What Comes To Mind . . .

I did it my way

2012-02-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

I like this, and not just because he is making fun of Mark Driscoll (who I like). Click her to see Matt Chandler say that you need to Fulfill YOUR ministry.

I love what he is saying because it really speaks to me personally. I know that God has called me to pastor, but I don't think he has called me to be like every other pastor. I struggled with that for a long time, even felt guilty or doubted my calling because I didn't seem to fit into the pastor mold.

But God has shown me that I am called to fulfill my ministry. God has given me specific gifts that I need to live out MY calling, not the calling of anyone else. If I try to fit into any type of mold, then I'm just going to be uncomfortable and restricted.

Maybe you feel God is calling you to some sort of ministry. If so, don't look to find a good model of how to do it, look to God for Him to show you His model and His plan for your ministry

Romans 8:28 NLT - And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

To quote Christian Rapper John Reuben - "Do not tell me what I can and cannot do when I rock".

And here's the lyrics to a song by someone you might have heard, Frank Sinatra's I Did It My Way

And now, the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way

Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption

I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+sinatra/i+did+it+my+way_20815694.html ]
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out

I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my way

I've loved, I've laughed and cried
I've had my fill, my share of losing
And now, as tears subside
I find it all so amusing to think I did all that

And may I say, not in a shy way
Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself, then he has not
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels

The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way

Yes, it was my way

Postmortem Ministry

2012-01-10T09:25:00.000-08:00

2 Kings 13:20-21

"Then Elisha died and was buried. Groups of Moabite raiders used to invade the land each spring. Once when some Israelites were burying a man, they spied a band of these raiders. So they hastily threw the corpse into the tomb of Elisha and fled. But as soon as the body touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man revived and jumped to his feet!"

That’s it, a dead man is being buried and when the ones burying him are fearful of bandits they throw his body in the grave and he touches the bones of Elisha who is dead, he comes back to life and stands on his feet! That’s all it says, like that’s normal! What did the bandits do? Did the guys who threw him there even see that? Then what about the guy who came back to life? Did he wonder why he was in a grave? Did he feel the power of God? That left me with more questions that answers!!! Think about it!

Celebrity Wife Swap

2012-01-04T07:46:00.000-08:00

Last night, we were blessed with another Gary Busey experience . . . Celebrity Wife swap. Gary Busey and his fiancé swapped wives with Ted and Gayle Haggard. Ted Haggard is a very popular pastor who was accused of paying a male prostitute for meth and sex. Check out this article when ChurchLeaders.com interviewed Gayle about why they did it. - Check it out here

My favorite thing that Gayle said - "What we have to recognize in the body of Christ is that we are losing ground in a huge way in the United States, and even though there are some wonderful churches that are strong, by and large, we are not making an impact in the cities we live in. So we have to be willing to go outside our comfort zones and what’s familiar to us and reach out to people and be relevant."

New Year's Easy?

2012-01-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

A lot of stuff happened in 2011. I've heard a lot of people say "2011 was rough! I hope 2012 is easier". One thing I've learned is that life is not going to get easier! Kind of depressing isn't it? Everyone of us has gone through some difficult things over the last year. As we start to think about resolutions and goals for this new year, my prayer is not going to be "God make this year easier" but rather "God, help me not just get through this year, but through your Spirit, let me THRIVE! Help me to conquer anything this year will throw at me". Jesus said that we are more than conquerors. I don't think William Wallace or any other strong leaders of revolutions asked for it to be easy but rather the courage and strength to face issues head on with your chin lifted high and come out the other side standing in victory.

So for this new year, don't ask for God to take away hardships, but instead, ask for God to be with you and help you conquer anything this life will throw at you. You can't get stronger if you don't go through difficult situations.

Whitewashed Tombs?

2011-11-16T08:28:00.001-08:00

Matthew 23: 27 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. 28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Jesus cares more about your heart. I have never heard someone who comes to church in jeans say "I can't believe that guy is wearing a suit to church!" But I've heard a lot of people who are "dressed up" say that about people who decide to come as they are before their Creator God.

Do you think that God is more concerned that you look your best for Him on a Sunday, or that you are living the best that you can for Him everyday?

If I had to choose between my kids looking nice or being nice, I choose being nice. I choose what really matters. You might go on a 1st date and dress up nice to impress, but when feelings begin to truly develop, you love the person for who they are. I love my wife when she dresses up and when she is in her sweat pants. And, if you're married you know this is true, we are in sweat pants more than we are dressed up in our best for each other.

And woe to those who have tattoos for the spirit of God seems to be absorbed into the ink.

Holy Hanky

2011-10-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles. When handkerchiefs or aprons that had merely touched his skin were placed on sick people, they were healed of their diseases, and evil spirits were expelled. (Acts 19:11-12 NLT)

That is such an odd aspect of Paul's ministry that I usually just read over and move on. But man!!! Wouldn't that be awesome to have a ministry that had the power of God like that? And not so you can sell your "anointed prayer cloths". Don't even get me started with that!

I pray that the power of God will fall in our services and that people are set free from the sin that holds them down, free from the sicknesses that infect their bodies and free to worship God with Passion!

Crave Service: Modern Parables: Hidden Treasure

2011-10-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

Crave service video of Modern Parables: Hidden Treasure - Understanding It. Click here to watch video

Angel's Singing

2011-10-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

I came across 2 awesome videos about when Jason Upton was leading worship and claimed that and Angel appeared behind him and sang with him.
Here is a link to a testimony of the night by one of his band members. Watch this first - Testimony Video
Here is a link to the song, which I love, with lyrics explaining when they angel's voice comes in - Jason Upton - Fly

Check them out and share your thoughts. Do you think this is legit?
I hope it is. Imagine what it would be like to be in a worship service where God's glory falls in such a powerful way that angel's show up?!
If it is real, I guess God likes his song!

Modern Parables Hidden Treasure Wrap Up

2011-10-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

Check out the video wrap up from Thursday September 29th
http://www.thecrave.net/videos/

God Cares

2011-09-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book. (Psalm 56:8 NLT)

It's nice to know that God cares about our sorrows. He cares so much that he knows and saves everyone of your tears. I love how detailed God is. He formed you in your mother's womb, He knows the number of hairs on your head and the number of tears that you shed.

So don't think God doesn't care about your life. No matter how insignificant Satan wants you to feel, every detail about your life is important to God.
Maybe we should be more concerned about the details in our life?

Get out of the way

2011-09-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

So, I'm reading one of my favorite books, "They Like Jesus But Not The Church" and again, I feel like Dan Kimball just put my feelings down on paper. This book is what opened my eyes to the calling God has on my life to reach this emerging generation.

Here's the part that jumped out my today."Many church leaders say that emerging generations reject church because the cross is a stumbling block (that is true - 1 Corin. 1:23). . . The problem isn't that they stumble on the cross. The problem is that they stumble on the attitudes of some Christians and in the Christian subculture that we have put in their way before they can even get to the cross".

Too many times we hide behind statements like "The gospel is offensive" or "the cross is a stumbling block" when I think that more often than not, people are rejecting us and our tactics or more like lack of tact. This little Christian bubble that we set up is based upon tradition, not gospel. Sometimes, we think it's gospel, when in reality, it's just the way that the church has always done it. Do we really think Jesus is honored more in a suit than shorts and flip flops? Would Jesus be singing "Get and haircut and get a real job" or "Come as you are"?

So the danger in making our preferences or tradition be the standard that we are calling people to live up to is that to people who haven't grown up in that tradition, that just doesn't make sense to them. It doesn't make sense to me. It seems like it didn't make sense to Jesus. It appears to me that Jesus came to shake up those who held on to tradition and structure over caring for hurting people. Eventually they crucified Jesus for it. Imagine being there when Jesus stood between the Pharisees and the woman caught in adultery. Jesus cared more about the hurting woman and reaching her soul, than what tradition said you were supposed to do to her.

I want to care more about hurting people and doing what I can to remove every stumbling block that gets in the way of them dedicating their life to Jesus . . . even if it means that some of (or most of) those stumbling blocks were put there by other Christians.

Crave Cafe Help

2011-08-23T07:45:00.000-07:00

Rebekah Arnold

Hey guys!!!!

I hope that you are all doing wonderfully and that you are enjoying your last few days of summer I was wondering if you all would be willing to help out with the Crave Cafe?!?!? Joei has been doing a wonderful job, but the Cafe is a more than one lady kind of job! She is a busy lady and needs some help, soooooo...that's where you and I come in!

I know that we have made sign up sheets in the past, but rarely to people sign up and rarely do people bring food. We have been running very low on food lately. I know that is seems just like food, what's the big deal, but the cafe is one of the first things that people see when they come to the Crave.

We want people to be able to feel welcome and at ease and food always helps that atmosphere. Over the next few months, we are really praying that new people walk through the doors of the Crave and feel a connection...and we all know that food brings joy to EVERYONE'S soul!

Soooooo....here's where you come in...We need FOOD!!!

I am going to be in charge of getting the food together and remind you to bring it. So, here's what I need from you!

1. Please respond to this message letting me know if you are willing to help. If you are not willing to help, please let me know that, so I can take you off of the list.

2. If enough of us help, you will probably only need to bring something once a month or even once every other month.

3. If you are able to help, I will assign you a week and then remind you on Monday and Wednesday of that week, that you are to bring something.

4. If you want to bring something specific, let me know, other wise I will assign you a certain thing...ex...chips or veggies, or dessert

5. This is your ministry so we would like any input that you are willing to give! We want The Crave Cafe to be bangin' (hahahaha I had to say that

6. If you know anyone that would be willing to help that is not on the list, let me know so that I can add them. And, it would be grand if you would ask them too to make them feel a part of this ministry!

Thank you so much for being a part of the Crave and for making it a place that young adults want to come to!!!

I love you all and am so grateful to get to work along side of you!!!

Bekah

So if you are interested, contact Rebekah Arnold via Facebook and get added to the list. We need you!

Tear Drops to Rain Drops

2011-07-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

This is Dobos by the way. We just completed a prayer walk in the park near our hotel where a week long festival is taking place. This isn't just any festival, it's a festival to celebrate an ancient saint. What's wrong with that? Well, a few things, but to keep it simple, the people of this town are having an event celebrating something they shouldn't. Events like these should be celebrating Jesus, not some ancient saint. Plus, there are a lot of drinking, load music and ungodly behavior. Doesn't sound like a lot of fun. Back to the story, before the festival is scheduled to take place today, the team went on a prayer walk around the park and surrounding neighborhoods. We prayed for lot of things from bondage breaking, to healing to new beginnings. This was powerful. After that we came back to the hotel and gathered as a group to reflect. This later led to one of the most powerful prayer circles I've ever been a part of. God's presence was definitely felt. I titled this blog tear drops to rain drops because it started raining while we praying and tears were falling among us for the people of this area; tears of hope and joy that God is going to do big things in the time to come. That's it. Bek has rice krispy treats. Latez from the DR.

Dominican Republic Video Blog 1

2011-07-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Click here for our 1st daily video blog.

Here we go

2011-07-10T15:06:00.000-07:00

We are now boarding our final flight to the Capital of the DR, Santo Domingo from Miami. Our team is so excited for what God is going to do.

Talk about power!

2011-06-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

That is such an odd aspect of Paul's ministry that I usually just read over and move on. But man!!! Wouldn't that be awesome to have a ministry that had the power of God like that? And not so you can sell your "anointed prayer cloths". Don't even get me started with that! But to have the power of God so strong in your life that you leave a wake of miracles!

God, I pray that you use me as a vessel that your Holy spirit can flow through in great power!

Speaking what God gives you

2011-06-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

I see a lot of people saying that we should speak or that preachers should preach about prosperity. And then I see a lot of people talking about speaking or preaching about the wrath of God.

I think that there are times for either situation. I don't think that a person should always speak, or a preacher should always preach about either one. A lot of times some truths of the Bible make more sense to us so we get stuck on them. But that isn't healthy speech or a healthy way to preach.

You need a mix of a lot of things to be healthy. Same thing is true with the things you eat. Being a vegetarian is good for some, while others choose to be on the Atkins diet. I have a friend who switches between Atkins and a vegetarian diet about every 2 years. I know, He's a little confused.

You might lose a lot of weight on the Atkins diet or on a vegetarian diet, or any diet, but when you are done with the diet, if you don't have a healthy balance, then you just are going to gain your weight back.

I think the same is true about the things of God. We need to seek to understand all of the truths of God to have a deep relationship with Him. He need to understand His wrath and His mercy.

And when it comes to preaching, we need to seek God's face and see what truth He wants us to share with our audience. I love these 2 short passages from 1 Kings. Basically, King ahab wanted to go to war and 400 prophets were just telling him what he wanted to hear. And then came Micaiah, God's prophet.

1 Kings 22:13-14 - 13 Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”14 But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”

King Ahab even said that he HATED Micaiah because he never liked what he said.

So matter how it is going to be received, we have to speak the truths that God wants us to speak.

p.s. I think that God wants us to be smart about how we deliver those truths as well. More bees with honey than vinegar.

In the presence of all

2011-05-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

Psalms 116:1-2 - "I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!"
vs. 12 - "What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me?"
vs. 14 - "I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people."
vs. 17-18 - "I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people"
Proverbs 15:21 "Foolishness brings joy to those with no sense; a sensible person stays on the right path."

Last week I spoke on the Breastplate of Righteousness. The take away for me was that God wants us to live a consistent life in front of everyone: our church, our work, our friends, our families. When we think of everything that God does, it should be easy to live a consistent life. That's what we can offer God . . . complete surrender of our lives in every aspect of our lives.

All ready have it

2011-04-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

So many times we ask God to take difficult situation out of our way, but I believe, more often then not, God wants us to go through them. It's not a surprise to God that you have an obstacle in your way.

One of my favorite stories is when God used Gideon to defeat the Midianites. Gideon really had some self-esteem issues. He had no faith in himself. He was afraid and even tried to talk God out of using him.

Judges 6: 14 "Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”"

I love that. Go with the strength you have. Not "I will give you more strength" but go with what you already have.

We don't need God to give us more to get through our hard situations. Whatever obstacle is put before you, God knows the gifts and strengths He has given you. He isn't going to make you go through anything that isn't going to make you even stronger.

So “Go with the strength you have" and do some awesome things!

Cross Training

2011-04-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

1 Timothy 4:7-10
7 Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. 8 “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” 9 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. 10 This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.

Its time that we focus on how we personally can grow closer to Jesus instead of splitting hairs over useless arguments.  Instead of arguing over issues, I want to dig deep into God and do whatever I can to get closer to Jesus.  That should happen through reading the Bible, through prayer, through relationships with mentors and friends who challenge me to grow in my relationship, and even through some books or sermons by others.

No one person is perfect.

No one book, other than the Bible, is perfect.

No one sermon is perfect.

No one leader is perfect.

So we should take our focus off of trying to point out other's shortcomings, and focus on how we can fix our own shortcomings.

Ask yourself "where in my life do I need to grow closer to Jesus?" and then work on those issues.

That is beneficial, like Timothy said "training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come."

A License to . . . Facebook?

2011-04-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

We require people to get a driver's license because we need to verify that they are responsible and capable enough to operate a vehicle safely.

Maybe we should do the same thing to have a Facebook account.

People could get instructions on how to use their Facebook in a safe and respectable way that wouldn't hurt themselves or others.

They could then sit in front of a computer with an instructor and show that they have the capabilities to exist in cyberspace.

Sounds foolish, but it may actually help some people.

Then when people make hurtful comments on their or a friends wall, the Facebook police can come and give them a citation. $125 fine for reckless posting. Or 3 years in prison for posting with intent to kill. Maybe some people would watch which they say more if there were actual immediate repercussions.

I guess Matthew 12:35-37 isn't enough to make some people be a little more careful with their words.
Matthew 12:35-37 - A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. 36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. 37 The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.”

Love and Grace

2011-03-18T07:42:00.000-07:00

Watch Rob Bell Interview here

If you listen to all of the answers Rob gives, he doesn't say anything that we would disagree with. The uncomfortable statements are made by the interviewer who seems to have an agenda of making Rob look bad. Now if his book is watering down the message of Jesus, then that's all the info we need to not listen to him. But Rob Bell has always seemed to challenge us to use our minds and our hearts when we think about God. He never said that everyone will be saved. "Am I a universalist . . . no". "Is it irrelevant about how one responds to Christ in this world? - it is terribly relevant and terribly important".

Remember, Martin Bashir's job is to get ratings so he is trying to put Rob on his heels. So he asks him about 20 deeply philosophical questions that would take hours to answer in about 6 minutes. So Rob is not going to be able to perfectly answer them. Also, Bashir does cut him off many times before Rob can finish his thought. Granted, Rob is a pastor and was probably trying to give 15 minute answer for each question.

I think the moral is for us to not jump to such rash judgmental judgments on Rob Bell or anyone for that matter. I'm not saying he is 100% correct. I don't know if anyone is 100% correct, but I agree that we should err on the side of love and grace with people. After all, Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love God and then our neighbors as ourselves.

Silence Them

2011-02-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

Psalm 31:13-18 (New Living Translation)

¹³ I have heard the many rumors about me,

and I am surrounded by terror.

My enemies conspire against me,

plotting to take my life.

¹⁴ But I am trusting you, O Lord,

saying, “You are my God!”

¹⁵ My future is in your hands.

Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.

¹⁶ Let your favor shine on your servant.

In your unfailing love, rescue me.

¹⁷ Don’t let me be disgraced, O Lord,

for I call out to you for help.

Let the wicked be disgraced;

let them lie silent in the grave.^[a]

¹⁸ Silence their lying lips—

those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.

Have you ever had someone talk about you and the things they were saying were just hurtful and not true? It's always hard to try and not get worked up when people seem to be attacking you or the people you care about.

Just know that you are in good company. So just do what David did: let out your frustrations to God about it, then trust him to "silence their lying lips". I like that!

Be Careful Little Eyes

2011-02-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

Proverbs 8:12-13 NLT - 12 “I, Wisdom, live together with good judgment. I know where to discover knowledge and discernment. 13 All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.

A lot of times, we justify what we watch, listen to or say. We say things like "what's the big deal?" or "Everyone has seen this movie?" or "It's not hurting anyone".

But this powerful scripture tells us that if we are wise, which we should all be seeking wisdom, then we will have good judgement and we will hate the very things that those songs, shows or movies are representing.

We all are watching or listening or saying things that we shouldn't be. But maybe it would be a good idea to keep reminding ourselves that we need to turn our eyes and ears from these things and more to God. We all need a good reminder of that from time to time

Awesome Line

2011-02-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

So, I have loved this song ever since I've heard it on So You Think You Can Dance. It's Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts. This Philly native has an awesome sound and this song has probably my favorite line ever . . . "You're gonna catch a cold, from the ice inside your soul". I love that!!! Check out the video here: Jar of Hearts Video. I also love this line "I wished I had missed, the 1st time that we kissed".

So here's what comes to mind . . . fellas, and ladies, with Valentine's day coming up, think about treating people in a way that they won't direct these 2 awesome lines in your direction