What I don't get about elections.

Looking at this years election I stand confused about the church in the process of politics. This year we have a history making election in regarding our first African American candidate or a female vice president candidate.

I am starting to get a little concerned about this election because the race is turning out to be by about other issues rather than the the issues that it should be about. I understand how the unchurched people would vote, but what bothers me is how the church is voting. So far it has turned out to be a election that is being decided through race voting for their candidate rather than voting about core religous beliefs.

I believe the first thing that I have to look at as a christian is how does the candidates feel about abortion, and marriage being one man one woman, and how they feel about Israel and how we should defend her. So far I know who I am voting for, I am not one of the undecided people they keep talking about. It is not hard to put the candidates record up to concideration to truely see how they will vote for future decisions on issues.

This President will have to make some hard decisions such as economy, defense, foreign relations and affairs. Who ever wins will be in need of prayer and it is our duty to pray for our leaders. Let's just make sure that we vote on Kingdom of God issues and not just personality, charaisma, or race. We need someone in the White House who can hit the ground running.

Life goes on!

I have been going crazy lately, on Oct 5th we celebrated our one year anniversary at Impact Cowboy Church. We were blessed by having some great men and women of God come be with us and see what we have been working on. First Mike & Jane Bailey came down Saturday so as to minister to my ministry team and volunteers, and boy he brought a message about volunteerism and the power of being a volunteer. We knew we had heard the Word of God afterwards.

My personal Pastor/Mentor and friend came down and ministered to the congregation on Sunday morning. He brought a very prophetic word for this church an for me as well. I ministered about enlarging our tents and securing our future by not holding on to the past. I had been guilty of that as a Pastor. I realize that by trying to hold on to the people from the past I was not lead the people of the present and of the future.

On Oct 19th we were out celebrating my wife's 40th birthday and I started feeling really bad. I laid down on Saturday night hoping that some sleep would cure the problem but it never would even let me get some sleep. I had a fever that was bouncing around 102 to 103. Needless to say I was not able to preach that morning. One of our Elders Rex Crenshaw felt like the Lord gave him a message the day before so he preached and I went to the VA hospital in Shreveport, LA where they admitted me. I apparently had a bad sinus infection that was going all wrong. They told me Monday that I was close to dying if they were not able to hurry and break up all the congestion. My fever was staying around 104. Finally everything started draining and we felt better about how things were going. I spent from Sunday till Wednesday in that hospital. Not to mentions when I got there they started working on me then got dirverted to another person who code blued and eventually they were not capable of saving her life so she died in front of me. Some how that did not instill a lot of confidence in me toward my doctors but they eventually came through for me. I have been back one week and I am glad to be back I sure did miss everyone.
blessings

busy times

It feels like forever since I have been able to blog. Oct 5th we celebrated our one year anniversary at the church so we had a big dinner on the grounds and we had a blessing in having my pastor David Kerr and his wife Debbie long with Mike and Jane Bailey come down to be with us.

Pastor Mike ministered to my leadership team on Saturday night and he did a great job teaching about how America had to step up and defend itself against professional military with just volunteers. Eventually we overcame and was victorious. He was able to show that the church even though it is under attack, we can overcome the enemy by who we serve. We have to rise and and serve a cause that is bigger than ourselves.

Pastor David ministered on Sunday and he gave us a prophetic word about going on past the hurts of the past and look to the joy of the future. He spoke about Isa 54 and said to enlarge our tents and lengthen our cords and strenghten our stakes. He spoke over me about leading those that want to come and the ones that want to leave will leave. I am reminded that we are always on a journey. We are like migratory animals we need to keep on the move and keep looking for new feeding grounds, if we don't we will eventually wind up starving to death. My biggest fear is that ICCN would become a "us four and no more type of church"

This week I gave a message about enlarging our tents and getting ready to change and why we should be looking to serve our Lord through reaching out past our comfort zone. I am the first one to say as a Pastor it hurts to see people leave and I would want everyone to stay but sometimes you have to go ahead and let them go.

I am now looking forward to the future and what God has in store for us. I hope to see you here soon.

Pastoral up's and downs

Recently I have been going through some rough times at the church. I was beginning to doubt that I was the man for the job as Pastor to this church. Finances were not looking good this month and I was about ready to start crying in my root beer. I guess my biggest fear was that I was possibly failing God and the trust that he put in me. That is a lonely feeling. I had began to think that I had lost my "MOJO" to quote Austin Powers (how many pastors use him as a quote?).

I had a bad day today and was thinking that I was off to a bad Wednesday night till God showed up and showed out! We started off late with dinner and we did not even get started till 10 minutes late for the service. We had prayer request come up and God just started using our prayer request to fuel our faith. I thought we had had church way before we ever started a message.

The Lord gave me message out of Jer 23:13-29 He was talking about false prophets and how they had not spoken Gods word, what hit me was one verse said they had not been in his presence or his council, if they had they would be speaking words that gave life, (paraphrased) Then he sent me to Luke 18 dealing witht the widow that constantly bugged the judge and she finally got what she sought after. We have to keep going after what we want. God never promised anything to be easy, just his company

What the Lords showed me was that although we go through many up's and down's like the picture of the mountains, we have to keep going and we have to keep seeking out God. We as pastors are not immune from stupid thinking! As a matter of fact sometimes we have a lot more of that than people think. We sometimes feel alone and that we have no one to talk to. God wanted me to see tonight it is up to him to bring the increase not me! It is only up to me to bring me, not the increase.

I don't know if any of you have ever felt like a fake or not but I will tell you that I have felt like a fake, thinking that the people will eventually see through me soon enough, till I finally figured it out if you remain transparent they will see through you, but as a man of God they will see Jesus through you.

If you are ever in a place of trying to find yourself and trying to find out what God wants of you just remember all he wants of you is ALL of You and nothing less. He wants the brokeness, the nakedness, and the willingness to continue to serve him.

Blessings

The problems of the church

SEVEN PROBLEMS OF THE CHURCH

1. The Unbended Knee
2. The Unread Book
3. The Unattended Church
4. The Unpaid Tithe
5. The Unrealized Cross of Christ
6. The Uncompassionate Heart
7. The Unconcern for Lost Souls

--Author Unknown

I don't know with that many UN's maybe we should call it the problems of the UNchurched.