The Skinny by Original Brotha'

Fight or Die

2009-07-08T17:22:00.000-04:00

This sounds like a line that could have been delivered in the movie, Braveheart. I can see William Wallace standing in front of the troops, yelling; “they will never take away our freedom, we will either Fight or Die”. It seems so patriotic and noble. Heroes are made from those who have fought and managed to not die. Fight or Die! It’s more than a movie line.

I think it should be the motor for Christians. Fight or Die! Fight against the enemy and his schemes at all times, or you will die! Make no bones about it, the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy us. (John 10:10) He wants you DEAD! His goal is to kill your spirit and then physically kill you. His goal is for you to die and end up where he will spend eternity. Are you aware of this? The way I see it, you have two choices – either FIGHT OR DIE!

The good news is that God offers you His protection. We know that He is greater and more powerful than satan. He also offers us the assurance of living forever with Him in paradise. But, we have to fight! We have to join in the war and defend ourselves, our Christian brothers and sisters and defend the honor of our King. It’s not going to be a walk in the park, but we are guaranteed success.

Even more, God gives us all the tools we will need to defend ourselves against any weapon the enemy will throw at us. He gives us his full armor; helmet of salvation, shield of faith, breastplate of righteousness, belt of truth, shoes fitted with the gospel of peace and of course our weapon - the sword of the Spirit – which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:12-14) We have all we need to defend ourselves and then we have a weapon to use to slay the enemy with – God’s Word.

Sadly, too many of us are unwilling to pick up our sword and fight. We believe we are too busy to learn to use our sword, too civilized to carry our sword and too scared to pull it out and use it, especially in public. Too many Christian soldiers die because they don’t recognize they are in a war. They fail to realize that the only way to defeat the enemy is to become prolific in using their weapon, the Sword of the Spirit, God’s Word.

Many people hold to flawed beliefs and think that satan won’t strike an unarmed person. They think he is a gentleman and observes civilized rules of engagement when it comes to military conflict. How wrong they are!! Truth is these are his favorite kind of targets - people who are unwilling to pick up their sword and fight. These people are quick and easy to kill.

I beg of you to not be this person! You have to realize we are in a war and the battle never ends. The stakes are high and the consequences are eternal. God never promised us a seat on the sidelines so we can observe the fight. He wants us to be in the middle of the battle holding fast to the mantra and belief that we either - “Fight or Die”!

Can you dig it?!

Word…

Pasta’ Alex

Surprises in Heaven

2009-06-29T17:02:00.001-04:00

I hope that there are surprises in heaven. I hope when we get there we see things and people that we never would have imagined. I hope there are giant roller coasters and huge football fields. I hope there are flavors of ice cream we have never tasted and colors that we have never seen and music we have never heard. I wonder if all the mysteries and glorious wonders of life will be revealed to us the moment we arrive, or, if God will take all of eternity revealing these things to us little by little.

Even more, I hope we are surprised by some of the people we see. I’m sure we would all agree there are a few “shoe-ins”: people like John the Baptist – who was said to be the greatest ever born to man, people like King David who was a man after God’s own heart. I’m sure we will see Paul, who authored many New Testament books of the Bible, the apostles who died to spread the gospel, Mary – the mother of Jesus, Lazarus and Mary Magdalene, and many more heroes of the Bible. I can’t wait to meet people like C.S. Lewis and Oswald Chambers. Preachers like Smith Wigglesworth and Billy Graham will no doubt be sitting at the feet of Jesus. These are all people who fought the fight, kept the faith and finished the race. There will be no doubt we will see them in heaven.

But I hope there are a few last minute additions too. I hope that in the final moments of their lives, people like Michael Jackson, Elvis and Princess Diana repented of their sins and found a spot in heaven. I hope Marilyn Monroe, Chris Farley and Heath Ledger had the chance to ask for mercy and grace before they breathed their last breath. I hope that my grandmother – Naomi asked Jesus into her heart before she entered into eternity. I hope to be surprised. I hope!

These are people who gave so much of themselves here on earth, but just didn’t seem to know the real TRUTH! I wonder if anyone told them about Jesus, but they just rejected him. Choosing to live the way they wanted to live. I wonder if they thought they were on the right road, but had trouble showing it by the fruit they produced. I wonder if they had an 11th hour encounter with Jesus like the thief on the cross. Although these people didn’t appear to live their lives in a way that would guarantee their names are written in the Lambs Book of Life, I hope somehow, someway, they found Jesus and we will see them in heaven.

I’m not the ultimate judge, but I do know God’s word is clear: anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. You have to call on him! I hope we are surprised by many people who actually call on him in the final moments of their lives. I hope they receive grace and mercy and most importantly the precious gift of eternal life.

But that’s just it… I can only hope for these people! What about you? I don’t want to have to hope your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Do you know Jesus? Have you already called on Him to save you? You don’t have to hope you make it to heaven, you can know for certain right now!

I pray that you call on His name and ask him to come into your heart and live there as your King. Don’t wait until the final moments of your life and hope that you have the chance to get right with him. Do it now!

Word…

Pasta’ Alex

7 Steps of Temptation

2009-06-11T16:13:00.001-04:00

Dante Alighieri, the Italian Florentine poet, who lived from 1264 to 1321, has an allegorical picture of life as a journey in which a man climbed up a winding mountain road. He begins his journey as a young man. After climbing for a short while, a vicious wolf leaped out of the bushes, and attempts to rip him in pieces. According to Dante, this was the wolf of lust, of physical passion, and represented the major temptation of a young person. As the man climbed higher, reaching “middle life,” a huge tiger sprang on him. This was the tiger of pride, representing the great temptation of middle age, which is pride of position, reputation, and social standing. Finally, as he approached the top, at the time of “old age,” a large, hairy-maned lion came bounding after him. The great temptation of later life, money and financial security, is the lion. As he classified these three great temptations, Dante’s point is that there is no level of life where you will be free from temptation.
It has been correctly observed, “You are not tempted because you are evil; you are tempted because you are human.” Temptation comes to us all, but we can resist if we know the process. The seven steps are:
1. The ENTRANCE of the thought. This is not a sin. Everyone has thoughts. Satan works from without to within. In 2 Corinthians 10:3 – 5, Paul spoke of how thoughts in our mind must be dealt with.
2. The ENTERTAINMENT of the thought. This is the first mistake. Some sound advice is, “Kill the serpent, don’t stroke it!”
3. The EXAMINATION of the thought. This is when we go over the details. We consider and think about how we would do it. Thomas Secker warned, “To pray against temptation, and yet rush into occasions, is to thrust your fingers into the fire, and then pray they might not get burnt.”
4. The ENJOYMENT of the thought. This is the bonding to the thought. An adage from decades ago states it well, “One that stands or walks in slippery places is always exposed to a fall.”
5. The EXPERIENCING of the thought. J. William Chapman once said, “Temptation is the tempter looking through the keyhole into the room where you’re living; sin is your drawing back the bolt and making it possible for him to enter.”
6. The EXCUSING of the sin. This is to pass the blame, without taking responsibility for our choices. A saint of years ago said, “If Satan comes up to my door, I cannot help it; if he lifts the latch, and walks in, I cannot help it. But if I offer him a chair, and begin with him a parley, I put myself altogether in the wrong.”
7. The being ENVELOPED by it. Like in an enclosed envelope, we allow ourselves to become under bondage.

Warning: “The devil has no conscience, and the flesh has no sense!”

- Dave Arnold (www.davidarnoldonline.org)

Why we should read the Bible

2009-05-28T10:31:00.000-04:00

I was thinking about a few reasons why we need to read the Bible – God’s word. Here is what I came up with this. This isn’t an all inclusive list. I’m a little OCD and very anal retentive so my list has to be a usual number. So, here are my 10 reasons why you should read the Bible.

1. We read the Bible to know how God wants us to live and to understand what He expects of us. God offers all of His word as an instructional manual of what He wants and then He expects us to obey. We show our love to God by obeying his commands (1 John 5:3). How can you keep His commands if you don’t know them?! So, read the Bible.

2. We read the Bible to see and know God’s heart. God reveals Himself to us through Hi word. He longs to spend time us and talk to us everyday. I often hear people say that God tells them specific things during their prayer time. I’m not saying He doesn’t speak through prayer, however, much of what they say God said is refutable. However, God’s word is irrefutable! Let His word be the primary source of you hearing God speak to you and getting to know Him.

3. We read the Bible to Learn His plan for your life. We are made to search for purpose. God has a lot to say about what He wants you to do and even about what He wants from you. Read the Word and dig in to study what God’s will for your life is. Learn to use your Bible as a tool and valuable resource. Don’t look at it as just a book you can crack open from time to time for quick inspiration and encouragement. Sure, the Word does offer both inspiration and motivation for life, but it has to become more than that to you. You have to learn to meditate on and study God’s Word. God is a mysterious God and there are some things you will only find out about Him when you search for it like searching for hidden treasure.

4. We read the Bible for Power to live a victorious Christian life. God expects us to live a life free of sin. If we let His Word lead and guide us every step of the way, this can surely happen.

5. We read the Bible for Inspiration and Motivation. Life is tough and problems will come. God will help us through these tough times. His Word offers peace and comfort, encouragement and motivation, direction and guidance in all situations. He wants to give you these words to lift your spirit and pick you up. But don’t let this be the only reason you read His word. Don’t demote God to the role of motivation speaker in your life.

6. We read the Bible to know Christian history. You will learn what are Fathers of the Faith went through. Heritage. I love the reading the old stories of how God took care of his people. Reading about the miracles God performed for His people are awesome!

7. We read the Bible to build our Faith. God is not a respecter of persons. If He did something for the past generations He will do it for you and for me. I love Hebrews 11 – the faith hall of fame. He wants to encourage our faith and He gives us great examples to hang on to.

8. We read the Bible to know all God’s promises to us. God’s Word is full of promises. Rev. Everek Storms counted and found God gave over 8,800 promises in the Bible. 7,487 of these promises are given to Mankind. I want to know what God wants to give me! I want to know his promises!

9. We read the Bible because it’s exciting! There are so many cool stories in the Bible. Many of these stories could be made into blockbuster movies that would blow people’s minds. The Bible is full of stories of great warriors, gruesome battles, stories of betrayal and revenge, and of course awesome miracles. Check out the Old Testament – you will be amazed at some of the things that are recorded in the Holy Scriptures. When I think about all that is recorded in 1 and 2 Kings, all I can say is WOW! Read it and check it out for yourself.

10. Read the Bible because I said so! I pity the fool who don’t read The Word of God, sucka’s!

Can you dig it?!

P. Alex

Do You Have Trouble Falling Asleep?

2009-05-19T12:11:00.002-04:00

The National Sleep Foundation says that 64% of adults have trouble sleeping a few nights a week, and 41% say it’s a nightly occurrence. So what’s keeping us up? The experts say: Stress! Chronic stress makes your adrenaline and cortisol spike, your heart race and your blood pressure increase. That leaves you feeling like you’re hooked up to a constant IV drip of caffeine. So, here’s how to quiet your mind according to sleep experts interviewed by Rodale Publishing:

• First, if you go directly from your computer to your pillow, stop it! You need to set up a restful routine that gives your mind & body the cues that it’s time to sleep. So take a hot shower or bath about an hour before bed. The reason it works is that warm water relieves tension – then, when you step out, the cold air dials down your inner thermostat, mimicking what your body naturally does when it’s ready for sleep.
• Next, if you’re watching the financial news right before bed, you’re not doing yourself any favors. The National Sleep Foundation says 27% of people are kept awake by money worries. Dr. Rubin Naiman is a sleep specialist from the University of Arizona, and he says it’s like eating a spicy meal and then trying to nod off. Instead, watch a comedy before bed. Laughter reduces blood pressure and decreases your heart and respiratory rate. Just don’t watch TV in bed because the blue glow can keep you awake.
• Lastly, if you lie in bed making a mental to-do list – move that task up two hours. So right after dinner, write out your to-do list. Doing that earlier in the evening desensitizes your mind to those thoughts later – so they won’t keep you up.

If that doesn't work and you find that you are still awake, why not spend your time in prayer and intercession. Our church is sponsoring an around the clock prayer ministry. Sign up to committ to pray! Make good use of the time you can't fall asleep. Pray for your church, your country, your family and friends - pray for me. I know I need it!

Word...

P. Alex

My Prayer 5.7.09

2009-05-07T17:19:00.000-04:00

Lord,

I want everyone that knows me to know your son, Jesus. Is this too much to ask for? Is this request too unrealistic? I can’t bear to think that one of my family members, friends, neighbors or co-workers will not get to spend eternity with you in heaven. What do I need to do to make sure they accept you in their heart and end up in heaven? I pledge to give my whole life to you and your work. I will spread your gospel to make sure everyone knows. Is it possible for everyone I know to respond to you?

I know your word says in Matt 7 that wise is the road and wide is the gate that leads to destruction and many will find this road. Does this have to include my family members? My friends? My neighbors? My co-workers? Your word also says; it’s your will that none should perish. You don’t desire for anyone to end up in hell. So, I know my request lines up with your will. So this is a valid prayer.

There are only 2 factors that remain:
1. Will I tell and or show everyone about Jesus? About his love, and grace, and mercy, and forgiveness? Will I open up my mouth and tell people about you? Will I take the time to share about how they need you and can receive forgiveness? I need to do my part!
2. Will they chose to accept you? Your Word says you won’t force yourself on anyone. Will they chose to accept the forgiveness of their sins offered by your son Jesus dieing on the cross? Will my family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers exercise their free will and chose to live for YOU?

Please help us!

P. Alex

God, You Are...

2009-04-30T09:33:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago during my prayer time I started thinking about adjectives that describe God. Often times in prayer I find myself jumping to my list of things I want and need God to do for me. On this occasion I wanted to slow down and spend a little extra time in Adoration of God. Adoration is the act of paying honor to a divine being. Jesus gave us the example of adoring the heavenly father in prayer when he taught us to pray in the Sermon on the Mount – “Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”. He was paying honor to God at the start of his prayer. This is an example that we need to follow before getting to our laundry list of requests for our heavenly father.

So the other day, I made a list of adjectives to pray to God in my own words to describe Him. I wanted to think of a characteristic that corresponds with every letter of the alphabet. Here’s the list I came up with (Keep in mind this is not an all inclusive list and I must say, it was harder than I thought it would be, so don’t laugh at my list):

God, You Are:
· Awesome, Alive, All-knowing, Absolute
· Beautiful, Big
· Caring, Courteous, Cool
· Dedicated
· Everlasting
· Fabulous, Fantastic, Forever, Fun, Final, Forgiving
· Gracious, Good, Gigantic, Gorgeous
· Holy, Huge, Hilarious, Happy
· Interesting, Immeasurable, Intelligent
· Just, Jealous, Joy
· King, Kind
· Loving, Life, Lord
· Marvelous. Miracle working, Majestic, Merciful, Mighty
· Never-ending, Nice
· Omnipotent, Omnipresent
· Patient, Purposeful, Pretty, Protecting
· Quick, Quality
· Redeemer, Real
· Sincere, Sensitive to my needs
· True, Terrific, Tactful
· Unending, Unchanging, Understanding, Unity, Unequaled
· Valid, Verified, Vine
· Word, Waiting, Wanting, Watchman, Wonderful
· X-ray our hearts (cut me some slack on this one)
· Yahweh, Yearn for us, Yielding
· Zestful, Zealous towards us

Do you have anything to add to this list? Or maybe you want to make your own list. I encourage you to spend time in prayer each day, adoring God. He longs to be adored by his children. Tell him what you think about him. Now it’s your turn to make a list, God, you are…

Word…

P. Alex

You Can Count On It

2009-04-22T10:35:00.000-04:00

Have you ever doubted something? Have you ever had a friend, who you know to be a truthful person, tell you something that you think is just unbelievable? It just seems too good or too far fetched to be true. You want to believe, but truth be told, doubt exists.

I remember hearing a missionary tell the story of raising a guy from the dead in Russia. His name is Michael Chowning and he is unbelievable, literally. He tells the story of how this guy was brought before him who was actually dead for 3 days. Michael touched his cold lifeless body and began to pray. He experienced the spirit of God breath life back into this guy with his own eyes. What!?! How!?! Come on Pastor Alex, this sounds too unbelievable. But it is true!

Jesus says in his Word that we will see greater miracles than he ever performed and he raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). So we know this is possible. Yet, I doubt. We doubt. Why?

If only I had the faith of a child. I’m reminded of my boys. When I tell them we can go to Dairy Queen for ice cream after dinner, they believe it. In their eyes, when dad says something – it becomes a law that is permanent and binding for future generations! They think that dad’s word is the absolute authority. They have no reason to think otherwise.

So it should be with us and our heavenly father. John 8:14 – Jesus said, “You are right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true.” Wow! What a statment! My heavenly father says it and I believe it. He sounds pretty convincing to me!

Learn to know God’s word, my friend. Then learn to trust it with the faith of a child who was promised ice cream after dinner. You would be surprised how far this will get you.

Word…

P. Alex

April 15 - Tax Day

2009-04-15T11:39:00.000-04:00

Today is an important day for Americans. It’s a significant day for all of us who are citizens of this great country. It’s Tax Day! I was thinking about what this day could mean to different people.
© To the wealthy and those who would be considered well off, today is the day when you write the big check to Uncle Sam. Many will write their biggest check of the year and mail it in before midnight.
© To those who are poor, like me, you already filed your taxes and received your refund, so today is just another day - Wednesday.
© To many students in Ft. Myers, it’s the day your spring break vacation ends. Back to school.
© Some people have a birthday today, like my old high school friend, Pam Heard. Happy Birthday.
© To members of First Assembly in Ft. Myers, it’s the night of our annual business meeting. See you at 7pm tonight.
© On this date in 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball by becoming the first Black Major League Baseball player.
© It’s also the day that the Titanic sank in 1912 off the coast of Newfoundland.

As you can, today holds a lot of importance. What else does today mean? Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You can decide today to change your future forever! Even in the midst of tough economic times, today can be what you make it! Today can be the day you decide to make a decision to better your life, or contact a long lost friend, or reconcile with an arch enemy, or resolve that long time family feud.

I hope you make today be the day you decide to become alive in Christ. No matter where you are or what you have done, Jesus died for you so that you can live for Him today! If you have not already asked Him to forgive you for your sins and live in your heart, why not do it today? If He already lives in your heart, why not ask Him to take control of your life today! Make today a day to remember! We will forget a lot of historical events and seemingly important things that happen on April 15. But you will never forget the investments you make for the Lord – today! One of my good friends always says; “You can’t change your past, but you can change your future”. Your future starts – Today!

Word…

P. Alex

We Don't Need Jesus Anymore

2009-04-07T10:58:00.000-04:00

I had a thought the other day; it appears that we don’t really need Jesus anymore. We have become pretty good at solving our own problems and taking care of ourselves. Independence is what we call it. We pride ourselves in finding alternative ways to get things done when we come up against obstacles. I know I do anyway. We have become proficient in having a contingency plan and a back up plan to our contingency plan. If all of these fail, we will resort to our failsafe plan. We have become so wise in our own eyes that it is evident – We don’t really need Jesus anymore!

© I mean who needs Jesus to heal our sick when we have able and capable doctors who will take care of any ailment for just a co-pay? They prescribe medicine for everything from a headache to diabetes. We have faith that our doctors can cure anything.
© Who needs Jesus to feed the hungry after we have followed his revival around for 3 days? We have grocery stores and fast food restaurants. And who goes to church 3 nights in a row anymore anyway, (we might miss our favorite TV shows or social time with friends)?
© Who needs Jesus to provide for all our needs when we have credit cards to pay for things when we run out of money? If our credit fails, there’s always the government to bail us out!
© Who needs Jesus to seek forgiveness for our sins when, truth be told, we aren’t all that bad anyway? I mean, we may mess up a little, but we aren’t major sinners! There are a lot of people who are way worse than us, people who murder, rape and steal.

Bottom line is this: since we can heal ourselves, provide for ourselves, take care of our future security and don’t really have major sins we need to be forgiven for – who really needs Jesus? We obviously don’t!

Think about it.

Word…

P. Alex

Zeal Without Knowledge

2009-03-23T14:22:00.002-04:00

In my line of work I see a lot of people hear the message of Jesus Christ and invite Him to live in their hearts. They become Christians. I love these moments! I love to see people hear about Jesus enough to realize they are indeed a sinner and need to be forgiven for their sins. It’s a beautiful thing to see them process in their heart all that He means to them in the moment they realize they don’t want to go another day outside of His will for their life. I love seeing the tears of joy that are often shed at the altar during this revelation. It’s an honor and personal joy to lead them in a prayer to ask Jesus to come into their heart and to live their forever.

And then they leave the altar and return to their everyday normal life. I know what’s facing them because the Bible talks about this in the parable of the Sower found in Matthew 13. Matthew 13:18 says; “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom of God and does NOT understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.” In essence they hear the word, they accept it, they get all excited about it but then shortly after they fall away – satan snatches the word from their hearts. They want to follow God and they try to follow God, but the enemy is after him and they give in to him.

In Romans 10:2, Paul talks about new believers who try to follow God, but they don’t know the right way. They want to do the right thing, but sin is right there with them. They have the zeal, but they don’t have the knowledge. They don’t know how to overcome the enemy. They don’t know how to access the power of the Holy Spirit and invite Him to dwell in their lives. They don’t know all the things to avoid that are not pleasing to God. They are unsure about putting on the full armor of God that will protect them during the spiritual battle we are in. They don’t even know that we are in a spiritual battle and that our enemy is real and he wants to kill and destroy us. Truth be known, maybe the “they” is really “you”.

You have the passion to live for Christ and there have been times where you have been on fire for Him. But something happened and you find that you are dull, ineffective, spiritually dieing, and complacent. You had to learn the hard way that Zeal dies without Knowledge!

So, what should you do? Start studying to gain the knowledge you need to continue being zealous for Christ. He wants you to be zealous for Him. He needs people who are full of passion and enthusiastic for Him and for the cause of spreading the gospel. But, and I do mean but. Before you go out into the world, make sure you have read the play book. Make sure you have the instructions you need to survive. Make sure you read his manual to know all that he expects and requires of anyone who represents Him. READ THE BIBLE!!!

Can you dig it?!?!

Word…

P. Alex

For All of Those Who Feel "Beat Down"

2009-03-13T14:29:00.000-04:00

I have talked to many people lately who are going through tough trials. They are dealing a lot of junk! You may be one of these people. So when I say: The enemy is trying to break you down hard. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Your faith is being challenged left and right. For all of you, take a moment, read on and let me encourage you a little bit.

It’s no surprise that the enemy is fighting us. We have an earthly foe, his name is Satan. The Bible tells us in John 10:10 “The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy.” Satan wants to steal your joy, your hope, the trust you have in the Lord. He wants to kill your faith so he can destroy your soul. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:6 “that without faith, it’s impossible to see God.” Satan knows this and so he plans to attack your faith. Stand Strong!

A way that he attacks your faith is by getting you to worry. In the greatest sermon every preached, The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:23 “that we should not worry about our life”. Our enemy knows that our Savior has told us not to worry, yet, he uses the weapon of worry to attack us often, doesn’t he?! Satan wants you to start to worry about things – all kinds of things, big and small – what does the future hold for you? what are you going to be doing next year? is your job safe? how are you going to pay your bills? And on and on and on he goes. He places these thoughts in our head to get us to worry.

He knows that worry will eventually turn into fear. And your fear will cause you to do things that you don't need to do - to take matters into your own hands - to do what's right in your own eyes. And this always leads to trouble because it shows a lack of faith. Check out the Old Testament examples of how people got into a lot of trouble when they did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:23)

Let me encourage you in this; instead of listening to the lies of the enemy, Stand strong, hang on and Trust God! He knows what you are going through and He will not forsake you! Be committed to doing the right thing even when it doesn't seem like it is going to work out well. Don’t compromise and give in to the lies of the enemy. If God is Jehovah Jireh (our provider), then he has to take care of you, right?!?!

Also, remember, you are not in this fight alone. There are other followers of Christ who want to help you and encourage you. Don’t be afraid to share your need with others. Maybe they can storm the thrown of God with prayers or maybe they can be a part of the solution in some way. You aren’t the only one that the enemy is attacking, let’s band together to defeat him. If you need a job, share the need with other believers. If you need a place to live, share the need. If you need friends who will be a positive influence to you, share the need. Whatever it is you need, share it with the body of Christ and pray to God.

In the meantime, I encourage you to defeat the enemy with the Word of God. While you pray, continue to read God’s Word for strength, direction and encouragement.

I leave you with this: Proverbs 21:31 “The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.” Our victory will come, we can rest assured because we are children of God. In this passage, He tells us to do all that we can to prepare. Be encouraged, do all that you can. Don’t allow worry to immobilize you. Don’t let fear cause you to slip into depression. Don’t let the enemy steal your faith and cause you to lose trust in God. Do ALL you can and then pray to Him for victory.

Word…
Pastor Alex

Faithfulness of a Choir Member

2009-02-17T16:36:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, in service, our choir did a wonderful job singing a few songs for special music. I’m always so amazed at how beautiful and professional they sound. As well, the anointing of the Lord is clearly upon them. As I sat and listened to them sing, I stated to think about the faithfulness it takes to be in this choir. I thought about the level commitment that each choir member has to have in order for the choir to be effective in ministering like they do. I know a little about the time commitment:

1. They rehearse every Tuesday evening for 1.5-2 hours.
2. Choir members participate in each of the 3 weekend services - 1 Saturday night and 2 services Sunday morning. They even have to be at the services 30 minutes to an hour early.
3. In addition, they spend time each week outside of church listening to choir cd’s so they can learn the songs for the coming week.
4. Not to mention how much time they spend rehearsing around Christmas, Easter and other special events.

I’m so impressed with the faithfulness of these choir members. I’m especially astonished with those who are here every single week, week in and week out. Every week, rain or shine, they are here! They don’t adopt the mindset of many churchgoers and only show up when they “feel” like it. They don’t let other activities take priority over their commitment to being here every single week.

This type of faithfulness is to be commended. Even more, within the choir, faithfulness can be more defined by those choir members who are non-soloists. They are simply good ole’ choir members. I mean the ones who never have a microphone in their hands. They don’t sing solos and they don’t lead worship. Yet they are up there every single week doing what they signed up to do. It is these people that I admire the most! They realize they are singing for the glory of Jesus and not for the praise of men. They sing week in and week out and are faithful because they know who they are singing for. These faithful choir members challenge me to be more faithful in what I do for God. They teach us that consistency matters. Attendance matters. Attitude matters. All these things add up to show faithfulness.

How I long to be a faithful choir member on this earth so I will be ready to be a faithful choir member in heaven singing; “Glory, glory to the Lamb”.

Word…

Pasta’ Alex

Why?

2009-01-19T22:40:00.001-05:00

Today in church, a lady approached me and slipped me a note asking me if I would visit her son in jail. This is nothing new, this type of things happens more than it should. Unfortunately, it wasn't the first time she has asked me to visit her son in jail. About a year ago, I ministered to him while in jail. He was receptive to what I had to say until he got out a few months later. Then, he went back to his old ways - until he got caught again just recently. And now, his mom wants me to visit him again to see if I can make a difference in his life.

Why?

Shortly after this moment, I found out a young lady that my wife and I spent months ministering to was pregnant... again... with her third child. She can't be more than 25 years old and has never been married. She came to the ministry faithfully for about 6 months. Then she stopped coming after things didn't work out with another guy in the ministry. I chased this girl with several phone calls and visits before realizing she wasn't coming back. And now, she's pregnant.

Why?

Today I counted 19 people who have either noticeably slowed down in their attendance faithfulness or stopped coming to The House all together since entering into an exclusive dating relationship.

Why?

I know a girl who God delivered from a tough life. She is the kind that was radically saved. There is r no denying that God met her at the altar one day. She is now in the process of turning her back on God and justifying her behavior because she doesn't have a lot of Christian friends and people to hang out with and do things with.

Why?

I tell you why - because the enemy is doing everything he can to fulfill his purpose. To steal, kill and destroy. We have a formidable enemy and you need to take him very seriously. He is the prince of this earth and has the authority to lay the smack down on you, if you are outside of Gods' protection. However, you don’t have to fear, God’s Word tells us: “the one who is with us is greater than our enemy”. So, get in the habit being where you are supposed to be and do what you are supposed to be doing all the time. Obey God’s Word and live the way He wants you to live. Then you won't have to worry about our enemy. He won’t have any authority against you and none of his weapons formed against you will prosper.

Let’s stop asking Why and start asking What.

What?

What do you need to do to be at the center of God’s will for your life? What does His Word tell you to do? And what is it going to take for you to not only be a hearer of the Word, but also a doer of the Word?

That’s the deal!

Word…

What Women Want

2008-12-04T11:04:00.001-05:00

Is that a question or a statement? I wish I were a fly on the wall of your mind as you read that title. I can picture most of the female readers of my blog putting a little smirk on your face. You wonder why an opinionated man with 4 little boys would think he knows what I want and you are prepared to refute any and everything that I have say, right or wrong. Yet, let’s be honest, you are intrigued - so you read on. For the male readers of my blog, I offer this advice - you would be wise to grab a pen and paper and take a few notes. Why? Because I’m about to tell you what women want!

Before I begin, allow me to offer my credentials as to why I know what women want. First of all, I am a husband who, in my wife’s estimation, would say that I have been happily married for at least 10 of the 13 years I have been legally married. Secondly, I have had a mother for 36 years. Thirdly, I have a total of 5 sisters – 2 of which I lived with for 20+ years. Fourth, for 3 years I shared residence with 180+ women while working as a Residence Director at Evangel University. Now that was an education! I learned more about women by just hanging out in the lobby than most men learn in a lifetime. Lastly, I know you! Let’s face it ladies, you are just as opinionated and vocal about what you want as I am in telling you what you want. So, let’s get started…

Women want…
· to be swept off their feet by a night in shining armor who realizes that although this is what she wanted, she didn’t really need to be swept off her feet and he needs to realize that actually, she is very independent and self-sufficient.
· a guy who is sensitive, but not too sensitive.
· a guy who is nice, but not too nice.
· a guy who is sweet, but not too sweet.
· a guy who is athletic, but won’t choose the game over spending time with her.
· to feel loved and respected and valued. She wants her sensitive man to make her feel special and at the same time she wants him to be somewhat of a “bad boy”! (Bad boys are exciting)
· an artistic, creative, sporadic, and carefree man who knows how to balance a checkbook, help with the laundry and never forgets special occasions like her birthday, their anniversary, and will always remember what she wore on their first date.
· a man who knows what’s on her mind but doesn’t come across like he always knows what she is thinking.
· a man who can read their mind – but only sometimes, like when it comes to picking out the perfect gift for them or knowing what movie they really want to watch, but he can’t try to read their mind all the time.
· a man who will listen to all their problems but never tell them what to do.
· a man who will never lie to them but will always tell them they look good.
· a man who dresses nice, but doesn’t look better than them. And only when they feel like dressing up, sometimes a girl wants to wear their man’s sweats – so he has to be bigger than her.
· true love - from a man who has money.

To sum it all up; women don’t really know what they want. They are confused and confusing. If only women of today were like the previous generation. It was easy to figure out what they wanted. Ask your mom and dad – everyone knew that back then, woman wanted SECURITY. They wanted to feel safe and know they were taken care of. If only it could be so simple.

But, this is the beauty of it all. It’s all a big game! We, MEN, get to figure it all out. So don’t get discouraged and start thinking you can never know what they really want, so why even try. That’s the negative way of looking at things. Instead, be positive and realize it’s an open field. Since women don’t really know what they want, you can do whatever and be whoever you want and convince them that they want what you tell them they want. But be careful, men. Don’t tell them you know what they want because they don’t want to be told you know even though you and I both know they don’t know and we do know.

But you, young man, don’t live with women of old. You have the 21st century girl to deal with. They don’t know what they want. So, let the game begin!

Word…

Pasta’ Alex

A Leader Who Seeks God

2008-11-25T09:15:00.001-05:00

I love the story of King Asa recorded in 1 Kings 15 and 2 Chronicles 15. His story is so good that God puts it in the Bible twice. :-) But the story starts out with a prophecy given to King Asa from God. The prophet Azariah, moved by the spirit, comes to him and tells him 4 things:
1. Listen carefully to what I have to say.
2. God will stick with you as long as you stick with him.
3. If you look for him, you will find him.
4. But if you leave him, he will leave you.

What a prophecy! God wants to bless Asa and use him to do great things and He tells him so. Now it’s up to Asa to do his part in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled. The Bible says in 2 Chronicles 15:8 (The Message), “Asa heard the prophecy of Azariah son of Obed, took a deep breath, then rolled up his sleeves, and went to work.”

It’s time for us to hear what God is saying to us and then get to work! We have to get serious about seeking God with our whole heart. We know good things will happen when we do, but we have to take action.

Asa’s people were serious about doing what God told them to do. So series in fact, that they bound themselves in a covenant (a formal agreement) and agreed that anyone who refused to seek God should be killed, no matter who it was! Wow! That’s a serious commitment! But they realized that the whole community was only as strong as its weakest link. Do you realize that we are only as strong as you are in the Lord!

Asa was committed to doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord and this was reflected in his leadership of the people. The Bible says all kinds of good things about Asa.
· “His heart was in the right place, in tune with God”
· “Asa conducted himself well before God”
· “He was well intentioned and loyal to God”

This is the kind of man that I want to be. I long to God’s prophecies for my life, my family and my ministry. When they are revealed to me, I will listen and take action by obeying his Word precisely.

What about you? What kind of leader do you want to be?

Word…

Pasta’ Alex

Window of Opportunity

2008-11-18T15:15:00.004-05:00

The definition of the term "window of opportunity":
- A short period of time during which an opportunity must be acted on or missed.

Men, when it comes to dating relationships, you always have to keep this term in mind. Whenever you meet a young lady that you may be interested in, you have to remember, if something is most likely going to become of it, you have to take advantage of the window of opportunity. Realize that you have a short period of time between when you meet her and when you take the risk to make your move. The pressure is on! Can you handle it?

We have already acknowledged that we have a problem in the Christian dating world. In the previous couple of blogs, I spent time addressing this problem from the female perspective. But now, I want to speak to the fellas. The long and short of it is this, a big part of why this problem persists is because guys are missing their windows of opportunity. For whatever reason they are not stepping up to the plate and letting the girls know they are interested. What's holding you men back?

fear - of rejection, of the unknown, of being exposed as having no game?
inexperience – not knowing what to say, you can’t compete with other guys?
indecision – the pressure of dating gets to you, you aren’t good at making decisions, there are a few girls that interest you and you can’t narrow it down?
blindness – you can’t see the quality girls all around you?
lack of testicular fortitude – plain and simply, you don’t know how to Man UP and go for it?

Whatever it is holding you back, it’s time to move past it. I speak to so many guys who I know are interested in a young lady and after long periods of time, don’t do anything about it. A lot of guys are willing to take their chances by hanging out in the “friend zone” forever and hope that one day the girl will magically decide that he is actually her knight in shining armor. Get real fellas! This type of thing only happens in the moves if your name is Matthew McConaughey or Justin Timberlake. And the reality is, you don’t look that good with your shirt off like Matthew and you can’t dance like JT. The facts that you have a cute smile and are easy to talk do not give you a free ticket to jump in and out of the “friend zone.” You, my friend, would be wise to look for and capitalize on your window of opportunity.

The good news is, at least you have a window. Most of you guys reading this blog are quality fella’s. I mean, there may be thing or two that you might need to work on, but over all you know how to work it well enough to at least get the window open a little.

Guys, you need to realize there are a lot of quality girls out there and it’s about time you stepped your game up. Get over your fear and indecision and Man Up and ask a young lady out. Look for your window of opportunity and act on it otherwise you may miss it. Guys - start showing a little courage and be willing to take the risk and ask a young lady out on a date instead of just hanging out with them all the time. This is good for all of us. It’s good for you because you never know when you may happen upon – The ONE. It’s good for the young ladies because it helps build their confidence when guys ask them out. And believe it or not, it’s good for the body of Christ because we are cultivating healthy male – female relationships with young people.

Can you dig what I’m saying?

Word…

P. Alex

PS. Next time I’m going to tell you what women really want.

The Day After

2008-11-05T15:08:00.004-05:00

Oh, how I would love to give you relationship advice right now. And I shall, except not the kind I have given in the past few blogs. I want to offer a few thoughts about our relationship with our fellow man. The day after the election...

I read an article by Chuck Colson and I want to share a few of his thoughts. Here is some of what he wrote:

Pray for our President!
Whether you voted for Barack Obama or John McCain, whether you’re
recovering from your all-night celebration or drying the tears from your
pillow, today’s a good day to remember the words of the apostle Paul: “I
urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
And the new President will surely need our prayers because he
and his administration face huge, serious challenges to the health of our nation and to peace in the world—challenges that, in my opinion, neither he nor any government on earth will have the power to overcome without divine aid.
How has America come to this point? Why is our economy on the brink of disaster? Why is our culture so utterly depraved? I can only think of what Alexandr Solzhenitsyn said about the catastrophic consequences of the Russian revolution. “I recall,” he said, “hearing a number of older people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.”

Solzhenitsyn was right. Indeed, I can’t find any better explanation
for why we Americans find ourselves in the state we are in. We have
forgotten God.

Friend, don't let that be said about you. No matter what happens, no matter who is the President, no matter what is going on in your life - the trials, the hardships, the trouble, Don't forget about God!

So, the day after election day, seek Him with your whole heart! Not only for yourself, but for the new President, your fellow man, and for our whole country. He gives us this promise in 2 Chronicles 15:2 "I am with you when you are with me. If you seek me, you will find me, but if you forsake me, I will forsake you."

Get to Praying!

Word...

Pastor Alex

Random Relationship Advice - Part 2

2008-10-27T23:48:00.002-04:00

The other day I was talking to a guy, a good quality guy that a lot of girls are interested in, and I was asking him a few random dating questions. This is a quality guy, the kind of guy that a lot of girls are interested in, yet, he’s not dating anyone. I wanted to know why! Now ladies, I know your mind is wondering already and you are trying to figure out who you have seen me talking to the last couple of days so you can figure out who this might be, but you are wasting your time. The point is not, who I was talking to but what we were talking about. The bottom line is; we have an epidemic in the Christian dating world. This epidemic is especially problematic for quality Christian guys.

So there I was, asking this young man all kinds of questions, such as:
· Aren’t there any Christian girls that you would be interested in getting to know

better? Yes, several of them.
· Are there any of these girls that you think are cute? Oh YEAH!
· Are you afraid to ask a girl out? NO!
· Do you have any game? YES.
· Then what’s the problem? Why haven’t you asked one of these girls out? Well…

OK, hold on, do you really want to know why this quality guy is very hesitant to ask a girl out?!?! I mean, can you handle the truth? Because once you know the truth, you are responsible to own it. I realize my role is to be the conduit that communicates between both sides. I am willing to figure out what this quality Christian guy is thinking and then relay his thoughts, but ladies; I need you to help fix this problem.

So, the reason why he hadn’t asked a girl out in a while and why he is very slow to ask a girl out is because he is afraid she will read too much into it. You know what I’m talking about.

“Boy sees girl. Boy thinks girl is cute. Boy
looks for opportunities to be around girl getting to know her better. Girl
sees boy. Girl thinks boy is cute Boy is a quality young man. Girl
really likes boy a lot. Girl tells all her friends she likes boy.
Girl obsesses over boy. Girl thinks about boy all the time. Girl
fantasizes about becoming Mrs. Boy. Girl acts weird around
boy. Boy notices. Boy decides girl is cool, but not interested
anymore. Girl can’t accept this. Girl is devastated. Girl
tells all her friends. Friends don’t like the boy. Boy is considered
a jerk for treating girl the way he did. Boy doesn’t understand how he
mistreated girl. Girl thinks he should know. All girls now dislike
boy. Boy has to move to Antarctica to avoid the frigid climate.”

Get the point?

My advice ladies, is for you to not get so hung up on a guy, any guy. Just because a guy happens to be a quality guy that you would like to get to know better, doesn’t mean that you have to allow yourself to like him so much! Take your thoughts “captive to Christ” and don’t let your mind start planning your wedding before he even says hello to you. When you start to obsess about what every smile means or why he hasn’t called yet…ask the Holy Spirit to help you slow your roll! He will and you will fare much better in the dating game. The Holy Spirit will show you how to come across like a young lady who is worth asking out versus your anxiety that causes you to act like one of Cinderella’s step sisters trying to force her foot into the glass slipper.

Ladies you have to understand that a date is just an activity or meeting between two people with the goal of getting to know each other better. It probably won’t go any farther than that. I hate to be the one to tell you, but you need to take a chill pill. If it does turn into more than friendship, then great…enjoy, but if not, remember, you’ve made a friend. And in my experience, friends make great spouses… down the road.

Word…

Pasta’ Alex

Random Relatinship Advice - Part 1

2008-10-22T11:39:00.001-04:00

I think there is an issue with the way young Christian people show (or try not to show) their interest for a member of the opposite sex. Let's face it, as a college and young adult aged person; from time to time you are going to develop feelings for a member of the opposite sex. Since I know it's hard for you to admit to anyone, or even yourself, that you do have these feelings, we will just say, you will develop an intrigued interest in a boy or girl.

So, what do you do?

If you are like most young Christians, you start to hang around that person as much as you can, doing things with them, texting, calling and emailing them all the time. Your plan is to get as close to that person as you can and become "really good friends". Correct?

Bad Plan!

If you simply hang around with them and get to know them as much as you can, you are going to be placed into the good friend category. This may seem like a good thing because in the good friend category, you get to spend a lot of time with him or her. They tell you secrets and you get to know them better. You start to see good qualities that make you like this person even more. You enjoy the friendship and so do they.

The problem is, once you are in the good friend category, it’s hard to ever get out of it! Unless of course you are Brad Pitt or Megan Fox, then you can move freely in and out of any category you want. But, no disrespect meant, you are not Brad or Megan! So, stay out of the good friend category. Instead, hang out in the casual friend category. This is where you want to be.

Casual friends hang out and speak from time to time, but they don’t have the unwritten mandate to have to communicate all the time. There’s no social code of behavior that comes along with being casual friends unlike the expectations of being accountable to a good friend. If you want to call, text message or hang out with a casual friend, you do. But if not, then oh well.

There’s a fascination that accompanies casual friendship. Casual friends look forward to the few times they see each other because they know it will be an opportunity to get to know the other person better. There’s good conversation, laughter and fun times, and the feeling that you want to spend more time with this person; that characterize casual friendship. Isn’t this the type of interaction you want between you and a person you are “interested” in?!

The ultimate goal is to have that person of interest ask themselves this critical question: “I wonder why I feel the way I do about my friend?” When they start asking that question, then – BOOM! You got them right where you want them. Therefore, make sure you work hard to stay out of the good friend category if you think you might become interested in someone. Keep the excitement and freshness alive by not giving into the allure to become really good friends. Be patient and give the relationship time to blossom into something beautiful and special. Remember, all good things are worth waiting and in relationships, timing matters a lot.

Word…

P. Alex

Daddy's Little Princess

2008-10-15T10:26:00.001-04:00

For some time now I have wanted to offer a few thoughts to young ladies about what guys are looking for. I often talk with young ladies about relationships, the guy of their dreams, marriage and all that other girly stuff. I know you are probably thinking; “What does Pastor Alex know about girly stuff?! He only has boys and he doesn’t seem very sensitive!”

Exactly! I do only have sons and I’m not very sensitive. These facts alone should qualify me to tell young ladies what guys want and what they are looking for in a girlfriend or wife. So, listen up ladies! Here it is…

Guys want… wait a minute, it’s really not that simple. I mean, come on. Different guys are looking for different things. Is she pretty? Can she sing? Does she have a beautiful smile that lights up a room? Does she have nice legs? Does she love the Lord? Is she athletic? Is she outgoing and friendly? Does she laugh at my jokes and make me feel important? Is she nice to her family? The list goes on and on. What one guy puts at the top of list of things he is looking for, another guy may rank at the bottom of his list. Truth be told - the more guys you talk to about what guys really want, the more confused you can be. (Imagine how guys feel now about what girls want).

Instead of focusing on what guys want, I say you should focus on what God wants you to be. I’m sure you have read before about the Proverbs 31 woman? If not, check it out. The Bible gives a good list of qualities all virtuous women should possess. That’s a good place to start understanding what God wants you to be. Check it out sometime.

In addition, I want to point you to a woman in the Bible that has always caught my eye. She was a foreigner who married outside of her race. Shortly after her marriage her newly wed husband dies and leaves her without children or any proper means to take care of herself. The woman I’m talking about is Ruth.

I love the story of Ruth and there is a lot we can learn from her. So ladies, speaking from the male perspective, I offer several things us guys admire about a lady like Ruth.

1. Ruth was loyal. We are first introduced to Ruth as she demonstrated her commitment to remain loyal to her mother-in-law Naomi even in the midst of tough circumstances. Ruth’s husband, Naomi’s son has died and left Ruth childless. Ruth chooses to stay with Naomi instead of going to find another husband while she is still young.
¨ What about you, are you loyal to your friends, your job, your family, your church? Do you demonstrate a willingness to stick around and not abandon ship at the firs sign of trouble?
2. Ruth showed initiative. Since her mother-in-law, Naomi is too old to work and take care of herself. Ruth gets a job to provide for both of them, even in a foreign land where she knew no one.
¨ What about you, are you willing to figure out what needs to be done and then do it? Or, do you play the “girl card” and wait for others to step up to the plate?
3. Ruth was courteous. Before she went to pick up food in the field of a stranger, she asked for permission. She didn’t just assume she could join the other people picking food, who usually entered the field without permission – which was customary for their culture. This act stood out so much that the work foreman took notice and told the owner of the field, Boaz.
¨ Are you known for being kind and courteous or are you only nice when people are nice to you?
4. Ruth was a hard-worker. The foreman also commented on the fact that Ruth worked hard in the field starting early in the morning and didn’t slack off or take breaks.
¨ Are you a hard worker, or do you just do enough to get by hoping that others will step in and take over so you don’t have to break a sweat?
5. Ruth was humble. She dropped to her knees and showed respect for the owner of the field and thanked him from the bottom of her heart when he showed her kindness and favor.
¨ Are you willing to humble yourself before others or do you have the attitude that no one is better than you and respect is earned before it is given? Are you willing to put yourself in positions of lower authority and readily to submit to others?
6. Ruth had a good reputation. When Boaz had a conversation with Ruth, he told her all the good things he had heard about her.
¨ What’s your reputation? Are you known for being a nice and positive person? One who is kind, generous, gentle, and compassionate, one who shows the love of Christ at all times?
7. Ruth was industrious. Ruth did the job until it was finished. She not only picked the wheat, but then took it to the storehouse to process it and then bagged it up and carried it home. She didn’t stop until the job was done.
¨ What about you? Do you work without complaining and keep going until the job is finished? Or do you avoid doing work and look for the quickest way out when you do have to work?
8. Ruth was generous. Even though she was hungry and worked hard for what she received, when Boaz met her needs by giving her food, she took the leftovers home to share with her mother-in-law.
¨ Are you a generous person or are you selfish? Do you look to fulfill your own desires and needs first in the midst of hardships? Or do you also think about others and their needs?

So forget about what guys are looking for - their opinion is NOT the one you should seek. Besides, what guys say they want often changes with the times! However, what God wants you to become will never change. I believe he offers us this story of Ruth to be an example to all young ladies for all time. Ruth demonstrated admirable qualities that all young ladies would be wise to strive to acquire. Ruth found herself in a place I’m sure she never thought she would be in. She had no choice but to look to God as her source of strength in order to get to where she wanted to go. And God honored her and blessed her for being the woman he called her to be.

Talk about fairy tale endings – Ruth ends up in the royal lineage of Israel and ultimate Jesus Christ. Ruth was the great grandmother of King David, the second king of Israel and a man after God’s own heart. If you remember correctly, Jesus was born from the family line of King Jesus Christ.

When you are obedient to God and become the woman He wants you to be, you also, will be a part of the royal family. You will become a daughter of the King of Kings. Ladies, you should be committed to demonstrating qualities that are proper for a princess to display. God intends for you to be called “Daddy’s Little Princess”.

Word…
Pastor Alex

Duck and The Devil

2008-10-07T16:53:00.002-04:00

I was sent this story in an email a few weeks ago and thought it was pretty good. Good enough to share with all of you. I hope it speaks to you like it did to me.

Word...

The Duck and the Devil

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target.Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck. Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved!

In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in thekitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?"

So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to gofishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

Thought for the day and every day thereafter? Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... And the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.) ...whatever it is...You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.

He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness; He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved. God is at the window! When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you!

- Author Unknown

Don't Forget God

2008-09-30T15:59:00.000-04:00

This year I am reading through the entire Bible in the Message version. It has been very eye opening. I love the way the writer attempts to put things in modern terms using language and imagery that applies to us today. He does a good job in keeping the truth and meaning of the original authors while showing how it applies to us today.

In my reading a few days ago, there was a passage from Deuteronomy 8:11-12 that really stood out to me. It reads:

“Make sure you don’t forget God, your God, by not keeping his commandments, his rules and regulations that I command you today. Make sure that when you eat and are satisfied, build pleasant houses and settle in, see your herds and flocks
flourish and more and more money come in, watch your standard of living going up and up – make sure you don’t become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God, your God.”

This warning from Moses to the people of God could not be any clearer. Yet, we see throughout the scriptures that God’s people did forget. There are seven cycles recorded in the old testament of the Bible where God’s chosen people, the Israelites, forgot about God and completely turned away from him. After a time of oppression and suffering they would come to their senses and beg him for forgiveness. They would whine, cry, moan and wail for God to have mercy on them and send someone to save them. As soon as he showed them mercy, time and time again, they would fall right back into the pattern of forgetting about him. Why is this?

And so it is with us. Why is it easy for us to forget about God in the good times? We don’t need God to provide when we have money in the bank. We don’t feel the need to acknowledge Him when we are lounging in our nice home with our 50 inch plasma watch our favorite show. When we have all the things we could ever want, with money to spare, there’s no need to be confined to His rules. Why in the world would we need to stop the party of life to live for a God who is full of rules and regulations that will limit our fun?!

Yet, when times are tough, when the money stops flowing, when we can’t find a job, when the economy takes a hit, we cry out to him. Pretty loudly! It’s easy to remember God in the difficult times – because He’s all we have.

Christian people - Don’t live like this. Don’t be the kind of Christian who forgets about God by doing your own thing and only remembers Him when times are tough. Instead, be the kind of faithful and committed Christian who keeps God at the center of your life all your life. Learn his word and then live it. Show God that you love Him. You do this by obeying his commands. (1 John 5:3)

Word…

Pasta’ Alex

Special Event Christian

2008-09-22T16:27:00.000-04:00

I fear to many of us have become special event Christians. We only show up when something big and exciting is happening; something that we like or is appealing to us.
“What? You are doing a night of worship, with no preaching. I love to sing – I’m so there!”

“What’s that you say - a prayer meeting? That’s a bit too
uncomfortable - just sitting around praying. What if I run out of
things to say? No, I can’t make it, I’m busy. Sorry!”

“You want me to come in an hour early and help set up? Every week?
Help serve coffee? Oh, I can’t. That’s the only ME-time I have each
week. You understand, right?”

What if God responded to us the way we respond to Him and his business!? Some of us would be jacked! Others would be really jacked!

College and Young Adults, it’s time to step up your game! It’s time to demonstrate a level of faithfulness that most are afraid will be lost with the older generations. It’s time for us to learn to be faithful in the little things so that much will be given to us.

Are you content with being known as a Special Event Christian? Or do you want to be known as a young person who is faithful in their service to Christ all the time?

You choose. Don’t sing it, bring it!

Word…

P. Alex

Walking with God

2008-09-17T17:13:00.000-04:00

“If you can characterize your walk with God as being easy or convenient, I would say you probably aren’t doing it right.”

One of my friends told this to his congregation in a message he preached. This stuck in my mind because it’s so true. Life is hard; God never promised us that it wouldn’t be. Problems come our way, challenges spring up, difficulty is all around us and failure is waiting in the wings. But, come on, does it have to be this hard. I mean, I’m a Christian and God is supposed to have my back. Right?

Not so fast. God wants to challenge you so you can grow and mature and so that your faith in Him will increase. He wants you to take the risk and step out in faith. This gives him the opportunity to show his power. He longs to bless you so that you can bless others, this will allow them to see Him through you. However, it was a guarantee that things were going to go your way, or that you were going to be blessed all the time and never have to endure hardships, this wouldn’t give him the chance to take care of you. So, along with the blessings comes the risk of hardships. He orchestrates it all according to his plan.

Hold on, Pasta’ Alex, are you telling me got jacks me on purpose sometimes? Not at all! Only good things come from Him. However, he allows bad things to happen to good people sometimes. Bad things come from our enemy, Satan, who wants to jack you so that you give up and quit. He wants to take you out of the fight. The Bible says he comes to steal, kill and destroy. He is ready to battle you. Are you ready to battle him?

The Bible compares our walk with the Lord as a fight. Are you ready to fight? When you signed up to be in the Lord’s Army, I hope you realized it was going to be tough. It’s not easy, comfortable or convenient. We have to be ready to stand strong for the Lord at all times. Every part of our being has to be ready for battle – our heart, soul and mind. God doesn’t want a partial commitment to the fight, He wants all or nothing.

So, I repeat: If you can characterize your walk with God as being easy or convenient, I would say you probably aren’t doing it right.

Can you dig it?!?!

Pasta’ Alex