A New Year

Wow 2013! What will I do in this new year that God has given us to see and be apart of, Or maybe the question we should ask is what does God want me to do with this new day in this new year? The first thing that comes to mind is what God says through Moses in the Bible, in Deuteronomy 6:1-5 1-2 This is the commandment, the rules and regulations, that God, your God, commanded me to teach you to live out in the land you’re about to cross into to possess. This is so that you’ll live in deep reverence before God lifelong, observing all his rules and regulations that I’m commanding you, you and your children and your grandchildren, living good long lives. 3 Listen obediently, Israel. Do what you’re told so that you’ll have a good life, a life of abundance and bounty, just as God promised, in a land abounding in milk and honey. 4 Attention, Israel! God, our God! God the one and only! 5 Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that’s in you, love him with all you've got! I want to focus in on vs. 5 a moment, Israel was beginning a new chapter in their journey to the land that God had promised them. Just like we are beginning a new year in our journey with God or in our relationship with God. God is saying to me and you as we enter this new year to love God, with your whole heart, with all that's in you, with all you got! I used to play middle school football and what ever drill or play that we were running the coach would say "come on Jordan give me all you got", "don't hold back, dig deep, give it all to me", you see I would have a tendency to slack off some plays and not block hard or run very hard. The coach was just encouraging me "to give it all you got" your team needs you. If you have begun a relationship with God through his son Jesus Christ then in this new year and this new day God is saying to me and you "Love God, your God, with your whole heart..." That means get to know him better, read his word more, take walks with him more, talk to him more, praise him more than you did last year. You and I can apply this to our new day in 2013. Don't just live it out seeking whatever you want to do and looking for more stuff to make you feel good. Put God first in your life in this new year! If you haven't begun a relationship with God then you can do that right now where ever you are, just talk to him and tell him this. God, I'm sorry for my sin, for making a mess, please forgive me. I want to begin a relationship with you. I believe in your son Jesus Christ, that he lived on this earth, died and three days later rose up from the grave.

Election Day Good News

Hello, as I went to exercise my freedom here in the United States and vote for federal, state and county government elections, I was overwhelmed with thanksgiving for Gods blessings in my life! He is so good to us! I was thinking about the devotion my wife and I had recently, it was from the book of 1st John chapter 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. This says that Jesus Christ has been with God from the beginning. It says that Jesus is the light of all mankind or the human race. In otherwords he is the hope of the world! Through him all things were made and the light (that's Jesus) shines in the darkness! So if you think your life, the United States, the world, is in chaos or darkness then be thankful. God loves you! John 3:16 1 John 1:5 The light (thats Jesus) shines in the darkness (that's the chaos), and the darkness has not overcome it. Now that is something to be thankful for today!! Jesus shines through the chaos, or the darkness.

Second Chances

It sure is great to get second chances in life! We get second chances in school, work, marriage, relationships, sports, and just about in everything we do. Samson, King Solomon, King David, Jonah, Peter, and many great men and women in the Bible got second chances with God. After moving to Tega Cay, SC on Lake Wylie a few years ago I began to ride a jetski around the peninsula and I would pass a few boat landings. I kept seeing people just lined up at the landings waiting to put their boats in the water, people would be everywhere. As I began to think about those people, wondering if they had a personal relationship with the savior Jesus Christ, I got this thought of beginning a sunday morning worship service right there by the lake. God has called me to be a minister of his Good News for the rest of my life! Our first church, Real Life South Charlotte in Waxhaw, NC was open for almost three years and we had seen God do so many wonderful things there. After spending a little over a year just seeking Gods direction, attending a great church in the area, praying about the people at the boat landings on Sundays and thanking God for his call on my life, it just sounded like a great time to relaunch Real Life South Charlotte as Real Life Tega Cay! Not sure yet at which boat landing we will begin the lakeside service but we will keep praying and scouting! Meanwhile for the winter months we have an opportunity to meet here at the TC clubhouse to begin a Sunday worship service. So God is already opening the doors for Real Life to have a second chance to continue reaching out to a world that needs a savior!

So Blessed - Part 10

Hello, today I needed some really good news. I mean, I know that God has already so blessed me beyond measure and his creation for me is amazing, his grace carries me thru each day! But you know with all that's going on in our world today summer 2012, I just need to know that something good will last. Is the devil going to win? Well, in our devotion for today from Matthew 5:18 we read " I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." I love Gods promises that can be found in his holy word, the Bible. This verse is telling us today that those promises will be there for you and I until we die or until Jesus comes back to get his church!! Those promises will be true forever. You could be thinking as you read this, what are those promises? Well here is a few but the bible is full of Gods promises. Now, it's by faith that we will believe these and all the other promises which comprise Gods word. “The man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:25 “A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.” Proverbs 22:9 “If you return to the Almighty, you will be blessed again. So remove evil from your house.” Job 22:23 (NCV) “Even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” Luke 11:28 (NLT) You and I just need to dwell on these promises, begin to put them into practice in our lives, and trust God. I hope you have a great day!

So Blessed - Part 9

I was in a meeting recently with about six people and the meeting leader was continually laughing, mocking and poking fun at me and my faith. I just sensed that might be what was going on and that setting was not the place to question him. I will look for an opportunity to speak with him one on one and see if there is anything I might help with or answer any questions he might have around God or spiritual matters. Do you get made fun of because of your faith? Maybe it comes as you stand up for Jesus in a conversation at school, at work or just hanging out with friends. It could be things said like "Don't you preach to me" or "Who made you God" or "you christians are all the same, hypocrites". You know even a family member or someone very close to you could make fun of you or mock you because you are a christ follower and are letting christ live through you. Believe me it is no fun to be made fun of or mocked or laughed at, especially when it's someone you care a lot about or family. When someone hurts you it is a natural tendancy to retaliate or to back off and just don't speak to them anymore. I wonder how many relationships, friendships, marriages and families are at odds with each other because someone made fun of them because of Christ? In our verse for today from Matthew 5:11 we see that Jesus says, "Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me." I have found that God gives strength to be paitent and strength to return kindness when you are under attack just for following Christ. Remember in this series of devos titled "So Blessed" we are looking at some specific things in Gods word that it says he blesses you and I for. Today I am "So Blessed" because the Bible says that Jesus loves me. John 15:9 "Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love"

So Blessed - Part 8

Hello, welcome to part 8 of this series I am calling So Blessed.

Do you ever get tired of doing right or sticking up for what's right and getting made fun of, getting left out, getting fused at, or maybe just threatened with your relationship or job? It seems like it would be so less painful or even so much more fun to just not worry about whats right and just do what would gain you the most favor with people like friends, dates, spouses, bosses, coworkers, etc... After all you've always heard that you should "make peace with everyone", "just love everyone" or "just be tolerant", but while those sayings are good, Gods says that he blesses people that are "...persecuted for righteousness sake". I have found this promise from Gods word to be true as a student in school, as an employee, as a daddy, and as a husband. For example as an employee I get an opportunity every day to work hard, to tell the truth, to be punctual, to respect authority, and to be honest. I am so blessed in so many ways when I choose to do right even though I may be laughed at. Lets look at today's verse Matthew 5:10 God blesses those people who are treated badly for doing right. They belong to the kingdom of heaven.

So Blessed - Part 7

Good morning, today I'd like to look at the next verse in our So Blessed Devo's. Can you think about Gods Blessings this morning? Sometimes when life is coming at us fast and furious as it does, it's hard to think about blessings because I just don't feel blessed, You may feel so beat up and abused by people, relationships, finances, children, spouse, work, and life itself, that you could say what are blessings? Where are they? I need some blessings right now in my life. Let's look at some specific ways that the Bible, Gods Holy Word to us, says that he blesses us. Matthew 5:9 says “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Are you a peacemaker? Easter is coming up, what a great time to reflect on what God has done for you! I challenge you to share with family and friends what God has done for you this week. It will bring opportunities to be a peacemaker! What has God done for me and you? John 3:16 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." What has God done for you and your family? Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." When I think on these things I realize that I am So Blessed. "He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee," Luke 24:6