Posts Tagged 'devotions'

New You in 2012

Published January 7, 2012 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Some thoughts on how to stay sharp as you mature this year.

  • To be a sufficient, faithful servant, you must remove expectations other place on you and work more towards being effective for Christ and His kingdom.
  • No one assumes any more that you are “spiritual/Godly person”. What you have in your heart will come out at some point in your life. Match what you participate and practice to what you preach.
  • To truly be someone who will minister well means that you must spend a lifetime learning.
  • Relationships will make or break you. Just because might be a great thinker means very little if you cannot interact with others around you.
  • Be prepared to enter into a bigger venue if you want to have a bigger influence.
  • The power of a great sermon lies in a balance between what is said in large and small group settings.
  • Effective ministry remains powerful when a team is utilized.  It is never about you.
  • Compare yourself to others only for the opportunity to help understand that you can always be better at what God has gifted you to do. Remove the comparison when you desire that which another brother or sister has obtained.
  • Just because you look good on paper means very little if you are not able to preform.

-jordan

Easter Testimonies

Published April 25, 2011 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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A few testimonies shown at our Easter Service this year at Community Gospel Church.

Jacobs Story.

Brandi’s Story.

Mike’s Story.

“I may be weak, but Your Spirit’s strong in me!”

God is alive!

How was your Easter?

-jordan

10 Basic (ministry) Principles

Published June 7, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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10. Show Your Cards Constantly: The ministry is not about holding out on the other guy to elevate yourself. The knowledge inside your brain needs to be released.  The key to Christianity is making more Christians (See/study Matthew 28).  If you have an idea, a concept, a plan, a criteria, a curriculum, some knowledge, etc, break it out and tell as many people as you can.  Jesus said that He was giving His disciples the the keys to the kingdom so they could do great things.  Think what would have happened if they would have kept their mouth shut.

9. Be Honest With Your Moves: In the business world there is a tendency to hide from mergers or startups.  People have a tendency to never let other people in on what’s occurring in your life.   While you don’t always have to spill all the beans to everyone on where you feel God is leading, there are people around that would love to pray with you regarding your  thoughts to merge, departures, plant, etc.  Spend time with those individuals pouring out the direction God is laying on your heart and leading you.

8. Trust: This is something pastors don’t do very well.  Trust is a weakness we all need to work on.  Listen, people are going to hurt you in the ministry.  It happens.  However, regardless how bad you have been burned in the past, you need to trust people in your congregation, other pastors in the community, and those around you over and over again.  Not everyone in this world is, “out to get you”.

7. Buy What Your Selling: Seriously. If you don’t believe in Jesus, “GET OUT OF THE MINISTRY RIGHT NOW!”.  Christianity is faith in Jesus.  I have met so many “pastors” who seriously doubt what their teaching their congregation.  Scary.

6. You Home is Always on Limits: A pastor friend of mine once told me that a pastors house is a place that should resemble the kingdom of heaven.  In that statement he meant that your home is a place that you prepare for people to come and feel welcomed.  You prepared this place for them and it was given to you by God so you could minister in their lifes.  Have people in your home often.  Welcome them freely.

5. Credit Means Nothing: I don’t care if Rick Warren is your Grandpa, Billy Graham lived in your house back in the day, or Billy Sunday did your great grandfathers funeral.  Name dropping gets you nowhere.  You can quote guys all you want but at some point you need to start making things your own.

4. Ministry is Life: There is no separation from family time and church time.  The ministry is twenty-four seven.  Your wife needs to be a Godly women and your kids need to love the Lord.  People are watching and waiting for you to set the standard. Do it!

3. Carry the Word (Your Bible): I can’t tell you how many guys don’t have a bible on them when they travel.  They just quote scripture and expect people to believe them.  When you use the Word of God (the Bible), open it up and show people where you’re finding the help they need for their lives.  I promise it does wonders.

2. You are not over Authority: In the ministry we are here to be a help, not a hinderance.  How’s your relationship with the police, the hospitals, the town hall, etc?  The governing authorities work more in your favor if they like you and what you’re trying to accomplish.

1. People Always Come First:  The ministry is people.  No more, no less.  If you’re not involved in the lives of people, you’re not a pastor. Without people, you have no ministry.  If you spend more time staring at a computer screen than your congregations eyes, there is a problem.

Think about it.

-jordan

What’s Your Song?

Published February 15, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place….” -Matthew 14:13

Thank God for the pauses in our lives. When you are listening to your favorite cd, there are breaks and “rests” in between each song. In the melody of life, there are rests. Sometimes during those rests, we sometimes believe we have come to the end of the song.

I believe God sends us times of forced leisure by allowing “breaks” in our lives. God brings a sudden pause into our lives so that we can refocus on Him.

If you have ever been in band, or you are a musician, you know that during a rest, break, interlude, you patiently count for your moment to come back in at the right moment…and if we are on our game, we play that next note with confidence.

God does not write the music of our lives without a plan. Our part is to learn the tune and not get flustered during the breaks and rests. The breaks and rests are not to be skipped over either. With our eyes and hearts towards God, the next note will be full and clear, and in tune. Rest is part of making the music.

What does the music of your life sound like right now? Is it noisy and loud? Maybe you need to take a break or rest, turn the music off for a while.

Note: The words above were written by Cory Mann

The music in my life is noisy… I need a rest…

What about you?

-jordan

Ministry Resource: Who Me?

Published January 13, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Let’s face it, AWANA is an awesome program for students ranging from kindergarden to six grade.  However, if your like me, I have junior high and high school students that desire for the program to be over and on to something else.  They are tired of doing their books, running around “the circle”, or even wearing the vest.  It seems like junior high and high school students are a whole different ballgame when it comes to AWANA.

The truth is, they are.

What’s awesome?

AWANA finally “gets it”.

For the longest time I was looking for AWANA to reach out and create something “different” for junior high and high school students.  A lot of times I get from people who are in small churches who are running an AWANA program for young people but the junior high and high school students always get left out due to their “peaking” in sixth grade.  Since a lot of small churches can’t afford a youth pastor for the junior high and high school students so they are left scratching their heads on what to do with these teens.

Until now.

AWANA has developed a program called “Who Me?”  Who Me is a training product from 24-7 Ministries (the junior high and high school branch of AWANA) designed to help you develop a healthy youth ministry for Junior High and High School youth.  If you don’t have a youth pastor currently at your church and you feel like the junior high and high school students have “peaked”, Who Me? is for you.  The resource comes complete with a book, DVD, resource CD and access to online resources. The training package also includes online access to “All About Trek and Journey (AWANA programs for junior high and high school)” where you can get needed information about program specifics and awards, as well as how to use them in your church.

Note: Who, Me? is the first of three parts in the new line of 24-7 training resources. Preview Who Me?

Here is the promo video from AWANA:

Here is my unboxing of the product so you can get a closer look:

What about if you are a youth pastor?  Well you can feel free to use the Who Me? curriculum to train and develop staff to have the maximum impact with young people at group.

Check out Who Me? here today.

-jordan

For Any Pastor Who Has Struggled

Published January 10, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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“This continues to be an encouragement to me when I get beat up for doing what God has called me to do.” -Mark Palmer

Expect pain.
Expect to be misunderstood.
Expect to be persecuted and expect it to come first from those who follow Jesus.
Expect to be maligned, attacked, and ridiculed from all sides.
Expect to grow tired and weary.
Expect to want to give up.
Expect to lose many old friends. Expect to lose all of your friends where the “church” is the central reason for your friendship. Only your deep and Christ-centered friendships will endure.
Expect to be labeled (a freak, a hippie, a cult leader, a quitter, a fraud, an idealist, a purist, a heretic, a divider, a communist, a jerk, an egomaniac, a devil worshiper). Yes, I’ve been called them all to my face.
Expect to weep… deeper and stronger than you ever have.
Expect to doubt your calling, your convictions, your path, your faith, and your life.
Expect to be lonely.
Expect to be seen as utterly unsuccessful.
Expect to die… nothing will be left of you. You will cease to exist. The last things in you to die will be your desire to be great for God and your desire to be happy. And then, you will finally…
Live. Expect life. Expect meaning. Expect to finally understand the prophets and apostles. Expect to know Jesus and His life… for that is all that you will have… and that is all that you need. -Joe Boyd

The call of ministry is only understood by those who are called.

I’ve been praying for my pastor friends out there lately.  I hope this speaks to your heart and encourages you this Sunday.

Keep pressing on. Remember, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)

Stay focused on the call.

-jordan

The Man Rejected is the Man Who is Changed

Published August 27, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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“Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.” Philemon 1:15-16

The Story

I was a slave.  So I ran.  I grew tired of the long hours.  I couldn’t take the busy days any longer.  I grew tired of the boss, the people, and the place itself.  What did they know about me anyway?  I made the choice.  I know I justified my actions but I know what is best for my life.  I know what I should be doing.  I thought to myself, “There had to be something better.  There had to be something more.”

So I ran.

I ran because that’s the only thing that seemed right at the time.  The more I ran, the more hardships came.  The faster I ran, the more problems I encountered.  So I ran another direction only to find more hardships, more problems, more trouble.  I struggled inside.  What was I doing?  I thought I knew what to do so well.  I started to panic.  I thought, “Life wasn’t as bad back where I came from.”  I was divided.  Torn apart.  I was broken.  What could I do?  I did the only thing I knew because I had been doing it for so long.

I ran some more.

In my run I remembered a guy in prison I knew that might offer some help.  It seemed like a long shot but I went for it.  Was I crazy?  As I ran faster I remembered the man who was being kept in the cold cell.  I remembers him vividly.  My owner spoke to him and about him many times.  I ran faster with everything I had.  I had to see him.  I kept remembering more and more about the time the man, who now sat in a cell, visited my master.  He was different.  Why was he even in jail in the first place?  He looked so harmless.  I thought back to my master.  I remembered the change that took place in him after this man had left.  I remembered how different he was.  This man had to help me.  I ran until my legs burned.

I ran until I could not run anymore.

When I arrived at the prison, I couldn’t hardly breath.  I walked past the prison walls.  I staggered down the stairs.  I placed my tired hands on the bars and as I lifted my head, I saw him.  He was right in front of me.  That was him alright.  He was the one.  He was the guy who changed my masters heart so long ago.  He had to help me.  I opened my mouth to speak but I could not say a word due to all the running.

He read my story as my eyes met his eyes.  He placed his hand on my shoulder through the bars.  He spoke truth into my life.  He answered my questions.  He softened my heart.  He told me about Jesus.  He told me what this Christ did for him on the road to Damascus.  He told me of how this same Jesus, who changed my master, could also change me.  I bowed my head, closes my eyes, and let Jesus take over my life.

No more running.

It’s time to go home.

The Application

Christ frees us from the bonds slavery of sin at the moment we accept Him as Lord and Savior.  In that divine appointment set up by God himself, we fall into the hands of our master once again.  The experience is life changing.  Our sins are gone.  They are  washed away all because Christ paid the penalty for sin on the cross.

We all have to choose.

We are either slaves of sin or slaves of righteousness.

You cannot serve both two masters.

The Questions

  1. Are you living a life controlled by the Spirit or guided by your own desires.  Obedience to the Lord leads to a deeper relationship to Jesus.  A mature Christian surrenders his will to the Spirit.  Are you running from Christ and his commands or longing to go back to Him regardless of the circumstances.  Jesus said, “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (John 14:21)
  2. How much room are you making in your life right now for God?  While we may say that we are on track, but we often deceive ourselves and compartmentalize our faith putting God in places that we want Him to dwell in.  We often fail to place Christ in areas of our life where we need Him the most.  If you’re obeying God, prepare more room for Him in your heart and in your life.  John 14:23 says,  “Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

Think about it.

-jordan

To ALL the Teenagers…

Published June 22, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Summer Reading

With Summer here, GeNESIS takes a month to rest.  We choose to pause so that we can recharge our batteries for another season.  In that rest, we encourage all youth to embrace some summer reading and establish spiritual disciplines.  Summer is a great chance to solidify practices such as quiet time, bible reading, and prayer.  We embrace these disciplines so that our relationship with Christ can increase.  The following is a list of materials to help you grow spiritually during the time of rest that we are taking as a community.

Step 1: Morning Quiet Time.

Spend 30 minutes alone with God.  No cell phone, ipod, or anything electric on.  Just you and your bible.  Read a chapter in Proverbs that corresponds to that day.  After you have read that chapter, read 5 Psalms.  Example: If the date is July 1st you would read Proverbs chapter 1 along with Psalms chapter 1-5.

Step 2: Daily Bible Reading.

Proverbs and Psalms are great but don’t stop there. After your done reading the chapter in Proverbs and the Psalms, read one chapter from John, Hebrews, or any other book of the Bible that sparks your interest.

Step 3: Outside Bible Reading.

Bible reading and morning quiet time are key.  Alongside with your reading, check out some of these books for personal growth outside the Bible:

Read these at night before you go to bed or in the afternoon when you have some down time.

Step 4: Journal.

A good idea for the summer reading is to record what God is teaching you by writing everything down in a journal.  Be sure to include your thoughts on what you read, what your learning, prayer requests, and other thoughts that jumped out at you on the pages you are processing.  This journal will be a great way to talk to others about the things God is teaching you.

Step 5: Prayer.

Don’t forget personal prayer.  Spend time alone talking to God and listening to Him.  Use your journal to help with this discipline.

Remember young men and women that there are people out there who are older who want to walk along side you as you as you establish these disciplines and deepen your walk with God.  Seek out someone who can help to keep you on track as you grow deeper into the Word of God daily!

-Jordan

No Excuses

Published June 4, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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The other night we had a softball game for our local church league.  I love softball.  Shoot, I love softball, baseball, stickball, wiffleball… pretty much anything with four bases, a bat, and a ball gets me excited.

While I love having the opportunities to watch and coach the game, nothing warms my heart more than being on the field.

Tuesday we had a game against another team that we had previously beat at a tournament Saturday.  We knew the guys from the other team wanted to desperately win (church softball can get pretty rough sometimes).  The game was supposed to start at 8:30 but failed to due to the little league game that went long on our field.  In turn, that meant that we took the field later than normal so most of our guys weren’t loose and were getting anxious to play.  If that wasn’t enough, the bases were also a good distance further than normally are because there wasn’t enough time to switch distances after the little guys were done playing (Explanation: In softball older guys need shorter bases.  People keep telling me I’ll understand more when I get older but I hear them loud and clear.  Shorter distance means less running. Works for me!)  Plus with all that going against us, when I walked on the field, I could tell that the it had rained that day so the dirt was hard which meant it would be a disaster for ground balls.

Frustrating.

There were even more problems that were going against us as well that I could name off, but to make a long story short I played the worst game of softball in my life.

It was horrible.

Excuses, excuses.

Although I could have leaned on the poor conditions and made excuses for my performance, it was my fault.  I flat out played bad.  At some point you have to eliminate the excuses and take personal blame.  It wasn’t the conditions, it was me.  Period.  A good ball player adjusts to the poor elements and plays the game.  I’ve been playing ball for awhile.  I know that but I refused to adjust.  I leaned on the excuses.

So how does that relate to life?

Simple.

One of the things that grinds my gears is when people make excuses for their spiritual walk.  I constantly hear a cluster of reasons why someone is not following Christ or maturing in the faith like they should be.

Statements like…

“I just don’t have enough time.”

“I’ll get to it later after I’m done with ___________.”

“It’s not my job to ____________.”

Etc, etc.

Excuses, excuses.

On the softball field the other team won because they adjusted to the poor conditions and played the game.  They focused on the objective regardless of the elements.  They played with confidence because they knew how good they were and they won because of it.  Who cares about the delayed playing time?  Who cares about the field conditions?  Who cares how far the bases are off?  Let’s play the game.  We can adjust and we can win.

So what about you?

Take a look in the mirror for a second.

Maybe you need to stop making excuses for why your spiritual life is in the gutter and play ball.  Maybe you need to stop making excuses for why you’re so timid in sharing your faith.  Maybe you need to stop making excuses for your lack of time management.  Maybe you need to understand that the principles in the scriptures are for you to follow but you don’t even know them because you’re not in the Word.  Maybe you need to realize that the call of Christ IS your job.

That’s why you’re here!

Sounds blunt but personally I love that we have a God that is always is willing to tell us the truth no matter how much it hurts.

Listen.  You got Christ on your side who desperately desires for you to mature in your faith.  He’s given you all the power to do it but it comes down to a choice.  You have to make that choice on how much you want to grow.

So stop leaning on the excuses you keep making and cling to the understanding of the cross.  Allow Christ to place himself firmly at the center of your life and walk in the ways of His truth.  When something or someone pops up that seems to be a road block or hindrance, don’t use it as an excuse for your spiritual decay.  Adjust, reevaluate, and move on with the power of the Spirit that is inside of you as a believer in Jesus Christ.

Excuses, excuses.

Not any more.

-jordan

The Simple Truth About Rain

Published May 28, 2009 Uncategorized 1 Comment
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It’s raining today.

Rainy days are hard to handle.

Everything is magnified.  Life looks rougher than normal.  People appear gloomy.  The sun doesn’t sine.

It’s cold.

We are forced to live in the rain at times.

Jeremiah lived in the rain.

He preached a message that was constantly rejected by the people.  At times his heartache must have seemed overwhelming.    How frustrating would it be to preach everyday to stubborn people who did exactly the opposite of what God said.  I still don’t understand how Jeremiah stayed grounded throughout his ministry.  I wonder how many times he regretted raising his hand and opening his mouth to utter those two words…

“Send me!”

Jeremiah struggled in the rainy days.

He got frustrated,

often.

In Lamentations chapter three Jeremiah expressed his grief with God.  He seems to “complain” that God had ignored him and his prayers.  It was as if had “covered himself with a cloud that no prayer could pass through” (see verse 44).

However, through the heartache Jeremiah faced, he understood the need to justify God.  He knew in the end everything would work out according to God’s plan.  The rain would let up and the sun would shine again in the proper time if he remained faithful.  He acknowledged that it could have been worse.  The rain could have come down harder, the lightning bolts could have been stronger, and the thunder could have been louder.  Through it all he knew,

God is in control.

The hope we have and must continue to hold onto in the rain comes through the Lord’s great love for His people.  We must remember how important it is to stay grounded in the faith like Jeremiah.  We must understand that God is with the faithful.   We must embrace how amazing it is to be in the Lord’s mercy and grace.  How awesome is it that we are not consumed in the storms of life because of our great God?

We need to count ourselves blessed.

God’s compassion should never be taken for granted.

I forget that on rainy days.

The application is apparent.  Be patient.  The rain will cease, the hurting will stop, and the suffering will end in God’s perfect timing.  Everything is not as bad as it seems.  God is in control.  When you look out the window and see the rain coming down, when your problems are magnified because of the downcast weather, when life looks rough and gloomy and you swear the sun will never shine again, remember the importance of the simple truths Jeremiah uttered,

“The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Rest in the shelter of the Lord as the storms of life pass.

Amazing.

-jordan

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