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Please check back August 18th for Pastor Stan’s next blog!

In my study time, I came across this great piece that I wanted to share with you. Patience, trust and faith go hand – in – hand and this is some encouragement for the journey.

                                             THE PATIENCE OF FAITH
“Because thou hast kept the word of My patience.” Revelation 3:10
Patience is more than endurance. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says – “I cannot stand any more.” God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God’s hands. For what have you need of patience just now? Maintain your relationship to Jesus Christ by the patience of faith. “Though He slay me, yet will I wait for Him.”
Faith is not a pathetic sentiment, but robust vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. You cannot see Him just now, you cannot understand what He is doing, but you know Him. Shipwreck occurs where there is not that mental poise which comes from being established on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the heroic effort of your life; you fling yourself in reckless confidence on God.
God has ventured all in Jesus Christ to save us, now He wants us to venture our all in abandoned confidence in Him. There are spots where that faith has not worked in us as yet, places untouched by the life of God. There were none of those spots in Jesus Christ’s life, and there are to be none in ours. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee.” The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we take this view, life becomes one great romance, a glorious opportunity for seeing marvelous things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.

Blessings,
Pastor Stan

This weekend is Mother’s Day. It is a time set aside to honor and show appreciation to the person that brought us into the world, nurtured us and cared for us – our mothers.

So often whether you are a mother or not, we forget how our lives can impact not only people currently around us, but also can impact future generations. One such person is Naomi, a mother whose story is found in the Old Testament; a story that is often overlooked.

Her family had to move to a foreign country because of a terrible famine. And while they were there, her sons married. But in time, her husband and sons died and she decided it was time to return to her home in Bethlehem.

Here is the cool thing… she was so dedicated to God, that her daughter-in-law, Ruth decided she wanted that life for herself as well. Ruth was so impressed by the dedication of Naomi’s life to God, she told Naomi, “Your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God.” From that day forward Ruth turned her back on the old life she used to live and embraced a new life she found in God.

Because of Naomi’s influence, Ruth influenced her family, and Ruth’s love for God was so powerful that her great grandson became one of the most influential men of the Old Testament – David, King of Israel.

Ultimately, Ruth is one of the few women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
All this took place because one woman, Naomi… built her life around her dedication to God.

Often we’re simply focused on the influence that we have right here and right now on our children, grandchildren, etc. But the life of a man or woman who give themselves totally to God can have a ripple that will impact generations to come.

I’m like everybody else I have crappy days…days where it seems like it would have been to my advantage to stay in bed rather then get up.

But as I read about Paul and Silas in Acts 16, I realize I have nothing to whine about.

Here is the story in a nutshell…Paul casts a demon out of a fortune-teller…. Her master doesn’t like it because she loses the ability to predict the future… so he has Paul and Silas arrested.

Acts 16:22 says, The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

Now that is a crappy day! I have not had anything that has even come close to that.

If I was Paul or Silas I would be crying, asking for my mommy…and you had better not ask anything of me because I wouldn’t have anything to offer, I’d be drained and filled with self-pity.

Their backs are bleeding from their beating… I’ve never had a mob form against me… but I’m guessing that’s a little un-nerving. And to top it off they are thrown in the maximum-security cell in chains.

It just doesn’t get much worse than that…. And that’s why this next verse is so unbelievable. Acts 16:25 says, about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

Paul and Silas could have complained about their circumstances….God, we cast out a demon and this is what we get? We’re on a missionary journey and we get beaten and thrown in jail? They could have complained…But they made a choice to worship God in spite of their external circumstances.

The solution to a crappy day – is worship.

It changes your perspective from the temporary to the eternal…to the fact that I have eternity with God to look forward to, in a place where there is no mourning or sorrow or pain.

Nothing is more difficult than praising God when everything seems to be going wrong…. But one of the purest forms of worship is praising God even when you don’t feel like it. It shows God that your worship isn’t based on circumstances…. Worship is based on your love for God and His character.

Worship is reframing our circumstances.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Be Blessed,
Stan

One of my goals going into this year was to read through the Bible from beginning to end….As I have been reading about Abraham, Moses and Noah it has been a fresh reminder of how when we step out into faith and obedience…it requires action on our part.

When God spoke to Abraham…he invited him to come to a land he would show him, and if he did, he promised to make him into a great nation.
Abraham had to take action to follow God. He had to leave his extended family and his home to go wherever God directed.

When God spoke to Moses from a burning bush asking him to deliver his people from Egypt…Moses couldn’t stay in the desert and go save his people from slavery in Egypt at the same time. …He needed to take action.

When God spoke to Noah to build the ark in the middle of the desert…it made no sense in the natural…people laughed at him but he obeyed and took action.

Some of the action that is required to take… will be uncomfortable.

The Bible is full of examples…. Some had to leave family and country. Others had to leave behind livelihoods, dreams etc.

Everything had to be yielded to God and their entire life adjusted to Him not visa a versa.

Doing God’s will… will cost you something…. However what we gain will always outweigh whatever we lose.

Be Blessed,
Stan

I came across a blog this week that actually addressed an issue that has become a concern of mine – social networking.

I haven’t addressed it up until this point…nor have I seen anybody else address it… up until now… Pastor Mark Batterson nails it….

“I was reading II Corinthians 10:10 today: “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.” That text triggered this thought: some of us are very different people “in person” than we are “behind the computer.” And I don’t think that is healthy or holy.

I’m not just talking about bloggers who write irresponsibly about that which they do not know. I think it’s easier to slander someone or spread gossip from the comfortable confines of your computer. Somehow the medium excuses the sin. It doesn’t. All it does is a keep a written record of what you’ve done wrong. I’m not trying to get on a soapbox. I just think communication mediums can be used for good or evil. They can help us grow spiritually or become a spiritual snare.

To redeem an old saying: be careful little thumbs what you text. That goes for blogging, twittering, and emailing too! Keep it righteous! After all, God is blind copied (BCC) on everything we write!” (End of quote)

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue…

To put it another way… death and life are at our fingertips.

As Mark Patterson said keep it righteous.

Be blessed,
Stan

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and News Years Holiday….

The beginning of the year is always a great time to reflect where you have been and where you want to go.

But what I have found in life to be true is… that no matter how well you plan (and I believe in planning) there will always be those unforeseen trials, storms and times of suffering that we go through.

I was remind of this yesterday… when I found out through another Pastor friend of mind that Matt Chandler who I heard at a conference last year… someone that God used to speak to my heart…. has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor that was not encapsulated.

He is a young 35 year old pastor from Dallas Texas who is doing a tremendous work there in the city…has a young family… a great future ahead of him and bam…all of a sudden it is changed over night…

But I want to share with you a short video message that he recorded a few days before his surgery… they played it for his Church this past week.

Video from Matt.

What a reminder of the perspective we all need to have…. that to be with Christ is greater then anything in this world.

Be Blessed,

Stan

I want to share with you one of my devotional readings this week it comes from Oswald Chambers it is called The Great Life .

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled . . . —John 14:27

Whenever we experience something difficult in our personal life, we are tempted to blame God. But we are the ones in the wrong, not God. Blaming God is evidence that we are refusing to let go of some disobedience somewhere in our lives. But as soon as we let go, everything becomes as clear as daylight to us. As long as we try to serve two masters, ourselves and God, there will be difficulties combined with doubt and confusion. Our attitude must be one of complete reliance on God. Once we get to that point, there is nothing easier than living the life of a saint. We encounter difficulties when we try to usurp the authority of the Holy Spirit for our own purposes.
God’s mark of approval, whenever you obey Him, is peace. He sends an immeasurable, deep peace; not a natural peace, “as the world gives,” but the peace of Jesus. Whenever peace does not come, wait until it does, or seek to find out why it is not coming. If you are acting on your own impulse, or out of a sense of the heroic, to be seen by others, the peace of Jesus will not exhibit itself. This shows no unity with God or confidence in Him. The spirit of simplicity, clarity, and unity is born through the Holy Spirit, not through your decisions. God counters our self-willed decisions with an appeal for simplicity and unity.
My questions arise whenever I cease to obey. When I do obey God, problems come, not between me and God, but as a means to keep my mind examining with amazement the revealed truth of God. But any problem that comes between God and myself is the result of disobedience. Any problem that comes while I obey God (and there will be many), increases my overjoyed delight, because I know that my Father knows and cares, and I can watch and anticipate how He will unravel my problems.

Walk in Peace and Be Blessed,
Stan

I meet with some young leaders each Tuesday morning for a time of encouragement and leadership training.

We are going through the book ‘Developing the Leader Within’ You by John Maxwell…In the book there is a story that Norman Vincent shares and it goes like this….

“Once walking through the twisted little streets of Kowloon in Hong Kong, I came upon a tattoo studio. In the window were displayed samples of the tattoos available. On the chest or arms you could have tattooed an anchor or flag or mermaid or whatever. But what struck me with force were the three words that could be tattooed on one’s flesh, Born to lose.
“I entered the shop in astonishment and, pointing to those words, asked the Chinese tattoo artist, ‘Does anyone really have that terrible phrase, Born to lose, tattooed on his body?’
“He replied, ‘Yes, sometimes.’
‘But I said, ‘I just can’t believe that anyone in his right mind would do that.’
“The Chinese man simply tapped his forehead and in broken English said, ‘Before tattoo on body, tattoo on mind.’’ (End of Story)

Today you may feel like a loser because of what you have or what you haven’t done…be encouraged through Christ you can be a new person…he can take our failures and use them as building blocks for our future if we let Him.

The Bible says there may be much tears in the evening but there will be joy in the morning….Don’t give up…remember you only become a failure when you give up.

Be Blessed
Stan

In my early walk with God I had to overcome… a sense of not measuring up…or not having what it takes to be used by God.
I should be thankful to be able to go to heaven and leave it at that. (Kind of like…don’t push your luck!)

What I have had to learn is it is not what I can do with my life… but what God can do with my life… as I surrender to Him…as I begin to allow Him to work through me.

This story I found illustrates this point…
Fritz Kreisler was a well-known violinist and it was advertised once that he was going to play a concert in New York City on a priceless Stradivarius violin worth over half a million dollars. The concert hall was packed. Fritz Kreisler came out and wowed the audience with his violin virtuoso. The high notes seemed as if the angels were singing and brought tears to the eyes of strong men. When he finished, the crowd stood to their feet in spontaneous applause. To their horror Fritz Kreisler took that violin, smashed it on the stage, stomped it into splinters and then walked off. They were stunned to silence. Then the concertmaster came out and said to the crowd, “Fritz Kreisler has asked me to convey to you that he just performed this concert on a fifty dollar fiddle he bought at a pawn shop this afternoon. He wanted to show you that it is not the instrument, it is any instrument in the hand of the master.”

It’s not your life… and it’s not your will for your life… it is what God can do with your life when you place yourself in his hands.

1 Corinthians 1:27-31, But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

Be Blessed,
Stan