PlusLife

We have all heard the phrase, “Garbage in, garbage out”, most of the time referring to what we either put into our mind or put into our body.  It was a phrase repeated to me numerous times as a kid to get me to think about what I was listening to and what I was watching. It has to do with flow, the progression of how thoughts, faith, ideas, emotions, and wisdom move through us. I recently experienced an interesting, but expensive, illustration of this truth. We were having some plumbing... Read Full Story

“If only”… we repeat this phrase many times in our life for many situations. If only we had a little more money, we wouldn’t be struggling so much every month. If only we had a little bigger house, we wouldn’t be so cramped. If only I had a better education, I could get that job. If only…. It is a statement of lack, of not having enough to do all that we would like to do or be all that we would like to be. Sitting in the small church, this little two word phrase comes to mind often. If only... Read Full Story

Our sanctuary seats about 8,000 people… and we come close to filling it twice on Sunday. We recently bought an NBA arena to hold the 40,000 plus that attend every weekend. We baptized over a thousand new believers this year. We had 1,200 kids at Vacation Bible School this summer. According to Outreach magazine, the 100 largest churches in America have a combined average attendance of over one million people each weekend. If any of these sound familiar then you might attend one of... Read Full Story

Leadership….  what we all need, but no one thinks they are qualified to give.  Ask what qualities most people see or want in a leader… Knowledge and wisdom Integrity and honesty Vision and ideas that inspire people Engaging personality, a person that most people admire and are drawn to Strength to make tough decisions, and the ability to handle crisis situations Now, ask the average person if they possess these qualities and they will say no to some or even all of them.  It... Read Full Story

Nicholas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley… married 5 months Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger… married 4 months Carmen Electra and Dennis Rodman… married 9 days Brittany Spears and Jason Alexander… married 2 days and 7 hours Ok, so maybe these are not the best examples of a long marriage. Well they are hardly examples of marriage at all. In this short amount of time you could barely remember each others birthday, much less bond and grow deeply in love. This past month my wife and I... Read Full Story

You’re Fired! Donald Trump’s final words to tell someone that they are not successful.  Disappointing because we love the feeling of success, to find that place in our life or in our career or in our family where we have arrived, accomplished something. In the world of reality shows, games shows and sports however,  there is only one winner. One successful person or team. Maybe that’s why we are constantly driven to comparison- am I better, more successful than the guy next door. “Keeping up... Read Full Story

God’s Word The Holy Bible It can sound intimidating– studying the Bible, knowing God’s Word. It can sound like   you have an extra special education, be a monk or speak in several languages… or    maybe know the secret handshake to figure this out.  As a pastor I have heard many people talk about their lack of understanding of the Bible, their confusion about how to study it or understand it. Many people are intimidated when it comes to reading the Bible. They hear pastors and teachers... Read Full Story

The Faith Equation I have always wondered exactly how God measured faith.  The Bible says that God has given to each one a measure of faith. Jesus said that people had “great” faith and “little” faith. We think about great and little… in terms of money, status (the little people), height, talent (she has great ability), etc.  The idea is that some have more than others  or can do more than others. What about faith?  Faith seems so hard to measure or the understand. It seems mystical and... Read Full Story

I may not know what love is, but I know what it ain’t One of Josh Turner ‘s earliest songs, along with “Long Black Train”, was a song titled, “ What It Ain’t “.  The lyrics to the song talk about a man who has been surprised by the actions of his girl who “loved” him. His response to her is that he may not know what love is, but what she is doing to him, ain’t love (with all apologies to my English teachers past, I know, ain’t ain’t a word… but it gets the point across). Here are the lyrics... Read Full Story

“The Joy of the Lord is our Strength” “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it” “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” As believers in Jesus Christ, one of the main things that is to mark our life is joy. When the fruits of the Spirit are listed in Galatians 5, joy is the second one on the list, right behind love. Joy is a quality of our life that comes from a relationship with... Read Full Story