Prince of Peace, REALLY?

Really; Jesus’ words as he prepared his disciples for his exit from this world:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27 ESV)

When Jesus left this earth, He said that He was leaving His peace with us. Now the decision we have to make is, are we going to choose to live in the peace He has given us?

Of course, the devil works overtime to try to get you and I upset. Why? Because he knows that if you don’t remain peaceful, you will wrestle to hear from God what He’s trying to say to you.

As I reflected on this past week I was amazed at how many times within just a week Satan launched an attack for the sole purpose of stealing my peace. When I finally saw that, God spoke to me in my spirit, “Tim, if the devil wants your peace that badly, then there must be something pretty powerful about being peaceful.”

It’s true! So when the devil tries to steal my peace, I enjoy holding on to it, knowing that I’m getting the better of him. That doesn’t mean I don’t feel upset, hurt or frustrated, but I can do something about it that will not just affect my life, but others. I can control myself and be peaceful on purpose.

Being peaceful on purpose is something we have to do for ourselves. Will you choose God’s peace this season, and even this year? Let’s purpose to think what He thinks!

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3 ESV)

How’s your peace today?

Why Life Group?

So, I have been so blessed by my Life group these last couple of weeks that I had to share it with you. If you’ve been around livingwater for any period of time you know that there just a few simple criteria that make up, or help to form what takes place in a Life group.
Here are just a few:

– Its typically gender specific (ours is), but doesn’t have to be.
– We commit to reading the Word together, and write down what we hear and see.
– We have spiritual conversation concerning what we are receiving from what we’re reading together.
– Learn together how to live a transparent life.

These are just a few, but here’s what I really wanted to share with you that has occurred over the last two weeks as we’ve walked together. Oh and by the way, we meet at Starbucks:

– We’ve been able to walk together with a couple of our brothers who have had some difficult family issues, and seen God show up through prayer and accountability.
– Have had two families that have attended our church in the last two weeks because they’ve been invited by our group. They stopped in for a cup of coffee – walked away with much more.
– A regular of Bucks stopped by our group and shared about his son being in rehab, and asked, “would you guys please pray for my son.” We did!
– Got to pray for a bother who was passing by and struggling in his marriage.

I could go on, but here the point, a few guys decided to show up read the word together,, hear what it was saying to us – and then ask Jesus to use us – He said go, we said YES!

That’s Why LIFE group…

Continuing Daily

This past weekend I got to talk about one of my hero’s from scripture. Even though Peter had ups and downs in his faith, from putting his foot in his mouth repeatedly, to roosters crowing in the middle of the night, when he showed up in Jerusalem and preached, he saw the potential of the Church in the people who stood before him. When they received his word and were baptized, 3,000 souls were added to their number. Believing Jesus with their whole heart, they repented of their sin and allowed the Holy Spirit to transform their lives. We need to remember when we first made a commitment, and believe as we did then. Also, we need to pursue the things of God as they did when they were baptized. Being baptized and pursuing the Holy Spirit, we move forward in our faith.
I believe that the secret to their success was they continued daily in the things that mattered, living out their unique faith caused not only the church to be birthed, but for it to endure and overcome for over two thousand years.
Here are just a few things that they continued in taken from Acts 2:42-47 that we talked about last weekend:

They believed in Jesus – they took Jesus at his word and never turned back, proclaiming the reality of the cross and the power that was in His resurrection.
They devoted themselves – to Gods word and to each other. We need to continue in His word, and we desperately need one another as we walk out daily His life in ours.
They fought for each other – we need to be tenacious for unity, the bible tells us, “where there is unity God commands a blessing.” We need fight for our marriages, for our kids, our communities etc…
They kept it simple – they believed in Jesus, they were devoted, they fought for one another, and they kept those values in front of them DAILY. there lives impacted not only those we’ve read about here, but literally millions of others over the centuries, and think about it – we are here because they never stopped.

May it be said of you and I a hundred years from now, these people Continued Daily!

Are you a new creature?

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)</em This was the first verse I memorized as a new Christian, and it came from my Old King James bible, the new versions today typically say, “creation” but I loved back then thinking – “I was a NEW CREATURE!”

This verse says you’re a brand-new creature if you are in Christ Jesus. This means when Jesus Christ came into your life, you were made brand new! The new you is superior to the old you! In fact, you are so new that this verse calls you a new “creature.”

The word “creature” is the same word used to describe the creation of the world. When God created the universe, he used no existing materials or old elements to make it. Everything in creation was brand spanking new. That same word is used to describe what happened to you and I the day we got saved. Everything about us is new! You are an absolutely brand-new creation! You are completely separated from the person you once were before Christ.

Psalm 103:12 tells us how far our old ways have been removed from us: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” When Jesus Christ came into your life, He created you to be free from the past, free from the negative effects of your family, and liberated you from all former hang-ups – a brand-new creature!

So stop laying claim to your old man, or any other negative thing that was a part of your life before Christ. That old person no longer exists. He is dead.

You are a brand new creature.

In a Moment

Remember when Jesus visited Mary and Martha after their brother Lazarus
had been dead for four days? When He finally arrived, Martha said,
“Master, if You had been here, my brother would not have died” (John
11:21 AMP).

Martha was clearly in a state of desperation. Then, “Jesus said to her, ‘Your
brother shall rise again.’ Martha replied, ‘I know that he will rise
again in the resurrection at the last day'” (vv. 23-24). I don’t think
she really understood what Jesus was saying. She was looking toward a
future possibility, not a present reality. She didn’t really expect
things to change.

A lot of us I think can relate to Martha, stuck in our troubles, not realizing that
God can turn things around because it seems to insurmountable. But, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and He can raise the ‘Lazaruses’ in your life.
Never give up. You might be hurting now, but out of every disaster, out of every difficulty, God
can bring a resurrection moment in our lives. Remember, Martha was thinking that her miracle was only in the future, but Jesus knew that this was her day!

Expectant for today!

Regal is Moving

The word is out, and yes we are joining forces with our Century Campus at Westfield Mall. I am anticipatory of what the Lord is allowing all of us to embark on as we journey TOGETHER to all that He has for us. I believe our best days are ahead and we are ready to take our NEXT STEPS. The passage I’ve been meditating on as we venture and lead our family over the next few weeks from Regal, embarking to our new home at Century, is when God called Abram out of all he knew to something he’d never seen, heard, known, or could have imagined what would BE.
Now the Lord said to Abram: get out from your country (what you’ve known), from your family and from your fathers house, TO A LAND I WILL SHOW YOU!” (Genesis 12:1) Get READY to Get out, I believe that the Lord has something for each one of us as we step out, and trust the One who has led us to this point!

Last week Pastor Jon and I were able to put together a few videos to help articulate the process as we move, please take a moment if you haven’t already to read Pastor Jon's blog, and watch the videos.

The God who said HE WILL…WILL

Digging into the Deep

The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out. (Proverbs 20:5)

This verse struck me deeply and needed to share:

Aspirations are good, but not enough. Dream’s I believe are God’s SEEDS, and they must be fertilized, cultivated and then given room to breathe so that they may give way to growth. When seed gives birth to life, it’s exhilarating, but useless if left to itself.
My friends God has placed seeds of greatness within us all, but it seems so few will actually take the time to cultivate, to dig, to uncover them, and discover all that He has for you and I. I meet people consistently who live day to day, and you see it, they see it, and you know it’s there (it’s in all of us), and all they have to do is begin to DIG, and yet in some cases they/we don’t, WHY?
There is a price we must be willing to pay. We must see the end as a goal, but we must not faint from the journey that will get us there. Just like the apostle Paul who exhorted us to run the race as one who run’s to WIN. We must run, yes, but we must also train, run, dive, and dig, for all that is there that He has for us to obtain.

God has created you to do great things for Him. There will always be obstacles that will try to advert our attention to His call upon our lives, but today my prayer for you is that you will dive in head first, and put in the sweat that your dreams require in order for it to become a reality! So, don’t wait, don’t procrastinate or hesitate – Gitty Up – Go for it, for today is YOUR DAY!

Digging Together

Thankful?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with THANKSGIVING let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6,7) Paul describes here that WHEN we’re anxious, make sure that IN everything, we bring it to Jesus – the thing that I believe can be so easily overlooked is his exhortation that as you pray, and approach Jesus, make sure you remind him of ALL that He’s already done, and give thanks for what He’s presently doing.

Twice a year for as long as I can remember, I sit down and begin to declare the gratitude of my heart. The first time is always at the end of a year, but the second is right around the half way point (give or take a week/month) and begin to pen my gratitude to the One who gave me ALL He had. So this morning was the beginning of that entry and as I was writing I thought, “this might be good to share.”

So here are a few things that I’m grateful for:

– I Love Jesus more now than I can ever remember (thats a good thing), so blessed that I have that longing.
– I love my wife in a way that I’ve never loved before.
– Zach (my son) is graduating from HS with honors (so proud of you Z)
– My kids like me (most of the time), and I adore them. I love just being where they are!
– I love my church, and the people who make it what it is!
– Grateful for the men in my life who have the guts to tell me what’s up, REALLY!
– His forgiveness has reached so deep into my life and has set me FREE.
– The breath that I just took.
– My fingers so that I could actually write this to you…

The list continues, but I think you get the point. I pray that TODAY no matter if your resting on a mountain top or feel like your spinning your wheels in the valley, my hope is this, that you would stop and take a moment and ask the question, “what am I thankful for?”

So go ahead, take a moment.

Grateful…

Leading your Family Courageously

This week I had the opportunity to speak to the men of our church and was so blessed and encouraged. While I was preparing I began to think of the five men in my life who have had such an indelible impact upon me. As I was concluding my thoughts and sent this email to them, I thought to myself, I would let you in on a little family time. Hope you enjoy…

Hi Guys,
I was preparing to speak to the Men tomorrow night at the The Gathering, love to have you come if you can. Anyway, I was compiling my message and felt such an overwhelming gratitude for each of you that I wanted to tell you how blessed I am to be your dad, brother, and friend.

My title is “Leading your family Courageously” I believe that this is who you are and also BECOMING more and more everyday. SO here it goes.

Five things:

Pursue God First – you have to be the one who runs first – or why would your family even think about following Him. Luke 6:47

Be pursuers of our families – don’t wait for them to come to you, LEAD THEM (it all starts with us boys/men). Answer this question, “what do you want for your family?” And ask it now, not after the fact. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

Be pursuers of OTHERS (life groups) – never go alone, Proverbs 13:20 he who walks with the wise becomes wise. I’ve told you this always, “wise people will make you wise if you hang out with them long enough.”

Honor the HOUSE – be pursuers of the local church, it’s what Jesus gave his life for – enough said. You guys have ALWAYS hungered for it! Hebrews 10:23-25.

Be an Impact player in your community – we need to be the leaders making the difference, and be the one who is the best at what we do! Matthew 5:14,15 don’t hide what you’ve GOT, but give it away! Shine baby shine!

I love you more than words could ever really articulate, but besides my life, they are all I have!

There is know one like YOU on the planet…

From a GRATEFUL father to his AMAZING SONS…

What IF?

Had the opportunity to speak at GU College (young adults) at our church tonight. What an amazing group of people that have a passion and a freedom to change the world they are living in. We talked about the early church from Acts 4:32-35, and what would happen if we would respond as the early church did. What could really happen if, we responded to Jesus’ call to us to give our lives for him?

A few things we discussed about what we saw and heard from the scriptures:

– What if we believed Jesus at His word?

– What if we FOUGHT for Unity, not allowing anything to stand in the way of God doing something in us, and the community of people that we choose to be apart of?

– What if we believed that what we owned wasn’t ours but was HIS, and we gave it AWAY to help meet the needs of those who are among us that are hurting?

– And lastly, what if we believed that we have the POWER to testify about what Jesus has done in our lives, and were willing to do whatever it took to see others be given what we have received, even if it meant laying down our lives?

WHAT IF???