THE GRIDIRON - The Sideline

Sunday, we started a brand new series at My Father's House, centered around the sport we all know and love...football. We talked about the power of getting back into the game.

Pain has a way of sidelining us from time to time. We will all need a break from life sometimes, to deal with the pain that life can bring. The problem is not that you have to sit on the sidelines. The problem is when we allow what should be a temporary situation, turn into a permanent placement.

If you want to get off the sideline and get back into the game called life, here is what you need to do.

1. ENGAGE YOUR LIFE

Engaging life doesn't go by feeling or by waiting until the right condtitions are present to get back into the game. If you do that, you will wait forever on the sideline. You have to CHOOSE to get back into the game.

Sure, it is easier to stay on the sidelines, but games are not won from the sidelines. Games are won by being a part of the game. The greatest football player in the world is no different than the fan as long as they are in the sideline. To allow your genius to emerge, you have to get back into the game.

It's up to you. Nobody can make you get back into the game. They can wish, pray, believe, and hope that you will...but only you can make that decision.

Life is to short to watch from the sideline...it's time to move the ball down the field.

Pastorj

TIME OUT - Living in Balance

We talked on Sunday about the importance of living your life in balance. It is so easy to get our of balance these days. It's important that we learn to stay in balance because then and only then, can we be effective in the kingdom of God.

We must have a new definition of what balance is. Most people think balance is giving equal time to every area of your life. However, you know as well as I, that it never works out that way. A better definition is this:

Balance is giving the RIGHT time to the RIGHT thing.

Balance is not equal parts but rather giving the right thing to the right time. This allows us to survey our life and determine what is appropriate in each season of our life. For example, if you are a parent of toddlers...there are going to be certain things that you are going to have to do, that someone with teenagers may not have to. It's the season of our lives that determines what is right.

Once we understand this, it leads us to a key concept:

Whenever you do what is MOST important to you, something or someone else is cheated.

This may sound cynical, but it's not. In fact, I am going to encourage you to cheat. Cheat the lesser things for the more important things. Cheat the good things, for the BEST things in your life. There will always be laundry to do. There will always be more paperwork to get done at work. There will always be grass to mow. But your kids are only with you for a few years before they leave and move on in their life.

Don't give your best years to inferior processes. Get control over your own life. It's worth it.

Choose to cheat. Cheat the lesser things. Live in balance.

TIME OUT - Getting More Done

We have been talking about the importance of time management in this latest series at My Father's House (MFH). One of the things that we have uncovered is the fact that time is finite, and no matter how young or old we are, we are basically running out of it.

This can sound kind of cynical and pessimistic, but it's the truth. In fact, Moses said, "Lord teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." So the truth is, when we understand that time is finite, we begin to live our life by different principles. Principles of wisdom.

One of these wisdom keys is found in the concept which states:

"Priority Determines Capacity"

Let me explain. When we set priorities in our life, which simply means that we deem certain things more important in our life than others, we gain a capacity to deal with life. The problem is, most people spend their time doing alot of "good" things, as opposed to doing a few "best" things. If Satan can't tempt you with wrong, he will tempt you to do right wrong. He will let you focus on alot of less important thing than the few best things that God has called you to do.

So setting priorities allows us to develop more capacity to do the little things. Stress is not the result of having alot to do. Stress is the result of doing the wrong things. Set priorities in your life. Put the first two or three things that are your "best" things at the top of your to do list everyday and then prioritize by their importance the rest of your day.

If you will do that, you may not get everything done, but you will be sure to get your "best" things done...and you will get more done! The right things done!

Pastorj

IT'S GONNA WORK OUT

Everything has a way of working itself out. It may not be the outcome we want, but many things work for our good even when they aren't what we want.

There is a divine process to this. Things don't work out on their own. There must be a decision of principle in your life. Once you make the decision to live by certain principles...THEN life has a way of working itself out.

God is waiting on you to make a decision... Are you going to do this your way, or His way? This leads to a fulfilling purpose, when we choose God's way. Once that is taken care of, everything else in life seems to fall in line.

Why? Because there is a way things work. Birds have to fly. Fish have to swim. Seeds have to be planted. Humans have to live by the principles of God. Jesus called it the Kingdom of God. Kingdom or principles...they are one in the same.

It's your choice. Choose God and let life work itself out for your good. It can happen. It probably already has.

PastorJ

FORGOTTEN VIRTUE - Wide Open Spaces

God is calling you. He is calling you day after day. He wants you to join Him in a place called freedom. Sadly, many don't know what true freedom is, let alone live in it.

The bible says in the book of Psalms:

Psalm 118:5 (msg)
Pushed against the wall, I called out to God
From wide open spaces, He answered me.

Wow. God is calling us to freedom. Calling us to holiness. He answers our confined life in the place of freedom. Holiness is not a confined, dreadful, boring type of life. It's a life full of freedom. Full of life. Full of Joy. This is where God wants you to stand. This is where He wants you to live. Wide Open Spaces.

We can do this because there is no more fear of failure. We look to Jesus, who went before us, and simply follow the leader.

Remember grace and the law are both pointing to the same thing. Obedience. One brings you into life, the other brings death. I don't know about you, but I would rather live in wide open spaces in a fulfilled relationship with God, then to live in the confines of religious dogma.

It's your choice.

Pastorj

From Ransomed Heart Ministries

Here is a great word that I received from John Eldredge today. Hope it blesses you:

Thursday, August 26, 2010

You're Not Yourself

Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. (1 John 3:2 NLT)

We have an expression that we use to describe someone who's out of sorts, who's not acting like the person we know her to be: "She's just not herself today." It's a marvelous, gracious phrase, for in a very real way, no one is quite himself today. There is more to us than we have seen. I know my wife is a goddess. I know she is more beautiful than she imagines. I have seen it slip out, seen moments of her glory. Suddenly, her beauty shines through, as though a veil has been lifted.

All of us have moments like this, glimpses of our true creation. They come unexpectedly and then fade again. Life for the most part keeps our glory hidden, cloaked by sin, or sorrow, or merely weariness. When I see an old woman, doubled over with arthritis, the hard years etched into her face, I want to cry, Eve, what happened? How truly wonderful it will be to see her in her youth again, the full flower of her beauty restored.

When the disciples saw Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, they got a peek at his glory. He was radiant, beautiful, magnificent. He was Jesus, the Jesus they knew and loved-only more so. And we shall be glorious as well. Jesus called himself the Son of man to state clearly that he is what mankind was meant to be. What we see in Jesus is our personal destiny.

(Desire , 116-17)

To order his book, which I have personally read, and can tell you that it is worth the read...go to the link listed below:

Desire by John Eldredge

Carpe Diem. Sieze the Day.

pastorj

FORGOTTEN VIRTUE - The Toy Box

Relief. That is what it's all about isn't it? Relief. This is the quest of the human heart. To find a sense of relief in our everyday lives. This is the reason we search, strive, and accept what comes our way. We are simply trying to get back to the garden of Eden. A place of....well....relief.

It's hard to articulate what relief is to us. For some it's finally getting over the addiction. Still for others it's embarking on a new relationship. Yet still for others it's simply having a day where there is not a major catastrophe. Ah yes, relief...how sweet it is!

What we learned yesterday is, "Anytime you compromise for temporary relief, you lose." We are all searching for relief, but sadly, many people find a temporary relief in a myriad of things like addictions, imitations, and relationships. These are not bad people...they are people who are searching for relief.

The problem is when we take a temporary high to try and meet a spiritual need. When we do that, we always lose. Paul said it this way, "When I was a child, I thought like a child, acted like a child, and reasoned like a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things."

In other words, he got rid of the toys. He cleaned out the toy box. Yes, we like our toys. We like our habits. We like our (you name it). But we also know that these things only bring temporary relief. They don't heal the deeper issues. They don't really satisfy. They're just cheap imitations.

This is where holiness comes in. Holiness is putting away the toys, and looking for true relief. True relief is not found in the toys, it's found in the living God. Holiness is the "putting away" of childish things, and asking God to change you and make you WHOLE!

I want to encourage you today, to begin to put away from you all the things that are bringing temporary relief, and reach for eternal relief. You can find it in God. Total Relief!

Carpe Diem. Seize The Day!

Pastorj

FORGOTTEN VIRTUE - The Free Heart

Wholeness is the first step to holiness. This is the central truth that we have been discovering in this new series Forgotten Virtue. The forgotten virtue is holiness, but we will never be made holy until first we are made whole on the inside.

Holiness for most people, feels like an unattainable goal. It always brings up thoughts of hardship, "white-knuckling it" through life, and a general sense of frustration. Most of the time this is due to Christians "trying" to be holy as opposed to asking God to make them WHOLE first.

When we are whole, then holiness will be the natural response. No more hardship and "white knuckling it." Just simple and wholly obedient.

To do this, our heart must be set free. The Psalmist David said in Psalms 119, "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free..." The path to holiness is found in a free heart.

Here are a couple of things you can do, to allow freedom to begin in your heart:

1. REALIZE THAT YOU ARE BROKEN

News flash...we are all broken. Somewhere in life, we have experienced a breaking place. Be it a failed marriage, bankruptcy, abusive past, or you name it...The issue is not that we are broken, but what are we doing with our brokeness.

I bet that for most people, the door to deep seated sin was opened at one of these breaking points. It's time to confront it. Stop running from it. Deal with it. Be done with it.

2. ASK CHRIST TO FORGIVE YOU

Repentance means that you realize where you have missed it and get your heart right with God. If you leaned to heavy on something to deal with your pain...repent of it. Christ will forgive you. Do it right now.

3. ASK CHRIST TO SET YOUR HEART FREE

This has to deal with inner healing. Sometimes you have to let Christ take you back to those places in your past that you wish you could forget, and ask him to heal you there. Right in that place. He will do it. He will lead you by the hand and set you free.

I'm not saying it's easy, but you can be free. You can be holy. You can be whole.

Carpe Diem. Seize today. BE WHOLE and HOLY!

We're Back

Hello Everyone,

We took a few months off...due to MFH being in a huge season of growth, and well, things just got a little busy for us. However, we are returning with our weekly word posts, as well as new and exciting content. Please take time to read and respond...we would love to hear what is going on with you.

Sincerely,

MFH Staff

THE BLOOD - Exploring the 7 Places the Lord Bled

Most people think that Jesus only bled at the cross, when he was dying for our sins. But as we have been discovering on Sundays...there was actually 7 different places where the Lord shed His blood. Each on of these places is significant in it's symbolism to us as Christians and what Jesus paid for us with His shed blood.

Last week, we asked ourselves the question, "Why did Jesus have to shed His blood?" I mean if you think about it, "Why did Jesus have to go to the cross in the first place?" If it was just about dying, there would be alot of ways to die that would be much easier to go through.

However, the reason is, Jesus had to bleed. For the bible says, where there is no shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. So Christ shedding His blood was just as important as Him dying for us. Let's explore the 7 different area's where the Lord Bled:

1. Jesus Bled at Bethlehem.

Most people miss this, but the first place that we find Jesus and blood is when He was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. Bethlehem literally means the place of bread. Bread is significant of 2 things... Revelation and Covenant.

What we see hear is a picture of Jesus ratifying a new covenant in the earth through His blood, that would be established on better promises. In fact, Paul said that if the Old Covenant had glory, how much more glory shall we experience in this new covenant. Hallelujah!

This new covenant is summed up in this, "Grace!" I know this may shock many of you, but you cannot be a sinner saved by grace. You are either a sinner, or you have been saved by grace. I don't know about you, I am planning on being saved by grace.

This new life of grace brings health, healing, wholeness, and liberty. To sum it up, it brings life itself.

There are six more areas...stay tuned for next weeks post.

Something to think about,

pastorj

For Leaders: Making Your Mark by Andy Stanley

Hey Leaders,

I thought this teaching would really bless you. It's from North Point Community Church under the direction of Pastor Andy Stanley. In this teaching, he talks about the importance of leaving your "mark" on the world and who should be responsible for leaving that mark. It's only about 20 minutes, so sit back relax and enjoy it.

Listed below is also a link to download it, if you want to put it in your iPod. Have a great day.

Pastorj




Download for iPod Here:
http://www.divshare.com/download/10649387-a85

I LOVE MY CHURCH - A house of Excellence

I don't know about you, but "I LOVE MY CHURCH..." One of the big reasons for my love of my church is because it is a house of excellence. For far to long, churches have been the by-products of musty basements, pizza party's, and bad 80's music. (if I have to hear "Our God Is An Awesome God one more time... and by the way the song doesn't get any cooler when you remix it...").

So am I just hating on Rich Mullins anthem...absolutely not...it was GREAT in it's time. However, when we don't move with the times, we can suffer from what I like to call "professional deficiency!"

Let's get something straight, just because we are the church, doesn't mean that we have to be corny, nonprofessional, and tacky. Sorry to say, but that doesn't bring God any glory! God gets glory when we walk in excellence in everything that we do.

Excellence is simply this, "Doing the BEST that you can do, with what you have." It's not perfection. It's not just good enough. It's doing your best! That's all God asks of us. God will never ask for more than you can give, and the reality is, we can always give our BEST.

You know why I love my church...Because it's a house of EXCELLENCE.

Something to think about,

pastorj

EmotionaL Health - The Emotion of Depression

Sadness is an emotion that we will all feel from time to time. It's just a part of life. Someone will die, you will feel bad about mistake, someone will say something that hurts you...you just can't get away from those things.

However, sadness doesn't have to turn into depression. Sadness is literally a "slowing down" of everything that allows us to cope with the stress of the situation. We "slow down" to be able to preserve our sanity. However, depression will never allow you to "speed back up" to a normal pace of life, but will keep you confined to that "slowed down" life.

If you are depressed, you need to know that you can be healed from it. Depression doesn't have to steal your life away. You can move beyond where you are at right now. Here are a couple of things you can do to live a life free from depression:

1. Change Your Atmosphere

Depression can't live in a place of joy. Just as a fish can't live without water. I have found that depression lives with depressed people....Does that make sense! In other words, you can't stay depressed if you change the "depressed" atmosphere that you are currently living in.

Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It's not helping you. Change your cycle! Get up and get moving in the morning. Dress yourself up and stop wearing sweat pants everyday. Clean your house. Get your hair done. Do something that makes you feel better. You will be amazed at what that will do for you.

2. Read God's Word

Nothing will change your depression like the presence of God. God has a way of ministering healing to us in ways that we can't even fathom. God can heal wounds that you can't articulate to anyone. Let Him into your life.

Do it right now. Ask God to help you get over depression and live the life that He wants you to live. God is an ever present help in times of trouble. Don't ever forget that. If you need a good reading program to get you started, then go to www.youversion.com and check it out. It will certainly help you.

Remember life doesn't have to control you, you can control it and the way you react to it.

Something to think about,

Pastorj

Emotional Health - Offended and No Where To Go...

Okay, so Sunday was another one of those messages that we all need to hear, but nobody really wants to talk to much about. We spoke about offense. Jesus said it would come. It's a part of life. Get Ready! You are going to be offended at some point in your life...

People will offend you. Churches will offend you. Family will offend you. Kids will offend you. You can't get away from it....But wait a minute....

Even though Jesus said that offense will come, we can make a decision to not live in offense, but live in the peace of God. Just because offense will come, doesn't mean we have to pitch a tent and live there!

Here is how you can get over offense:

1. Deal With It.

We learned that many people are offended simply because they feel rejected. Their idea was rejected. Their emotions were rejected. They didn't feel important. Whatever it is, you are never going to get better until you deal with it. Sweeping it under the rug just causes you to be lumpy...

2. Done With It.

As soon as you deal with it, you can leave it under the blood of Jesus Christ. Once you take the time to ask for forgiveness or deal with the problem, don't go back and dig it up again. It's to hard to do that. It's to painful to do that. Leave it there, under the blood and be done with it.

3. Delivered From it.

You can be delivered from offense. If you will deal with it, and be done with it, you can be delivered from it. God came to set us free, not so we will live in a spirit of offense the rest of our lives. Sometimes the only thing we can do is make a CHOICE to not be offended no matter what. You may have right to be offended, but do you have a right to stay that way? Why not be delivered!

Something To Think About,

Pastorj

Emotional Health - The Emotion of Fear

We learned yesterday, that fear is a spiritual force, just as faith is a spiritual force. Many people confuse these two, faith and fear as being emotions in and of themselves. In all actuality, these are spiritual forces that we choose to operate in, and they are what affect our emotions.

Let me explain. Fear really isn't an emotion, but rather being scared and afraid is. Just as faith is not an emotion, but boldness and confidence can be! As a result, we must learn how to operate by faith and not by fear. We can't operate in them both at the same time, we must make a decision to live in one and let the other one go.

Paul said, "God has not given us a SPIRIT of fear, but of power, love, and of a sound mind! Notice the bible doesn't say that God hasn't given us an emotion of fear, but rather a spirit of fear. It is time to live our lives by faith! It's time to live fearless! Here are a couple things to think about while in the process of eradicating fear from your life and living by faith:

1. F.E.A.R.

I am usually not one for acronyms...but I think this one is powerful. Fear is nothing more than:

False Evidence Appearing Real

If Satan can make you afraid, than He can beat you. Satan has no power on His own...only the power that you will give him. You give him power over you when you choose to believe his lies over what God has said. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Likewise, fear comes by hearing and hearing by the lies of the devil. Don't dwell on the lies of the devil, feast on God's Word and you will beat the devil every time.

2. Worry gives fear action.

Someone once asked me, "Pastor, how do you meditate on God's Word?" (Joshua 1) I responded with a question, "Do you know how to worry?" The person kinda looked at me weird and said, "Yea, I for sure know how to do that!" I told that person, "Then you know how to meditate! Just change what you are thinking about. Same action, but you will get different results!"

That's all it is. Worry is meditating on the lies of the devil. If you want to be free from fear, you have to choose to think different. This won't happen by divine osmosis. You have to on purpose think right thoughts. Don't give your fear action! Give your faith action and see how good your God is!

Something to think about,

pastorj

Emotional Health - The Emotion of Anger

Okay, so yesterday we dealt with every one's favorite emotion...(yea right). However, it was needful to talk about this emotion anyway. It's the emotion of anger. Like I said at the beginning of our discussion yesterday, there is a difference between Godly anger and "fleshly" anger.

We can see this contrast in the lives of Jesus and Moses. Moses was kept out of the promise land for striking the rock twice instead of once, because He was angry at the Israelites. This anger left him out of the promise land.

Jesus on the other hand, used Godly anger when He went into the temple to overturn the money-changers tables and proclaimed, "My House shall be called a House of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves." One type of anger stopped the promises of God, the other type of anger brought them into the promises of God.

Here are a couple ways that we generally act out our anger:

1. We Blow Up

Have you ever met someone who got angry at someone and took it out on everybody. These are people who blow their stack at the first sign of trouble. They have a hard time controlling their emotional state from day to day.

2. We Blow Out

These are people who get angry and immediately accuse everyone else for their wrong doing, but cannot look at their own shortcomings. These are those who accuse others while feeling justified in their anger to stay the way that they are.

3. We Blow Away

This is probably the worst. These are the people who are passive aggressive and completely shut down when they are angry. At first, it looks like a noble thing to not act on their anger, however doing nothing is acting in and of itself. The problem with people who internalize their anger is, they generally never deal with the root cause of the problem, they simply stuff it in.

So what are we supposed to do? Because we all fall in one of these three categories. Well the answer is found in James 1. I encourage you to go and read it. The equation to be deal with anger is simply this:

BE QUICK TO HEAR + BE SLOW TO SPEAK = SLOW TO ANGER

If we can learn to listen first, speak second, then chances are we are going to give ourselves enough time to process the problem and deal with it effectively. Remember that equation and you are guaranteed to be one step closer to living a life of peace and blessing.

Something to think about,

Pastorj

Emotional Health - The Emotion of Guilt

We started a new series on Sunday. We began our discussion with the emotion of guilt, because if you don't get a grip on this emotion, you will never get a grip on the rest of your emotions. Here are a few facts you should know about guilt:

1. Guilt never says enough.

The problem with guilt is, it is never filled. Guilt never has enough. The thing that can be damaging about guilt is the fact that most of the time, it is shrouded and masked in such religiosity, that it can be hard to say anything against it. Let me give you an example of what I mean. Guilt says, "If you prayer, you should have prayer longer." "If you asked someone for forgiveness, you should have done it sooner." "If you read your bible, you should have read more."

You see guilt never says enough. The reality is, you could ALWAYS read the bible more, prayer longer, or ask for forgiveness sooner. However, the point is, at least you prayer, read your bible, and asked for forgiveness. But guilt won't allow you to think that way.

2. Guilt always focuses on the bad and not the good.

People who live under the power of guilt, can never look at the positive changes that they are making in life. It's all about what they are not doing, or what they should have done better. For these people the cup is always half empty and not half full.

God is bigger than our guilt. Just as there is no fear in love....it's impossible....there is no condemnation (guilt) to those who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus took guilt out of the equation.

3. God or Guilt?

We all have to ask ourselves this question, are we going to follow God or live in guilt. God will never guilt you into His will. Why? Because there is no guilt in Christ. I have never seen anyone change because they felt guilt enough to change. No, change is a result of making right decision based upon God's Word. It's just that simple.


Something to think about,

Pastorj

Seeing Life In A Different Color

Let me start by saying what an awesome service we had yesterday. The sound of the house was powerful (worship).

We have been talking about "The Power of Vision" for the last few weeks. Yesterday, we dealt with the importance of seeing your life in a different color. What do I mean by that? Well let me explain.

Have you ever wondered why people can watch a movie, and come away with two different feelings about what they saw? Or how about reading a scripture and it means one thing to one person, and something completely different to the next? Why is that? Simply perspective!

Perspective is the way that we view our life. It's our outlook on everything. It's our worldview. It's our compass that guides us through the terrain of life. Perspective.

Sadly, so many Christians have the wrong perspective about their life. I have said this many times in our church services, and I would like to tell you as well, "God didn't send His Son to die, so that you could hate your life!" Many Christians have a black and white view of life, when God wants them to see their situation in color! I encourage you to read 1 John chapter 1, it talks about people who live in the light (color) verses those who are stumbling around in the dark (black and white). Here are a few colors that can change your life:

1. THE GOD COLOR (A look above)

When you recieve a revelation of who God is and what He wants to be in your life, that is a game changer. It changes your entire life. I have never seen anyone who had a true encounter with God stay the same.

When you see God vividly, you approach your world with opportunity. Seeing God helps me see like God! Nothing changes without this color in our lives.

2. THE HISTORY COLOR (A look behind)

Every great plan or vision builds on the strengths of the past. It also evaluates the weaknesses of the past as well. Sometimes the greatest indicator of future behavior is past behavior. It's not that we live in the past, but we look at it to reavaluate our current position.

3. THE ME COLOR (A look within)

What are you made of? What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Your life will never change until you know who you are, where you are going, and who you are doing it with! Paul said, "If we will judge ourselves, God won't need to..." (paraphrased) The greatest responsibility you have in life is to yourself. Knowing who you are helps you bless other people.

Something to think about,

pastorj

..My New Year's Resolution is TO STAY WHERE I AM...

You don't say that do you...? No one creates a resolution to stay the same, I mean, that doesn't even make sense. A resolution is a firm decision to change, and yet so many people will make the decision, but will never follow through with that decision. Kinda like the Apostle Paul said in Romans 7, "I can will it, but I can't do it..." (paraphrased)

So in essence, are we making a resolution to stay where we are? It's possible.

At MFH, we have been learning about the power of a Vision! A vision is the only thing that seperates winners from losers. It's the only thing that distinguishes success from failure. Nothing more than a vision.

A vision is simply your dream written on paper! It's a dream with legs. It's an active approach to an inward conviction. Here are some ways that the bible tells us we can live a life that explodes with potential and success with the power of a vision:

1. WRITE IT DOWN

You would be amazed at what happens when you take the time to simply write down what you are expecting out of 2010. I don't know what it is, but writing out your plan helps concrete it in your life. The bible says to "Write the Vision..." So as soon as you are done reading this, go and write it down.

2. MAKE IT PLAIN

A goal that is not clearly defined is not a goal at all, but rather a wish. Wishes may not come true (sorry Walt Disney) but a clearly defined vision with corresponding goals will make a gigantic step in accomplishing it. Remember you eat an elephant one bite at a time.

What is it that you want to accomplish in 2010? What are some of your goals?

Something to think about,

Pastorj