The really BIG GOD

I JUST WANT TO GO ON RECORD AS SAYING, "GOD HAS BEEN REALLY REALLY GOOD TO ME AND MY FAMILY.

I WILL SERVE HIM ALL THE REST OF THE DAYS OF MY LIFE. I KNOW THAT THE FRUIT OF DOING SO WILL BE BEYOND MY WILDEST DREAMS.

I DESIRE TO SPEND AND BE SPENT SERVING THE KING AND HIS KINGDOM.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE CONVINCED THAN I AM RIGHT THIS MOMENT THAT JESUS IS THE ANSWER TO EVERY SINGLE HUMAN DILEMNA.

IF YOU ARE READING THIS AND YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ANSWERS . . . . THEY ARE FOUND IN JESUS AND NOT IN WHAT YOU THINK IS RIGHT IN WHAT JESUS SAYS IS RIGHT.

Ps 40:5 Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal.If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. NLT

SURRENDER TO HIM AND LET HIM BEGIN TO WORK ON YOUR BEHALF.

Blessings,
Ed

The POWER of CHOICES.

"The FUEL of our choices CONNECTS us to inexhaustible POWER of our God which in turn IGNITES the fire of our destiny." Just a thought while meditating, praying, and just in general being quiet before the Lord.

Our destiny is not a destination! Our destiny is to become like Jesus Romans 8:29. This life is just a journey along the way.

The man or woman that we are becoming is a direct result of the CHOICES that we make on a daily basis. For some reason we have been trained to think that one BIG choice will lead to all our problems being solved and we will have arrived. (lottery, marriage, job) No my friend it is the things that we do daily and we do them over and over and over. The Bible calls it being FAITHFUL IN THE SMALL THINGS.

My Pastor and mentor MORRIS SHEATS taught me that "DETAILS DETERMINE DESTINY." This principle teaches me to take care of all the small things because they add up to big things.

1. LOVE BETTER TODAY

2. READ SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE YOU BETTER TODAY. Including the Bible but not excluding other resources.

3. DREAM TODAY.

4. ACT ON YOUR DREAM TODAY.

5. BE FAITHFUL TODAY. To your God, spouse, family, job, promises you have made, and financially.

7. OBEY THE HOLY SPIRIT TODAY - Random acts of kindness will take you far.

This is not meant to be a check off list but those are the first things that came to my mind.

I am encouraged . . . I hope you are.

Ed

Platforms . . . . MMMMMMM?

I got invited to speak at the Texas Tech University FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) this past week. It was a fun and exciting time to speak to influencers on a university campus. Some of these athletes were on scholarship and some were not but they all by virtue of being visible athletes on campus have been given a platform to lead from.

So I spoke to them about their God given platform from which they lead in a positive or negative way.

Kinds of platforms:

Oil platform - Diving platform - Political platform - Platform shoes - Train platform

Platform - elevated places, safe places, belief systems. (simple definitions since dictionary.com had 14 of them)

No one owes you a platform. Platforms are usually earned and then given for us to use in a negative or positive manner.

Platforms are established over time and lost in an instant. Tiger Woods Tiger Woods Tiger Woods - need I say more. Men have made mistakes and failed all throughout history and we as a human race have been gracious and forgiving. We usually open up and allow them back, but do they ever attain the place of influence that their original platform afforded them? Side note about those who have failed - treat others the way you want to be treated Luke 6:37,38.

If it is just about you, you do not have a platform. All you have is selfish ambition. Your platform must be bigger than you (your personal vision for your life). Your platform must be connected to something so big we have to call it a cause (Susan G. Koman) or how about the Kingdom of God. Matt. 3:2

Relationships are the foundation of a platform. If you can't build relationships, you can't have a platform. This goes with the one above. Your platform must be about others. Making them better. Moving them higher. Leading them into their destiny. We cannot help people unless we get involved with people and a platform is given to influence people.

You're more likely to keep your platform if you ask questions. Get around people that do what you are doing but they are doing it better than you. Proverbs 27:17

Lots of people want a platform , but very few are gifted to have a platform and even fewer are humble enough to keep it. This hit me between the eyes. Having a national platform as an "ABSTINENCE EDUCATOR" and being known as "SEX ED" has always been a little scary for me. Yes, I want to extend my influence as far as I can but how do you do that and not be prideful and a little arrogant? James 4:6

The person who yells the loudest doesn't necessarily get the platform. I confess this used to be me. God does the promotion! 1 Peter 5:6

I'm Thinking,
Ed

NUMBNESS, LEPERS, AND LOST PEOPLE

I recently read that one of the symptoms of leprosy is numbness in the extremities (hands and feet).

Sometimes we as Christians become numb to the world around us. After all we are better off than they are right? (wink - wink)

NUMB - to the depravity of man.

NUMB - to sin in our own lives.

NUMB - to the need of others around us.

NUMB - to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

I am convinced that in many ways the church has lost her sensitivity to what God wants us to do in our world. We can touch hurting humanity and make a difference in their lives. I am not a church cynic rather I am a church optimist that believes we can all make a difference. We have a slogan in our church "won by one." I am thinking we can do this.

I pray that you will feel the pain around you and be motivated to do something about it.

DEPRAVITY OF THE WORLD + BREVITY OF TIME (JESUS IS COMING BACK) = BOLDNESS TO DO

One last thought on numbness. Have you ever sat in such a way that your foot became numb because of a lack of blood flow to the extremities of your foot? Well of course you have . . . this is what leprosy does.

Christians are way to numb because they have been sitting on their hands and feet and they cannot feel the flow of the blood of Jesus through their bodies. I pray that we realize that we have become spiritual lepers. If we do . . . Lord heal us (Mark 1:40,41). LORD FLOW THROUGH ME TODAY.

Ed

At PEACE with my life.

I am sitting in my living room with coffee, a fire going, instrumental music playing, it is snowing outside, and my dog is asleep at my feet.

I AM AT PEACE WITH MY LIFE . . . All my life I have strived, pushed, competed, worked and what ever other word you want to use to be the best, fastest, first, at the top, or biggest (for all of us church people).

I realized this morning that I am at PEACE with all that is around me. I have 3 children serving the Lord and they are all married to people who love God, I have one grandson and 2 more grand children on the way. I am married to an AMAZING women. The ministry opportunities I get are totally beyond any scope that I had ever thought or dreamed and I am not done yet.

Yes, sometimes I sit around think how I can I compete (like an athlete) and improve everything around me. MORE PEOPLE IN OUR CHURCH, PREACH IN MORE CHURCHES AND YOUTH MINISTRIES, SPEAK IN MORE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, SPEAK TO MORE LEADERS IN OTHER NATIONS.

Then there comes days like today when I understand if anything good happens I usually have absolutely ZERO to do with it. Yes, I understand I must be obedient but I know God by his GRACE is using a flawed vessel to do HIS work.

So I am deciding to live at peace with all God is doing. Now, do not get me wrong I do want to be better, go farther, get bigger, train more leaders, touch more students, and grow a great church. NOW I know that all I can do is all I can do and I am just going to do it every day.

We usually over estimate

what we can do in one year and

we usually under estimate

what we can do in five years.

I am in it for the long haul. I will not stop. I will not quit. I will not turn around. But I know it is not in self that we find succes.

A self made man has

seriously limitied his life.

Self cannot take you where God

intends for you to go.

Brian Houston

To GOD be the glory!!

Engaged mind = A Changed Life

Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 NLT

I have really been challenged by the Lord in the area of memorizng scripture for 2010.

Which has led me to really spend a lot of time thinking about the benefits of memorizing scripture.

1. When you are waiting, waiting, and more waiting which we do a lot of in our lives. You can engage your mind in the will of God for your life by memorizing scripture.

2. Scriptue memory engages our minds when temptation comes our way. Often times the scripture comes flying into our minds as the way of escape. 1 Cor. 10:13

3, Memorizing the scripture is memorizing God's will for your life since God's will and God's Word are the same thing.

Take up the challenge it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

Ed

It is fun getting older.

Exactly one month from today I will be 52 years old. I have been married to an awesome woman for nearly 32 of that and I have been in ministry for 31 of that time as well. WHAT A RIDE IT HAS ALL BEEN.

Just this past week I was in Dallas, TX for a Youth Pastor Roundtable. Where the older reached back to the younger and the younger reached forward to the older. The picture is me with Bob Weiner of Maranatha Ministries. Brother Bob is one of the pioneers of Jesus movement of the late 60's and 70's. I am no longer a Youth Pastor but I have been one for a long time and I still speak to thousands of youth in churches and public schools all over America and the world for that matter. I believe that this was a God ordained time for me. I was able to see the influence that God has allowed me to have over the years right up to the present time. Which by the way was very encouraging to me. There were so many great thoughts shared but I want to pass a few of them along to you my readers.

What ever the spiritual norm they (new converts - youth) are born into is what they will generally live at for the rest of their spiritual journey. So as spiritual fathers what kind of climate are we creating.

Ron Luce made the statement that he prays the following for himself . . . God, however you wrecked my life so that I would never go back would you do the same for those that I preach to?" This stirred my soul!

Start fathering, leading, mentoring, coaching then sons will begin to locate you. Another words quit asking God to send you sons just start doing it.

To touch the next generation, I have to be touched by Him.

The CROSS for youth represents both paths of life. The horizontal and the vertical. The path of righteousness which is vertical and the path of social justice which is horizontal. Apply Mark 8:34-38.

I am chewing on so much more. I pray that these remarks have stirred you up as well.
Ed