Thanksgiving

My wonderful niece has informed me that I need to post some thanksgiving pictures STAT!!!! Since she is the ultimate babysitter, I figured I better keep her happy:) (love you Ashley:)

Anyways, I will keep the dialogue to a minimum, and simply say thanksgiving was great. My mom hosted us which meant a number of things,
1. only had to drive 3 miles and the girls could take normal naps
2. didn't have to cook or clean anything,
3. eating 3 pieces of pie to ensure that 4,000 calorie mark was broken
4. wearing layers because mom is half cold blooded reptilian and keeps the heat at 98.6 ( I love you mom:)

Ended the thanksgiving weekend by taking my beautiful wife to GR with a group of friends from high school to reconnect and have dinner. Saw some peeps I hadn't seen in years and got Kendra out of the house without the girls which is always a good thing every now and then:)

Sorry about the Bush turkey photo, I thought since he would be out of office soon, i should help preserve a memory of him and I couldn't help myself:)

Crazy

I'm not an economist, and I'm probably grossly under qualified to even give an opinion on the state of the big three automakers and whether we (taxpayers) should lend them money, but lack of knowledge never stopped my opinions before:)

My first inclination was to say yes, because living in michigan, this affects us more so than other Americans. Now however, I have changed my mind. I believe lending them money will only offset temporarily the inevitable because nothing will change "inside" the corporation. They seem to want to continue doing what they have always done. As we all know, the big three ceo's testified before congress and asked for bailout money and here is my issue.(s)

1. they arrive in their private jets while trying to show the imminent need for a handout? That sounds a little like a man standing on a highway exit wearing an Armani suit begging.

2. Congress turns down the request, and gives them two weeks to come back with a specific plan for what they will do with the 25 billion dollars! Is that crazy to anyone else? Wouldn't you think they would have had that information handy for the meeting? Would it not make a little sense to come to a meeting where you are asking for 25 billion dollars with some idea of how you would invest it so that you won't be sitting there again in 6 months needing more?

I think the same thing happens in peoples lives. They come to church, experience God, realize that there are things in their lives that are detrimental to them, but ultimately they are unwilling to change!! They may understand the concept of God as a forgiver, but still look at him as a giant "bailouter". They treat Him like CEO's before congress and state their needs, but they do nothing to perpetuate the new life God offers.

The bible calls us to "repentance" To change the way that we think, thus moving away from sin, and towards God. Sin and God are not in the same place!!! To truly find God is to change direction, not just ask for forgiveness. I've seen a lot of people come to church and experience God's grace, but ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit leading them to "repent" (change direction). They may love the music, enjoy the teaching, and many other components, but they miss the one thing that experiencing Jesus is designed to bring.......A NEW WAY TO LIVE! I heard it said that the definition of insanity could be "continuing to do the same thing, while expecting a different result." God doesn't just want to repair you, He want to recreate you!!! (2 cor. 5:17)

I pray that the truth of life in Christ will come alive in this generation and a supernatural boldness to LIVE LOUD for Jesus will rise up in us all!!!

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses AND FORSAKES them will have mercy.--prov. 28:13

monday morning laugh

Who says that the generation gap can't be bridged? I think this is a great example of the older folks trying to reach out across the generations to show that we're really not that different after all.

You NEED to take the 5 minutes to watch this, it is hysterical!!!!!!

DO NOT FEAR

Let's be honest. The outlook for our country isn't very good in the natural. Government bailouts, housing and auto markets struggling, and lots of Americans unable to find work. In times of uncertainty, it is easy to become fearful and discouraged when thinking about your future.

I want to share some thoughts that can help us to trust God and put him first in every area of our lives, especially our finances. It is the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath in 1 kings chaper 17.

There is a drought in the land, and God tells Elijah to leave the safety of the brook cherith where he had plenty of water and ravens that brought him big macs. ( the bible says bread and meat, but I'm pretty sure they weren't whoppers.) God informs him that He has commanded a widow there to provide for him.

I'm sure as Elijah was on his way, he was picturing a very rich widow with a house right out of MTV cribs sucker free edition. What he gets is an old women in front of a shack gathering sticks. He asks her for a cup of water, and as she is going to get it, also asks for a morsel of bread. It is at this point that she informs him of her unique situation. All she has is a dash of flour, a drop of oil, and she is planning to make one pancake for her and her son to split before they die. Even if you have michigan maple syrup to put on it, that's still a bad morning.

two things to notice so far,

1. The widow had no problem getting Elijah a cup of water, but when bread became involved, she put on the brakes and told him she didn't have it. Many of us as christians have no problem coming to church, singing songs, we may even serve in the nursery. that's our cup of water. But when it comes to tithing, or supporting the church financially, we tell God we have no bread.

2. Elijah didn't move on when she said she didn't have it. He could have said, "hey I understand, the widow I need probably lives up the road a little, have fun dying." Instead he challenges her with these three words......"DO NOT FEAR". Then he tells her to "DO AS SHE PLANNED" but make him a small cake first. Notice he didn't tell her to forget about her original plan, he told her to do exactly as she said, but make him a small cake FIRST.

God is looking for those, who in the realm of their finances, will put him first. Fear tells you that you won't have enough for your family, God says to put Him first and He will provide.

vs. 15--she did according to his word, and by putting God first, the bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry. Notice when she was obedient, she didn't win the powerball and have millions of dollars and no cares in the world. She still had to believe every day that the bin and jar would continue to sustain her. God did a miracle in her life so that she and her son were provided for (give us this DAY, our daily bread) during the entire famine.

I'm not posting this on behalf of radiant Church because we need you to tithe or were in trouble. Kendra and I were tithing long before I became a pastor and our church has never missed a bill. We continue to believe God will bring people alongside of us to fulfill His vision for our community. I am writing this because I believe the bible when it says that "God opens the window of heaven in order to pour out blessing on those who put His house first"--malachi 3:10. So many people say they can't afford to tithe, I say that we can't afford not to. These are the times when you need to put some legs to your faith. It's one thing to say you believe God will provide, it's another to act on it. If you are not tithing to your local church, you need to be. If you don't trust how your church is allocating its funds, then find a church you do trust and tithe there. The miracle your looking for in your life is triggered by obedience. I'm praying for the world to see the supernatural favor of God upon tithers, so we have a platform to brag about the greatness and faithfulness of our God.

DO NOT FEAR, IF GOD IS FOR YOU, WHO CAN BE AGAINST YOU?

There may be future posts along these lines, but for some reason I'm hungry for pancakes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD

Today my dad would have celebrated his 70th birthday if cancer had not cut his life short. I still look back at so many good times and memories I have of my dad growing up. He was a constant source of encouragement to me and so many others, and his love for God family are what defined him as a man.
Everyone of his grandchildren had to have felt like they were the most important and loved child in the world. He passed away just just three months before Ava was born and I still remember telling him on the phone that we were expecting. His booming voice (wonder where I got mine from:) exclaiming that he was sure it would be a boy:) I know he would have wrapped my girls in the same love he had for all his children and grandchildren, but it comforts me to know someday they will meet the grandpa their daddy loves and misses so much.

My dad wasn't perfect, but I thank God for the years I had with him, the life lessons he taught me as a child, and the friendship we developed as adults. He was one of the most generous men I ever knew who would go the extra mile for anyone in need.

I love you dad and I still think of you often,

Happy Birthday,

couch on wheels

in an effort to do our part to eradicate some of the debt in our lives, i made the decision to sell our suv. Upon searching high and low for a dependable vehicle at a no car payment price, a good friend of mine (at least for now:) directed me to a 1995 chevy Caprice classic. It is the one owner vehicle of an old retired baptist pastor (if you can't trust a baptist pastor, what's the world coming to?) who bought the car brand new in 1995 and babied it ever since. It is admittedly not the most attractive car ever to roll of an assembly line, but it is in great shape, perfect interior, no rust, and even a remote starter for kendra to take advantage of this winter!!

I was hoping for Kendra's sake that it would at least have a ram bar in the front or the super stylish side spot light, but sadly I don't think this was ever used in hot pursuit of criminals.

I know dave Ramsey may not approve of this, but I am saving up for some 24 inch spinners and hydraulics to go with the 5,000 watt stereo Kendra put on her Christmas list.

here's what I'm shooting for by January:)