You Are More Beautiful Than You Think!

Excuse me Ma’am!  You Are More Beautiful Than You Think! My friend shared this video with me and I though it would be cool to share. So often, women are caught up in what the world says is beautiful, and this morning I am reminded of the passage of Scripture in Psalm 45:10-11 that says,

“10Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention:
Forget your people and your father’s house.
11Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord.”

Let this video be a reminder that: You Are More Beautiful Than You Think!

12 Prayer Maxims: The Circle Maker

Today I am starting to read a book called THE CIRCLE MAKER by Mark Batterson.  I am so excited to begin reading it.  Just by talking to my mentor about this book, I know this has had a profound impact on his life.

Batterson recently wrote on his blog:

I love maxims. Always have. Always will.  Jesus was the master of maxims!  He could say so much with so few words. I’ve always strived to not just love like Him and pray like Him, but also talk like Him!  Sometimes the way to say more is to say less.

Here are 12 prayer maxims from The Circle Maker.

1. Prayer is the difference between YOU FIGHTING FOR GOD and GOD FIGHTING FOR YOU.

2. Prayer turns appointments in DIVINE APPOINTMENTS.

3. Pray like it DEPENDS ON GOD and work like it DEPENDS ON YOU.

4. If you don’t establish a PRAYER HABIT you’ll never break the SIN HABIT.

5. Prayer is the difference between THE BEST YOU CAN DO and THE BEST GOD CAN DO.

6. The more you HAVE TO DO the more you HAVE TO PRAY.

7. You are only ONE PRAYER away from a totally different life.

8. The MORE YOU PRAY the MORE YOU DREAM and the more you dream the more you HAVE to pray.

9. WHO YOU BECOME is determined by HOW YOU PRAY.

10. 100% of the prayers you DON’T pray WON’T get answered.

11. God honors BOLD PRAYERS because BOLD PRAYERS honor God.

12. The greatest tragedy in life are the prayers that go UNANSWERED because they go UNASKED.

So one GIANT question remains:  What does your prayer life look like?

Here is more about his book:

According to Pastor Mark Batterson in his book, The Circle Maker, “Drawing prayer circles around our dreams isn’t just a mechanism whereby we accomplish great things for God. It’s a mechanism whereby God accomplishes great things in us.” Do you ever sense that there’s far more to prayer, and to God’s vision for your life, than what you’re experiencing? It’s time you learned from the legend of Honi the Circle Maker—a man bold enough to draw a circle in the sand and not budge from inside it until God answered his prayers for his people. What impossibly big dream is God calling you to draw a prayer circle around? Sharing inspiring stories from his own experiences as a circle maker, Mark Batterson will help you uncover your heart’s deepest desires and God-given dreams and unleash them through the kind of audacious prayer that God delights to answer.

ATTENTION ALL PARENTS: Don’t Miss The Moments

My mentor Todd Gaston wrote a great piece for parents encouraging us not to miss the moments.  I hope you find this encouraging.

I know first hand that raising kids is tough!  Living in Northern Va often makes the schedule even more challenging.  People often say time passes in a blink in regards to raising kids.  I know time can feel stressful in evenings trying to get your kids to do homework, get showered, or to go to bed.  Even in the morning, things can feel slow in regards to kids getting up, getting ready, and heading off to school.  But these days too will be gone (sooner than you know).

So while there is still time, live out God’s Word.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”  Deuteronomy 6:4-8

Did you catch that?
…talk about them when you sit at home
….when you walk along the road
…when you lie down
…when you get up

I might add:
…as you drive kids to soccer.
…as you eat dinner together.
…as you go to school.
…as you take a vacation.
…as you take your daughter on date (dad!)
…as you tuck them in at night.
…as you wake them up in the morning.

Time is moving fast, so don’t miss the moments all around us to impress God upon them!

Take a moment and add more opportunities:

Matthew 5:16 (Fuse Scripture Memorization Verse 7)

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:16

When was the last time you were in complete darkness?  I don’t mean in your bedroom with the lights off or driving a lonely road at night.  I’m talking the type of darkness you find camping in the middle of nowhere, or when a nighttime storm knocks out the electricity on your whole street.  In this type of darkness, you literally can’t see your hand in front of your face.

Sitting in darkness, you can find yourself hoping for even the slightest bit of light.  And when you finally see it, be it a glimpse of a campfire through the trees or the beam once you finally locate the flashlight, your entire outlook on the world changes.  You can finally see your way to that light.  It’s the same in our relationship with God.

Read Matthew 5:14 – 16.  The contrast between light and dark is used often throughout the New Testament.  Things that are evil, or of the world, are often referred to as being in darkness.  The things of God are said to be light.  Jesus tells us that those who follow Him are the light of the world.  We are not to try to hide this fact, but in actuality, are to let it shine brightly for others to see.

The world is full of people living in darkness, those who don’t know Jesus and can’t find God on their own.  They can spend their whole lives on the broad road wandering aimlessly toward destruction.  As a follower of the Christ, your light, your good works done out of your love for Jesus, serve as a beacon, a signal flare showing others how to find the way to life.

Wouldn’t you like to lead people living in darkness to the bright shining light of Jesus Christ?

Reflection:

Who served as a light in your life to show you the Way?

What does it mean for us to let our light shine before others?

How do our good works serve to point others to God?

Write a prayer below asking for God’s help in letting your light shine brightly.  Thank Him for those in your life He has used as light to show you the Way.

How can I pray for you?

I would love to talk: call me on my cell: 281-703-5091

The Heart of Worship is… Surrender

SURRENDER!

Give yourselves to God… Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.  Romans 6:13

Rick Warren said, “Surrender is an unpopular word, disliked almost as much as the word submission.  It implies losing, and no one wants to be a loser.  Surrender evokes the unpleasant images of admitting defeat in battle, forfeiting a game, or yielding to a stronger opponent.  The word is almost always used in a negative context.  Captured criminals surrender to authorities.”

In today’s culture we are taught to never give up and never give in.  So to surrender is something of weakness.  But in Scripture, we are told that the heart of worship is SURRENDER.  Surrender is the natural response to God’s amazing love and mercy.  We give ourselves to him, not out of fear or duty, but in LOVE, because “He first loved us.”

There are three barriers or walls that block us from surrendering to God: Fear, Pride, and Confusion.  We don’t realize how much God loves us, we want to control our own lives, and we misunderstand the meaning of surrender.

“When we completely surrender ourselves to Jesus, we discover that he is not a tyrant, but a savior; not a boss, but a brother; not a dictator, but a friend.”

Romans 12:1 says, “So then, my friends, because of God’s great mercy to us… OFFER yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him.  This is the true worship that you should OFFER.”

True WORSHIP – bringing God pleasure – happens when you give yourself completely to God.  Notice the first and last words of that verse are the same: OFFER.

SO, HOW ARE YOU DOING WHEN IT COMES TO SURRENDER?  HOW CAN I PRAY FOR YOU?

I would love to talk: call me on my cell: 281-703-5091

“Strike The Water” Spoken Word

Such an INCREDIBLE WORD!!!

Elevation Creative: “Strike The Water” Spoken Word from Elevation Media on Vimeo.

Five Important Reminders For Fuse Student Ministry

Perry Noble just posted this as a reminder to his church in Anderson, SC. I believe it is a great reminder for all believers.

#1 – Found People Find People – (check out John 1:35-51 & Luke 19:10)

#2 – Every Number Has A Name, Every Name Has A Story And Every Story Matters To God

#3 – Soooooo Many People Are Just One More Invitation Away From Coming To Church And Meeting Jesus.

#4 – God Was Patient (II Peter 3:9) And Kind (Romans 2:4) When Pursuing Us, May Our Attitudes Be The Same Towards Others.

#5 – In The Bible God Rewarded The Effort Of People Who Did Whatever It Took To Bring People To Jesus (Mark 2:1-12)…And He Still Does The Same Thing Today (Hebrews 13:8!)

Let’s do this FUSE STUDENT MINISTRY. Invite your friends to FUSE on Wednesday Nights at THE MILL for this series WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR?, to Re:Charge coming March 22-24, Student Life Camp to Estes Park, CO this June.

Don’t Waste Your Life (Wednesday March 6, 2013 Revisited)

“Most believers aren’t in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They’re facing a danger that’s far greater: wasting them. ….”

Last night we had a pre-message for our upcoming series WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR? One of the most common questions I hear as a pastor is people asking, “What is God’s will for my life?” Or, “What on Earth am I here for?”  It is a question that has so many other questions wrapped up in the one.  So at FUSE, we have decided to spend several weeks diving through the question, WHAT ON EARTH AM I HERE FOR? Last night we started our series off by answering 3 basic questions that people wrestle with daily.  These three questions are ones that seam so simple, yet, they are so foundational for every person to consider, both believer and non-believer.  

3 BASIC QUESTIONS

1.     WHAT DOES GOD WANT?  MY WHOLE LIFE.

“Give yourselves completely to God since you have been given
new life. And use your whole body as a tool to do what is right
for the glory of God.”            Rom. 6:13

“This is what the Lord your God wants you to do: Respect the
Lord  and do what he has told you to do. Love him. Serve the
Lord your God with your whole being.”      Deut. 10:12

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and
love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the
other. You cannot serve both God and money.”   Matt. 6:24

“In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and
crown your efforts with success.”         Pr. 3:6

2.      WHAT DOES IT TAKE?  DISCIPLINE.

“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.”
1 Tim. 4:7

“Spend your time and energy in the exercise of keeping
spiritually fit.”            1 Tim. 4:7b
“Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the
sin that so easily hinders our progress.”  Heb. 12:1b

“Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him
and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to
do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me.” But the Lord
answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted
by many things; but there is need of only one thing and Mary
has chosen the better part…”          Luke 10:40-42

“God is always at work in you to make you willing and able to
obey his own purpose.”            Phil. 2:13

3.     WHY SHOULD I DO IT?  THE CROSS.

“He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for
themselves but for him who died for them and was raised
again.”                 2 Cor. 5:15

“Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins.
God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness.”
Eph. 1:7

“Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about
God’s compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him.”
Rom.12:1

“We beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous
life God has given us!”         2 Cor. 6:1

“Lord, I have heard the news about you; I am amazed at what
you have done. Lord, do great things once again in our time;
make those things happen again in our own days.”
Hab. 3:2

WHAT ABOUT YOU?  ARE THERE AREAS IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU NEED TO CUT OUT IN ORDER FOR YOU TO BE MORE DISCIPLINED?  HAVE YOU BEEN SITTING ON THE SIDELINE FOR SOME TIME NOW, AND GOD IS MOVING YOU TO AUDACIOUSLY STEP OUT IN FAITH TO FOLLOW HIM?  HOW CAN I BRING YOU ENCOURAGEMENT TODAY?

I would love to talk: call me on my cell: 281-703-5091

Matthew 11:28 (Fuse Scripture Memorization Verse 6)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 
Matthew 11:28

Want to try a little experiment?  Pick a day, any day.  Pick one 24-hour period.  Now, for that one day, try to do everything right.  I mean everything.  Everything you do.  Everything you say.  Everything you think.  It all has to be exactly right.  Now, you may be asking, “Whose standard of ‘right’ are we talking about here?”  Well, God’s of course.  That’s right.  For one day, try to live in such a manner that you do everything exactly how God wants you to do it.

Most of you just checked out.  You’re thinking, “Why even try?  That’s impossible.”  And you’re correct.  It is.  Any of us can spend our whole life, not just a day, trying to do things right, only to realize that we constantly fail and consistently mess up.  Sometimes it seems the only thing we get right is doing things wrong.  A life like that can really wear on a person.  It’s exhausting!

Read Matthew 11:28-30.  Jesus came in the midst of a culture that told people the only way to God was to do right, to live according to every one of God’s standards.  They, like us, found they just weren’t up to the task.  Their constant shortcomings wore them down more and more.  Can you relate?

Jesus understood this.  So in verse 28, He invited all who were listening – all those tired, worn-out people – to come to Him.  The yoke He asks us to bear along the way is light.  Sure, the path itself is hard.  We end up facing all kinds of troubles, but the burden to make it right no longer falls on us.  It now rests with Christ.

The One that we follow is gentle and humble, and when we find ourselves a little road weary along the Way, He gives us rest.

Reflection:

What burdens are you currently bearing that are wearing your down?
How can the narrow Way be hard yet the yoke Jesus gives us to bear be easy?
In what ways has Jesus provided rest for you in the past?

Write a prayer below thanking Jesus for the rest He has provided for you in the past.  Take a moment and ask Him to relieve you of the burdens you listed above that are wearing you down.

What On Earth Am I Here For? A Fuse Series

“Most believers aren’t in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They’re facing a danger that’s far greater: wasting them. ….”

This is a quote that has had me thinking about my life recently.  Often times I get asked: “What is God’s will for my life?” Or, “What on Earth am I here for?”  So this Wednesday night we are beginning a series called “What On Earth Am I Here For?”  Through this series, we are going to look at several areas of our life, and MORE IMPORTANTLY, OUR CALLING.  We are called to be a part of God’s GREATER story, not our own.

This Wednesday March 6th, we have a Pre-Series message titled: DON’T WASTE YOUR LIFE.  We will answer 3 basic questions that every believer must answer to understand what it takes to live a life that pleases God.  The rest of the series is outlined as follows:

1. What On Earth Am I Here For?  (March 20)
2. Planned For God’s Pleasure  (March 27)
3. Formed For God’s Family  (April 3)
4. Created To Become Like Christ  (April 10)
5. Shaped For Serving God  (April 17)
6. Made For A Mission  (April 24)
7. What Have We Learned  (May 1)

This is going to be one our most basic Sermon Series that we have ever done, yet, it will be one of the most PROFOUND to understanding the purpose of what it means to be created in the image of God.  Join us at FUSE on Wednesdays to discover the true PURPOSE of life.  If you would like to go further, we will have Rick Warren’s book THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE for sale in the lobby of The Mill for you at $12.  This is just to recoup the cost of the books.  This 40 day journey will help you dive further into the conversations that we will be having throughout the rest of the series.  I STRONGLY recommend that you and your family go through this study over the next 40 days together. If you have any questions please contact Jared at jared@fbctw.org.