly. The people of his time did not even notice that he was killed.  But he was put to death for the sins of his people.  He had done no wrong to anyone. He had never even told a lie. But he was buried among the wicked. His tomb was with the rich.

 But the Lord was pleased with this humble servant who suffered such pain.  Even after giving himself as an offering for sin, he will see his descendants and enjoy a long life. He will succeed in doing what the Lord wanted.  After his suffering he will see the light, and he will be satisfied with what he experienced.

The Lord says, “My servant, who always does what is right, will make his people right with me; he will take away their sins. For this reason, I will treat him as one of my great people. I will give him the rewards of one who wins in battle, and he will share them with his powerful ones. I will do this because he gave his life for the people. He was considered a criminal, but the truth is, he carried away the sins of many. Now he will stand before me and speak for those who have sinned.”

Can you believe that it was 2700 plus years again that these words were spoken?  And 700 years before they came true?  Isaiah had no idea what he was talking about but today we have the benefit to confirm that he was talking about you.

Are there any forecasts that you have that your children and grand children will learn like these?  Beyond the political ones we rant about weekly, know that Isaiah had every detail right.  So shouldn't we pay attention?  

Isaiah 53: 1-12 Easy Read Version

Not Just Another Good Friday!

As we look at Good Friday, please take a look at the bottom line of this day.

So I’d like for you to think about Jesus REALLY dying on the cross for your sins.

The Bible is full of symbols which are not literal but have a spiritual meaning to apply to our lives.  One such time, is the communion bread and cup, is a symbol of Jesus giving his body and blood for our sins.  We read about so many parables which are earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.  Therefore many of us think that this same symbolism applies to Jesus dying for our sins.   But let’s look at what happened.

As Jesus hung on the cross we know that at the moments before his death he cried out “My God!  My God! Why have you forsaken me?”  Now Jesus, being part of the Trinity had always been in God’s presence before the beginning of time.  We also know that throughout the Bible in the Old Testament, God could not be anywhere near sin.

Realize that it was at this moment that Jesus cried out, He literally had the sins of the world, past, present, and future placed upon himself.  At that moment God had to turn away from His son which is the reason for Jesus screaming in anguish. 

Image for just a moment that if God, law and order, compassion, and everything that comes from scripture was removed.  I fear for what the world would be like as murder, common sense, and everything that makes us human is gone.

 I ask that you meditate for a moment after reading this and know that His death was more than a symbol, that was not real, as you realize that Jesus literally died for your sins.   He loved you THAT much that His grace still abounds today for you in that He died JUST for you.   

God's law is still here and His Grace is waiting for each one of us!  I am thankful, how about you?

I'm Confused!

Here we are, approaching another Easter, and my mind is getting confused.  Now my wife says that happens often of being confused.

Yet it does not take a lot for me to think back to days gone by when Easter was a day when people paused to remember the foundations of Christianity and why it was the core of our beliefs.  We would go to a sunrise service and recall what it might have been like on that morning when death was defeated.  That was big stuff for young people but our minds were really on the breakfast afterwards with home baked goods waiting for us.  Then we would sit through (or sleep through) the Easter service and become excited about having a big Easter lunch and looking for the Easter eggs/candy.

Now eveyr aspect of the thought or message of Easter is being diluted to the point that one elementary school in Alabama has required that there will be NO mention of Easter, Easter eggs, and even the Easter bunny because of its "religious" meanings which "might" offend someone.  We never tied eggs and a bunny to the resurrection of Jesus.

The fact is that both the Easter bunny and Easter eggs is derived from legends of a reconstructed German goddess Ostara which made its way to the us in 1852 and had more to do about celebrating "Spring" and nothing to do with Easter.  

Therefore our educators should become educated to realities and not to just attacking one religion called "Christianity".

For years I have stopped calling myself a Christian as so many have a bad taste in their mouths for the religion called, "Christianity".

I am a Christ Follower who loves spending time chasing after the Lord and having a personal relationship with the one who gave his life for me.  Many people who are tired of religion (which I have been told that religion is the foundation of our country) but our society has turned the Christian religion into a big target that is damaging to our country.  To the people who are tired of religion, I'd love for you to learn about being a Christ Follower who makes mistakes daily but looks to the Lord for direction and inspiration each day.

Enjoy being real and not something religions want you to be.

An Active Mind

Do you ever have weird dreams?    I have them a lot but the one a couple of nights ago was one I reported to the doctor.

A few weeks ago I developed a lump on my shoulder and in three weeks it had grown from the size of a quarter to about four inches long and about an inch high.  So I made an appointment to have it removed yesterday.  Well the night before I had a dream that was so real in color that I remembered it when I awoke.

My dream was about the surgeon cutting into what he had called a tumor.  As he made the second cut through the skin, baby spiders started coming out from the mass.  The doctor jumped back and scooped a couple up only to see many more coming out.  So he grabbed a vacuum and began sucking them up until the mass in my shoulder was gone.  It appears that a spider had a nest inside my shoulder and laid all the eggs which were maturing.

I awoke thinking my shoulder would be flat but then I realized that it was a dream.  So I told the doctor about my active mind and he quickly said that if that were spiders in my shoulder he would make money writing about it.  Then as I laid on the table, I looked up and on the wall and there was a for real vacuum.  I noted it to doctor and he said, "We are prepared."

His only comment as he cut was, "I don't see any spiders."

How active is your mind when you sleep?  Do you have dreams that make no sense?  Do some dreams seem so real?  Are some of them repeat dreams?  I have an Excel spreadsheet of my dreams as some of them are so real as they are ideas which, Lynnette says are way ahead of their time.

Yet over the years I have learned to record them because many times something will happen and I think that sounds familiar.  Only to find the concept for real was from one of my dreams.

Read the Old Testament verse in Joel 2:28 and you what God does as He pours out His Spirit. (see below)  Now my counsel is to learn to write down your dreams.  Some may be from an active mind after you are asleep but some may be from the Lord and He wants you to be the messenger for others.  Never question the dream, just write it down then in your prayers each day seek the Lord to give you wisdom to know which are from Him and which are just from an active mind.   One of my dreams took two years for it to come true and I got a phone call from a friend confirming that it was taking place, just as I had dreamed it and another is in year seven since the dream but I am seeing God working towards this dream becoming a reality.  But that's another future blog.

Joel 2:28  - And that’s just the beginning: After that—

“I will pour out my Spirit

    on every kind of people:

Your sons will prophesy,

    also your daughters.

Your old men will dream,

    your young men will see visions.

I’ll even pour out my Spirit on the servants,

    men and women both.

Pied Piper of Today

Again as an ADHD person, my mind thinks of strange things that relate to what is taking place today in society.

If you have ever read the book Pied Piper of Hamelin you see several possible meanings to the story of a man in 1284 who had a magical flute (pipe) and was called to town to get rid of rat infestation.  When the towns people would not pay him for his successful eradication of the rats, he played his magical pipe to lure all the children away and devastate the town of Hamelin Germany.

In the 1960's life was much simpler in that we had a respect for our local, county, state, and federal governments because we did not know all the details of the lives of our politicians.  Our lives as youth were more concerned with being kids and not with the our social networks or the operation of our governments.  We did not have the internet, traffic cameras, and many of the "instant" gratification products like we have today.  Therefore it took some time to get information about California events or events in other parts of the world.  Ignorance was bliss.  Aww. . . the "good ol' days".

Our best information regarding what was happening locally sometimes came from the party lines of our telephones.  If you picked up the phone receiver quietly enough, you could hear people (sorry but it was usually two ladies in our neighborhood) talking about their neighbors or you.  I remember my aunt telling someone off who was talking about her as she listened in on the party line.  That ended up being embarrassing for her as her husband later made her go see each one of them to apologize.

Now back to the Pied Piper of today.  People today get the majority of their information by electronic means.  Interaction of opinions are done via Tweets and Facebook posts.  Instead of being a free thinker, we grasp at a written word to be truth then follow and embellish the words to others.  Any writer or politician can be charismatic enough to get a million followers on Twitter.  That's exactly what's happening to everyone today.  Our youth do not have a chance to be free thinkers which is really sad.

The words may not be true but if they meet the charismatic criteria it will draw people of all ages to follow that person to the destruction of themselves and others.  We just don't question why this piper is such a draw.  We blindly march in line with the millions.

One thing I like about the leadership in our church is that they challenge us "find out for ourselves" if the words they speak are true.  Now that makes me dig into the internet  for differing opinions and the Bible for confirmation of the words.  Yet it still comes down to what Pied Piper am I following.  It is the man or woman who stands on stage, on an internet video, on writings found on-line, or the man who loved me so much to give His life for me.

Electronic and social media are great and can be a vital tool for education and training but has to be tempered with some common sense.

This Pied Piper I have been following since 1961  has never lead me to destruction. ( I can do that very well on my own).  Therefore think about which Pied Piper you are following today?  Some of our leaders today make their money by leading you in the wrong direction.  Others do it for power of financial or political gain.

Just know that the Creator of the Universe will never lead you away from the truth and love for life.  A life that will last for eternity.

Who is your Pied Piper?

It's Just Not the Same

While talking to a friend the other day, we discussed the concept of multiple campus's for churches to reach those far from God.  The comment back, was, "I don't like them because the sermon is on  a gigantic screen which makes it so impersonal.  I like to look the pastor in the eye as he preaches to me."   My response was, "I appreciate your need to have the speaker be in front of you, but is that the normal for everyday life today?  Do you have a tablet or laptop I asked?"  His response was, "Of course."  So I replied, "Do you ever watch a program on line?"

His quick reply was, "I know where you are going with this and it's just not the same."

Later I got to thinking about what he said and consider that I am not the target for winning those far from God.  What does the next generation do in their daily lives? According to statistics, people watch more than an average of nine hours a day of video whether by TV, laptop, tablet, or from an APP on their mobile phone.  They are use to getting their news, social updates and so much more via video.

So when they see someone on a video screen, they are quite comfortable and at home.  This was proven yesterday at our church.  About 500 people were watching the message on the screen and were frequently talking loudly to the screen in response to the questions asked by the pastor.  Like any sports activity on the television (in which people yell at the screen) young people grow from experiencing a message through a video.

At the end, we had several people who gave their lives to the Lord, not from someone yelling at them from being on stage, or giving a sobbing story, but through the video, people's hearts were convicted to change their lifestyle and become a child of God.

Now for those who say a video is not the same as a real person in front of them, I believe that if an anointed message stirs your heart, then how the message is given does not matter.  The goal should be reaching this and the next two generations far from the Lord instead of having a certain protocol.

Nothing is the same as it was years ago when I was young, but know that "the Message will never change, but the method MUST change."  (Thanks Ron for the quote)

As a 76 year old Christ Follower told one of his friends who was questioning the contemporary  church, "I'll be happy to stand on my head if that will help change one life.  This church does things different from what I liked but I cheer each week when someone gives their life to Christ.  It may not be the same as when I grew up, but I see lives turning toward the Lord.  I love being a part of seeing that life change."

Can you handle the thought that church does not have to fit your mold in order to be effective?