From the Pastor's Desk

S.H.A.P.E.

2008-03-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life is a lot like a puzzle. Confusing, frustrating and rewarding all at the same time!!! In every area and aspect of our life we struggle to find our fit and for most people church isn't much different.

We all want to fit in … To be liked or valued! Trying to find our place in this world called church …

Over the next few days, I trust that you will find some of the tools that you need to help you find your place in this giant puzzle …

MONDAY - SPIRITUAL GIFTS
I Corinthians 12:4-6

Spiritual Gifts are abilities given by God to believers in order to strengthen the Body of Christ!
Paul was pretty clear about these gifts. In fact, chapters 12 through 14 present in great detail how the gifts are to operate. That’s right, even chapter 13, the “Love Chapter” is all about spiritual gifts and how they are to be administrated. Through LOVE!

It is often hard to recognize your own gifts because your gifts are unique to you! Paul says, “there are diversities” and “differences of administration”. This means that not everyone will have the same gift, and even if they do, they will be displayed in different ways. Your Spiritual Gifts will be influenced by your personality and will be a reflection of who God is in you.

It is important that we are aware that our gifts do not come from our own natural abilities … They are given by God to each believer. Every believer has at least one Spiritual Gift, and it is important to use them for the kingdom! A good friend of mine said, “To the degree that we fail to exercise our spiritual gifts we cripple our church, and we as a body suffer.”
… Poignant words!!!

TUESDAY - HEART
II Timothy 1:6-7

One of my favorite passages finds Paul writing to his Spiritual Son. He is reminding Timothy to “fan into the flame” the gift of God. He is telling Timothy not to let the flames of passion dim! He is encouraging Timothy to remember what set him ablaze spiritually to begin with …

What about you, what are you passionate about? That thing that when it comes to your attention it ignites inside of you with tears or with anger. What gets your feathers ruffled?
God doesn't call you to the things that you are passionate about, he makes you passionate about the things that you are called to! Henri Frederic Amiel said, “Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.”

David was passionate about God. In facts Acts says David was a man after God’s heart. Author Ray Hughes says this, “David gave his heart to God and that left him without one. Then her went after God’s heart to replace his own.”

I urge you to give God your heart completely, leaving just an empty place … Then see what He fills it with!

WEDNESDAY - ABILITY
I Peter 4:8-11

There is a lot to be said about our abilities … God is an amazing God, and I believe that he designed an amazing creation! And that he gave us each that abilities that we need to make it through this world.

I know that for most, when we look at ourselves we see all of the challenges. We see what we consider to be our faults … And that is fine as long as we can keep things in perspective. Remember that God gave you opportunities all through your life to learn. All the time that you were gaining knowledge, God was planning what he could use that knowledge for.

While it is true that not all of your abilities are going to be connected to your Spiritual Gifts, your abilities are still a part of your calling! God will use you … Every part of you! Your skills and even your faults for His glory if you will only allow Him to take control.

“Deep within man dwell those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish him, that he never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize his life if aroused and put into action.” -Orison Swett Marden

Isn’t it time to awake that sleeping giant within you named ABILITY?!?

THURSDAY - PERSONALITY
Matthew 10:30 &
II Timothy 1:9

God is so consumed by you that he knows every part of you … In fact, each hair on our head has an identity to God. That is how well he knows us because of his love! He knows us because He created us, and is constantly recreating us afresh and anew!

He has even created our personalities, as hard as that is for some us to imagine ... He made me this way! And then to top that, he called this flawed person “according to His purpose.”

In fact, our giftedness fits who we are! God made you to be exactly who you are and then called you to be more than you can imagine! I know that you see your weaknesses as glaring and your strengths as hidden, but you need to learn to see you the way that God sees you!

“God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.”
- Ephesians 2:10 GW

FRIDAY - EXPERIENCE
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

A man was walking down the street one day and feel into a hole. He tried with all that the had to get out of the hole, but the walls appeared to be to steep for him to make it.

He saw a priest walking by and said, “Father, can you help me, I’ve fallen into this hole and cannot get out.” So the priest made the sign of The Cross spoke a blessing and walked on …
Soon the man saw a doctor walking by and said, “Doctor, can you help me, I’ve fallen into this hole and cannot get out.” So, the doctor pulled out his pad, wrote a prescription and threw it down in the hole and walked on …

The third person to walk by was a friend … He called up to his friend for help, and his friend jumped in the hole. The man said, “You idiot, now we are both stuck down here!” To which the friend replied, “But I’ve been here before and I know the way out.”

There is a reason and a season for everything that we go through … And while at the time we get frustrated, discouraged and even angry we must realize that God is shaping even our personality to be exactly what He needs it to be! So, JUST BE IT!!!

Starting Point ...

2008-01-23T14:19:00.000-08:00

Training the body helps a little, but godly living helps in every way. Godly living has the promise of life now and in the world to come. - I Tim 4:8 gw

As Believers, it is imperative that we make time for God!!! With that in mind I have built a weekly devotion to aide in the process ...

Each of the topics have helped me and countless other to live sucessfull Christian lifes! Give them a try ...

Monday
Quiet Time - Bible Study
II Timothy 3:16-17
If you are anything like me, I’m sure there are times that the noise is unbearable! Often, I struggle to find a few moments of peace.
As I was reminded a few weeks ago at Youth Convention, it is vital that we make time to “Stop The Noise”! in those quiet times, it is crucial that we make God’s Word a priority.
Did You know the Bible is alive? It is alive only if it is in you … The Bible is all about life. You can read stories of Moses, Daniel and Jesus … But if you will look closer you will find stories about you!
If we can learn to apply the Bible to our lives, our everyday decisions will be made easier.
However, David knew the best reason for getting into the Word… He said, “I have hidden Your Word in my heart, so that I might not sin against You.” - Ps 119:11

Tuesday
Quiet Time - Prayer
Matthew 6:5-15
Imagine loving someone so much that it hurts! Now imagine what it would be like to see that person everyday, and to be completely ignored. At least until they needed something from you …
Do you wonder if that is how god feels about us? Communication is a vital part of a growing relationship! So, do you wonder why you can’t get any closer to God? Are you praying? Are you really trying to build a relationship?
I always hear people say, “But, I don’t know how to pray!” Prayer is a simple conversation… It is you talking to a God who loves you more than you can imagine, and who knows you better than you know yourself.
true prayer is honest, Just be you! What God Really wants is you! “He wants you to fear him, follow all his directions, love him, and worship him with all your heart and with all your soul.” - Deut 10:12

Wednesday
Walking the Talk
James 2:14-19
A major part of walking the talk has to do with our relationship to the church. The way that we react to the church is a direct reflection of our relationship with Christ himself. Isn’t the church the body of Christ?
It is not that God needs our money or our time. What God needs is to be first! First in our lives, in our finances; and, at the top of our priority lists. And that includes the church!
Jesus said, “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Mt 6:21) He was saying that you will be committed to the things that you value most.
Winston Churchill said, “You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.” It’s true, isn’t it? We are defined by the things we do… I want to be a giver!
“So here's what I want you to do Take your everyday ordinary life and place it before God as an offering.” - Rom 12:1

Thursday
Small Groups
Acts 2:42-45
It shouldn’t surprise us that one of the first things that Christ did as he was beginning his earthly ministry was to form a small group.
The apostles were a rag tag group of men that Christ called to change the world. But before they would ever be able to change anything, they had a lot to learn! And how would they learn? Christ would teach them with his life.
After Jesus ascended, small groups became the model for the New Testament church! And it is no wonder, we can learn a lot from other believers! As we get into the word together we can learn from each persons experience.
If we look, it’s not hard to realize why small groups are important… Our daily life should be about teaching people how to follow Christ.
As you go, teach them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. - Matt 28:19-20

Friday
Accountability
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
Independence can be a wonderful thing… This great country sought independence for the sake of religious freedom … In order to worship our God the way that we knew we should.
However, the cry for spiritual independence troubles me. The Bible paints a very different picture, It says that we should be dependent upon each other!
Even though we strive for independence, it is not possible to live a successful Christian life without accountability! But lets face it, being accountable can be down right scary!
We must overcome our fears! We need to have those that we can trust to love us in spite of our deep dark secrets. It takes a special person to look beyond all of our faults and see us the way God does. But we must find someone to keep us accountable!
“Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” - Jam 5:16

2007-10-30T22:35:00.000-07:00

Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Christ Jesus,

What a wonderful and exciting time that we live in. We have the honor of being able to make an impact in a world that is lost and dying. Isn’t amazing that God has entrusted you to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ? He has given us not only the privilege, but also the responsibility to reach our world for Him!!!

In light of that we are looking forward to some exciting changes here at Full Gospel … I know that change can be scary! We all experience some level of anxiety when we move in a new direction. However, as some of you know, there are natural church growth plateaus … And the level of growth that we have attained has brought us to such a place. The easiest way to move beyond that is to develop a new strategy and continually seek to improve and expand! I have a small sign in my office that says “GOD IS. CHURCH EVOLVES.” It serves as a reminder that while the one that we serve never changes, the ways in which we serve him are constantly changing! If that wasn’t the case then we would still being conducting animal sacrifices and I think that we are all glad we no longer serve in that way.

We are always looking for new and better ways to be able to serve the community around us as well as continuing to meet the needs of people that already call this church home! As many of you know we have been contemplating a change in the Sunday Evening format for some time. We have also, for about a year now, been discussing a “Traditional” service as well as considering changes to our midweek program. We feel that now is the appropriate time to make those changes, in one fell swoop.

So, beginning on December 2nd we will be adding a “Traditional” service on Sundays at 9:00am. Sunday School will remain at 9:15, however teachers will be onsite at 9:00 with activities for the kids of the parents who will attend the early service. Our regular style service will remain at 10:30am and we are considering an “Adult Bible Class” at that time for those that attend the early service but would still like to participate in Sunday School. On that same day, December 2nd we will begin having “Power Cells”! These are small groups that will meet in various offsite locations. These groups will give you a new opportunity for fellowship as well as a unique learning experience! Then, on the following Wednesday, December 5th Royal Rangers and Missionettes will be changing to Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm to coordinate with the Adult Bible Study.

We have enlisted the help of Rev. Randy & Sister Beckie Branson for our Traditional service. Mom is a wonderful musician and a fabulous worship leader! And as most of you know Dad is a fantastic preacher and the reason that I am in ministry today. It is a privilege and indeed an honor to add them to our “staff” here at Full Gospel!

I trust that you are as excited about the changes as I am! We have prayerfully considered these adjustments for some time now, and are anxious to see where God is going to take us next!

Looking Forward,
Rev. Floyd C. Ogle II

The AMAZING word of God!!!

2007-07-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Isn’t the Bible a remarkable book?!? Have you ever stepped back and thought of all of those lessons from your Sunday School teacher? All of those Children’s Church “stories” are more than just fairytales!

The Bible is the indestructible word of God! It will continue on long after this world has ceased to exist! It is so much more than just a collection of love stories and action adventure plots … It is the very word of God! I once heard the Bible described as God’s dictation to the world. This is a perfect description!

So often we pray prayers that say, “God, I need to hear from you!” or shake our fists in frustration or wring our hands in despair saying, “Why can’t I hear you?” When in reality if we would diligently seek God in his word, he would speak LOUDLY!!!

I learned a long time ago, that I didn’t need anyone to prophecy to me … God had given me the ability to hear him for myself! He has given you that same ability! I am fully aware that God can speak to us in many ways … And I know that at times God will use the simple things. But I am convinced that God is speaking everyday through his word! And he has been doing so for thousands of years!

Do you need to hear from God? Are you longing to hear his voice? Are you desperate to receive a word from the Lord? Then, I implore you to dust off your Bible … It is more relevant today than ever before!

Give the word a chance!!!

Looking Forward,
Pastor Floyd

Ever Wonder Why You Are Here?

2007-05-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

I am abundantly blessed to have a WONDERFUL Pastor. The Southern California District of the Assemblies of God has an amazing leader!!! Our District Superintendent (My Pastor) has faithfully served this district for over 20 years and with his permission I am going to share with you one of the wonderful article that he has published in our monthly newsletter ...

Ever Wonder Why You Are Here?

My family and I were vacationing a few years ago on the coast of Maine, walking the Marginal Way, a famous one mile walking path that meanders along a beautiful and rocky shoreline near Kennebunkport.

Out near the ocean’s edge, was a man kneeling over a small, spindly flower that was growing alone between the rocks, with the great Atlantic Ocean splashing at its back. The man had a big lens camera, focusing on a close up shot of the solitary, lonely beauty of this defiant and courageous wildflower.

The moment was classic.

Here was a unique piece of God’s creation, fragile at best, defying all odds and waving her beauty as if to say, “Here I am, exactly where God put me, growing as best I can and holding on against these elements. And if today is all I have, then today I’ll blossom and bloom and wave. God made me just as I am, to be here, at this time, in this place, and I
am committed to fulfill His purpose for me.”

I loved that flower. You could look at her – or not look at her. She would grow, blossom, and wave anyway. What wonderful self-confidence.

The more I watched, the more I felt a subtle, personal identity with those moments, born I’m sure by the Holy Spirit’s prompting that God’s business with me is like that.

He puts me where he will! My business, as a unique piece of His creation, fragile at best, is to defy all odds, to wave His beauty, and to say to whatever environment or situation I’m in, “Here I am, exactly where God put me, growing as best I can... holding on... And if today is all I have, then today I’ll blossom and bloom and wave... I am committed to fulfill His purpose in me!”

My natural instincts want a safe, comfortable place – and honestly, I pray for that more often than I pray for a hard place.

But the eternal side of what God is creating in me, and urging in me, says that if I can find just the slightest crack in the rock through which to grow, and the slightest chance to form a blossom, to produce a unique creation that God intends for me alone, and I’ll then – standing alone or with company – declare the glory of God as He shines through me.

I think, quite likely, that’s at the root of why God put you and me here in the first place!
My friend, Roger Heuser, once sent a letter to me, concluding with the following
prayer by John Wesley:

Lord, Jesus, if you will receive me into your house, if you will but own me as your servant, I will not stand upon terms; impose upon me what conditions you please, write down your own articles, command me what you will , put me to anything you see as good; let me come under your roof, let me be your servant... make me what you will , Lord, and set me where you will ... I put myself wholly into your hands: put me to what you will , rank me with whom you will ; put me to doing, put me to suffering, let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you, exalted for you, or trodden under foot for you; let me be full , let me be empty, let me have all things, let me have nothing, I freely and heartily resign all to your pleasure and disposal.

As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you’ll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul – not the grim strength of gritting your teeth, but the glory-strength God gives you. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that He has for us.
Colossians 1:10-12 (The Message)

T. Ray Rachels

Are You Hungry?!?

2007-02-24T15:44:00.000-08:00

Yet even now, says Jehovah, turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting ... Joel 2:12

Jesus said "When you fast ... " That implies that once he had ascended into Heaven, he expected us to fast.

Ezra 8:21 says, "I called a fast ... So that we might humble ourselves before God in order to seek him in a right way for us and our children."

We MUST seek God for a direction ... The world has lost it's way and we are the ones to give them direction, so we must have one!

With all of these things in mind, I have called a fast here at Full Gospel. We must humble ourselves before God and try to get his attention! I have started a fast commonly referred to as the Danial Fast. Danial would not eat the kings meat, so with this fast you avoid all rich, processed, fatty, and sweet foods. The Greatest challenge for me has been no caffeine, and I am a coffee junkie in the worst way.

It is a 3 week fast, and I started on Sunday with a 24 hour liquid only fast, and all of those being natural liquids. Pure fruit juices and water. By Monday afternoon, I felt like the top of my head was being forcibly removed from the rest of my body. Not a pleasant experience!!! Throughout the week I have had a variety of symptoms, everything from headaches to nausea to muscle soreness ... All of which are natural as your body goes through a literal detoxification!!!

I have to say that after a week I have lost a substantial amount of weight, and now that most of the adverse reaction have subsided, I feel GREAT!!! And we have tried some foods that we normally wouldn't have ... Stuffed tomatoes, Portebello Steaks, Vegetarian Chili, and Soy Milk just to name a few ... But, I am really enjoying the food. I just miss my coffee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know that God is doing things, we are already seeing results! God is good!!!

A defining moment!

2006-08-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

I sat literally frozen … Shocked … Could this really be happening? I couldn’t believe my eyes! My heart broken, my spirit crushed my soul mourning! We all have moments like this; moments that terrorize our psyches, those that shake us to our very core! It was August 6th, 2006, an event that I will remember as long as I live. You know when it happens, although you rarely see it coming … A defining moment!

I sat in stunned silence as tears dripped from my face to the ground below. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I watched between 75 and 100, mostly churched, teenagers raise their hands to acknowledge that within the past few weeks they had considered suicide! I was further shocked when a dozen or so raised their hands to say that they had a note or plan! Out of a group of about 200 half raised their hands to say that they had been considering killing themselves! And this was at a Christian event …

All that I could do was cry and wonder, “Why?” As I began to study I found the following staggering statistics:
60% of all High School Students have considered Suicide
15% have made plans
8.5% have reportedly attempted suicide
Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in young people
And all that I can think is, “We must not be getting it!”

WE MUST AFFECT CHANGE!!!

Young people today are dealing with adult issues. And they are not receiving the support that they need in order to handle the pressure that comes with the struggle!
1 of every 10 8th graders smokes daily
1 of every 5 used some type of drug with in the past year
1 of every 3 were drunk at lease once in the past year
Significant numbers report regular alcohol use including binge drinking
1 out of every 10 teenagers had sexual intercourse before age 13
1 million under the age of 14 have contracted an STD
And the church stands by with our hand over our eyes trying to avoid the reality!

We must give the children their innocence back!

I am usually the kind of guy that has a solution standing next to the problem before I bring it up. But this time I am still beside myself … I know that the solution is Jesus, but how … How do we change the dreadful realities that are stealing a generation? So this time, I ask for your prayers! We are seeking God for the difference makers; we are praying and fasting for the catalyst to change the fate of a generation! We are asking you to pray with us and for us … We are asking you to create a dialog with every young person you can, and let us know what they say …

We are asking for your help to MAKE A CHANGE!!!

Through Your Lack!

2006-07-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

If you’re anything like me, and I suspect you are, many times throughout our lives we find ourselves with limited resources and a great need. Oftentimes the need in front of us seems so great that it consumes our vision. I believe that at times our needs can be so overwhelming that as we look out at the vast landscape of possibilities that are lives should be our vision is blocked by the expanse of our needs.

In the sixth chapter of John we see this exact Situation in the lives of the disciples. Christ finds himself in a familiar position standing in front of a multitude of people with need. However this time, the needs are seemingly less significant than in days past; no one is dead or dying, there’s no lame man looking for restoration, no blinded eyes that need to be healed, and no deaf ears to unstop. What we do see however, is a group of people including 5000 men plus women and children that are hungry with nothing to eat. We see Christ’s heart of compassion compelling him to meet the needs of the multitude; and we see the disciples in an all too familiar state, one of confusion and doubt.

The disciples had watched as Christ performed the miraculous time and time again; they had been a part of life shaking events, they watched as Christ performed miracle after miracle, and now here they stand in the face of another opportunity to experience the power of God! However, more often than not we find ourselves staring opportunity in the eye and all we see is the challenge. God is waiting to shake our world, but we are so preoccupied with our need, that we can’t see the possibilities for God to do the miraculous.

I don’t know if you realize it, but your Heavenly Father is looking for a way to bless you. His greatest desire is to poor Himself out on you, and do something extraordinary in your life. The key is to learn to be thankful for what we have. The lad in this story offers up a ridiculous offering, two fish and five loafs to feed this multitude is worse than laughable. But, it was after all, everything that he had!

Christ took this humble offering and performed the miraculous! Now, I want to propose a question, what was the greater miracle? To feed the multitude with so little or that Christ was able to be thankful when his resources fell well short of the need.

I want to challenge you today, take your resources in your hands, no matter how limited you feel that they are, and begin to give God thanks for meeting your need through your lack!

As Always,
Looking Forward,
Pastor Floyd

Away From It All

2006-07-09T23:53:00.000-07:00

In a conversation this week with a wonderful young man, who is struggling with the call of God on his life, I was reminded of the words of Christ. Jesus said to his disciples, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while:” (Mark 6:31)

This man was expressing his apologies for taking a few days of solitude to recover from what had been a very trying time in his life. Through speaking to him and dealing with my own crazy schedule, I could almost here Christ saying, “Everyone deserves a little rest.” As I spoke with him I became all but convicted myself. The thoughts kept running through my head; “When was the last time you went away alone … When was the last time you took some private time … When was the last time that you spent some quality time with yourself …When was the last time that you went to a Dodgers game … When was the last time you even played a round of golf?”

The longer we talked the worse I felt! In this day and age of “modern convenience” it seems almost impossible to get away from it all. Often times between the cell phone, the Palm Pilot, and the lap top there is not a private moment to be had, and solitude seems galaxies away. Even in the life of a minister and in some cases maybe especially in the life of a minister, it is important that we make the time to work on the relationship with ones self!

I know what some of you may be thinking, “I just don’t have time!” Understand, I am not talking about days in isolation, even though, sometimes that sounds like Heaven. I’m talking about a cup of coffee, or a round of golf. I’m talking about a quiet bath or a good book. With the cell phone turned off and the email far, far away. A place where, for a few moments you are untouchable. A few moments of seclusion and solace.

I promise you, it will make you a better spouse, parent, friend, and even a better Christian! One of the most important relationships you will ever have is the one with you! Don’t neglect you!

As always,
Looking Forward,
Pastor Floyd