Getting Better

Earthquakes

2011-11-05T23:15:00.000-05:00

Matthew 24:7 ESV / For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Jesus is coming sooner than we think. Joinus tomorrow at 10 am at Better Life Church.
501 S. Main St. in Lindsay, OK.

How to destroy your marriage...

2011-10-24T10:48:00.001-05:00

http://www.buzzsprout.com/4485/34151-how-to-destroy-your-marriage

Listen to this weeks message from Pastor Danny Daniels on "How to destroy your marriage...and what to do differently if that isn't your goal."

How to have a better marriage

2011-10-09T19:41:00.000-05:00

This weeks sermon

3 things I observed this weekend at Better Life.

2011-08-08T07:01:00.001-05:00

I am blown away with how things turned out this weekend. God is truly up to something good. I wanted to share with you 3 things that I observed this weekend at our church launch.

1. God is faithful. I am so blessed to see God's commitment to His children. Each and every step of the Better Life launch has been marked with Divine favor. God's timing and His provision are perfect. We had right at 75 people attend our first service and we had a great time in church. One lady sent me a message that said, "It's hard to find a church (for me) that I leave feeling good. You did that for me so thank you so much." We all felt that way. God was honored and Jesus was proclaimed, and His family was encouraged.

2. God is intentional. He does things on purpose. He brings different people together and blends them together to make them better like a good salad with croutons. :) He does things on purpose to bless us. He puts people in our lives intentionally and he intentionally demonstrates His love for us.

3. People are hungry for God and church that is real. People are created by God with an inherant desire for friendship and family and so often we are disappointed with how little of it we find at church. The place that God should be easily found often ends up leaving us wanting due to hard hearted religious folks. One man told me that he felt very welcomed at Better Life and that he could feel the presence of God there. Another said that he loved our church because we were "real and not fake." What an awesome thing to hear.

Authenticity is a big deal. People need it and that is why we will not be playing church at Better Life. We are too busy being the church. That simply means that we are determined and committed to loving God in a way that causes us to intentionally love each other. People are too important to just go through religious motions. I am convinced that when we encounter genuine love we are drawn to it. We are created with a need to love and be loved. As Christians we are called by God to Love people and with His help we are doing it at Better Life. For that I am grateful.

What we are believing for...

2011-07-25T09:34:00.000-05:00

When you pray for Better Life here are some things we are believing God for. The Bible tells us that the effectual fervent prayer of righteous people gets things accomplished. It also tells us that we have not because we ask not. So we are praying and asking and we would like for you to join us in believing God for the following.

Continued clear direction and divine appointments.
Start up expenses. First months rent, utilities, supplies, etc.
Annointed and called ministers for children, youth, worship leaders, intercessors.
Sound equipment, microphones, cables, speakers, etc.
Audio Visual, Monitors, Computer equipment, Camera etc.
Nursery equipment and supplies, diapers, baby beds, play pens.
Kitchen supplies, paper plates, cups, forks, knives, spoons etc.
Volunteers for groundskeeping, mowing, cleaning the church, handyman etc.

Father, we thank you that all of our needs are met and we give you honor and glory in advance for each of these answers to prayer. In Jesus name, Amen. That settles it. God is good! All the time!

Are You Planting A Church?

2011-07-11T13:54:00.005-05:00

Yes, the rumors are true. We are planting a new church. Better Life Community Church in Lindsay, Oklahoma will officially launch on August 7, 2011. Better Life is on the way.

I am pumped about being able to serve God and His people as a shepherd again. God has a way of consistently compelling you to walk in your your purpose and calling. He is relentless and patient. He has staying power. The funny thing is I always knew this day would come but I didn't know how it would all unfold. When God is ready he makes things happen like noone else can. We have had favor, undeniable favor.

People keep asking me what kind of church are we going to have. They want to know is it a Baptist church or a Pentecostal church? I always respond that it is a nondenominational church. What I want to say is that it is a church where people are loved regardless of where they come from or what they have to offer. A church where we keep it real and our priorities straight. This church is going to be a place of encouragement and hope. Better Life is going to be the kind of place where you feel celebrated and non just tolerated. People matter to God and they matter to us. Our goal is to Honor God by loving people in every way we can imagine.

Church is not a place, it is a community. It is a gathering of people who recognize that we need God and we need each other. What we call church is really the family of God and you can find it both in a sanctuary and at the grocery store, in a pew or out in the pasture. Jesus told us that wherever two or more gather together in His name that he is there also. Church is where believers are. Church is where we connect.

The Bible teaches us to strive to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Transformation is what God is all about. Transformation is simply change for the better. God desires to help us be better. He wants us to be better husbands, better wives, better friends, and ultimately better people. How does this happen? Good question.

There is one word that sums it up. That word is Love. Love changes everything. Better Life exists so we can love God and love people. That is our foundation and mission. Love is our goal and purpose and that is exactly what we are going to be busy doing. Loving people both inside and outside the walls of our church building. Remember this, God wants us all to have a better life. Let's make it better, together.

Love: Expounded

2011-07-06T05:41:00.000-05:00

"Love patiently and passionately bears with others for as long as patience is needed. Love doesn't demand others to be like itself; rather, it is so focused on the needs of others that it bends over backwards to become what others need it to be. Love is not ambitious, self-centered, or so consumed with itself that it never thinks of the needs or desires that others possess. Love doesn’t go around talking about itself all of the time, constantly exaggerating and embellishing the facts to make it look more important in the eyes of others. Love does not behave in a way that is prideful, arrogant, haughty, superior, snooty, or snobbish. Love is not rude and discourteous – it is not careless or thoughtless, nor does it carry on in a way that would be considered insensitive to others. Love does not manipulate situations or scheme and devise methods that will twist situations to its own advantage. Love does not deliberately engage in actions or speak words that are harsh, bitter, or hateful. Love does not allow itself to be provoked to the point of losing its temper and better judgment. Love does not keep detailed records of wrongs or past mistakes. Love does not celebrate or gloat when something bad happens to someone else. Love is elated, thrilled, ecstatic, and overjoyed with the truth. Love always protects, shields, guards, covers, and safeguards people from harm. Love always looks forward with all its might to believe the very best in every situation. Love always expects and anticipates the best in others and the best for others. Love never quits, never surrenders, and never gives up. Love never disappoints, never fails, and never falls down on the job. Love never stops short of total victory for everyone involved. Love always succeeds.”

The Power of Now

2011-06-24T14:45:00.000-05:00

This moment is all that exists.

Do you know that Yesterday is gone? This morning is gone for that matter. The future awaits us but is not here yet. Tomorrow truly is always a day away. No matter what has already happened in your past or what may happen in the future are as important as this moment. This present moment is where we live. It is where we trust, it is where we worry, it is where we experience fear or expect good things to happen, and most importantly, it is where we make all of our choices. Choices are always made in the present moment. Good or bad they happen here in the now. We cannot unmake our past choices we can only make new choices and we do it in this present moment.

I want to encourage you to choose to be alive in the present moment and experience it for what it is. So much of our lives are wasted regretting things of the past or dreading things of the future. Neither should control and have power over this “right now” moment. This moment will soon pass and along with it the desired and undesired circumstances we currently find ourselves in. There is a power that comes to us when we choose to be aware of and live in the moment rather than yesterday or tomorrow. You are more alive right now than you have ever been so embrace the moment and look for the blessing hidden in it.

MarriageBuilders.com

2011-05-10T11:22:00.000-05:00

The best website I can point anyone to about getting and being married is http://www.marriagebuilders.com/. This guy knows his stuff and I can personally assure you that his information is accurate and very helpful.

Crash Course in Marriage

2011-05-10T11:00:00.002-05:00

Below are my notes to sermon entitled, "How to affair Proof Your Marriage." Enjoy.
-Danny.

The Ideal Marriage?
Women get married expecting their husbands to change...
Men get married expecting their wives never to change...

Man's Expectations of Marriage:
· His House is clean, Belly is full, Loins are empty.
· His wife will always have perfect hair, perfect makeup, and the perfect attitude.
· Of course, she will always be "In the Mood" no matter what kind of day she has had.
· The wife always keeps the home fires burning so that when the man comes home from work, playing golf or softball, fishing or hunting, or just hanging out with the guys...everything is in order and he can prop his feet up, sit back and rest in peace until his wife brings him his four course meal on a tv tray so he can watch his favorite team on television.

Woman's Ideal Marriage:
· Her husband will always be ready to talk.
· He will always write her love letters and poems and bring her flowers.
· He will always want to watch the children during ladies day out.
· He will always remember her birthday, anniversary, Valentine's day.
· The husband wants to spend all of his free time going on long walks, or snuggled up on the couch, giving her massages, telling her how beautiful she is.
· He will always consider her opinion before he makes any decisions.
· He will always say, "anything for you" and "go ahead, buy whatever makes you happy".
· He will always be gentle, soft spoken and considerate.
· He will always be in the mood to "Just Cuddle".

Men: Want their wives to be impressed with them.
Women: Want their husbands to cherish them.

Top Secret Information:
· Men secretly want you to see them as your hero.
· Women want you to see them as a princess. (Special and important)

*Men want to be: Women want to be:
Appreciated Appreciated
Admired Cherished
Respected Protected
Honored Treasured
Hero Lady

To feel loved you have to feel appreciated and cared for.
Love is not a Feeling.
Love is an Action.
Love is a Choice.

What happens to love after the wedding?
· Before you are married...you think the one you love is perfect because you are "In Love".
· No matter what problems come our way we can make it through because we are "In Love".
· The "In Love" experience typically last only about 2 years. (According to a study by Dr. Dorothy Tennov)
· Eventually we descend from the clouds and put our feet on the earth again.
· Once the exuberance and excitement wear off...we find ourselves wondering what happened. The things that once were cute, now annoy and irritate us.
· The little things that we could overlook because we were "In Love" now have become huge mountains.
· Welcome to the real world of marriage...where there is always hairs on the sink, little things now matter profoundly, like the position of the toilet seat, who takes out the trash, etc...
· What happened to the "In Love" experience? It leaves.
· The "In Love" experience is designed to get you started down the road to relationship. But it is impossible to maintain things at that level for very long or your world would fall apart.
· The "In Love" experience is not a mature love that lasts.
· Love that is a decision lasts.

*How to affair proof your marriage...
1. Eliminate the competition.
2. Steak vs. Bologney.
3. If your full...steak is unappealing.
4. If your starving...bologney looks like steak.
5. The secret is...keep your spouse full and you'll avoid alot of bologney.
Small portions of this blog post are from the book 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Is This Your Church?

2011-05-08T15:11:00.000-05:00

Go ye...

2011-05-06T08:35:00.001-05:00

These words have been with me all of my life. I have at different times embraced them and ignored them. They never truly leave me. Jesus told His disciples, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." They did. Eventually the news made its way to me and I believed.

As a result of someone else's obedience I heard the gospel message and believed. Then one day Jesus spoke to me and told me I would go all around the world and tell people about him. I was four years old. Today I am 38 years old and I still hear those words. "GO YE!" So, here I go.

Jesus loves me and you. I'm just saying.

Judge not?

2011-05-05T09:02:00.000-05:00

God has not appointed me or you to pass judgement on others.

That is His job, not ours. Judgement is never our responsibility. We never have the final word on anyone. We are supposed to be discerning but not judgemental. We have to protect and guard our hearts from ungodly influences, but that is different than being judgemental.

One time, a friend of mine, Bart, and I were in his car driving back to his office after having lunch together and we noticed a man on the side of the road holding a cardboard sign with the words "HUNGRY, anything helps" written on it in big black letters. We discussed how so many of the people you see on the side of the road in similar settings are often being dishonest and are actually scamming hard working, caring, compassionate people. I always seem to have mixed feelings when I am confronted with someone who looks like they would be a good candidate for some assistance, but I wonder why don't they just go to one of the many shelters in town to seek help? It seems to me that most of the people who legitimately need help are often hesitant to ask for it.

I told Bart that I don't mind helping (giving money or food) those who really need it, but I just have a hard time believing that they are legitimately needy of my "help". I know that I am eventually going to stand before God and together He and I are going to review my life and the choices I made during it. When we get to the scene(s) where I ignore the seemingly able bodied beggar(s), I wonder if Jesus will turn to me and say, "Why didn't you help me?" Jesus said when we do things for the "least of these" we do it for Him, right? So within myself I have been asking the question, "Who exactly, are the least of these?"

Jesus said in Matthew 25:42-45
"For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’ “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me."

I have always considered the "least of these" to be those who were the victims of others. Those who didn't get a fair shake in life. Then I remembered in the bible where Jesus is talking about the "the least". He wanted to know why we let Him go hungry and thirsty. I had no problem seeing the hungry and thirsty as people who are probably just good people who are down on their luck. But wait a minute. Didn't he also say why didn't you visit me while I was in prison? Most people in prison received their sentence the old fashioned way, they earned it, right? They aren't "victims" who got a bad deal now are they? They are there as a result of their choices. Isn't it the bad people who go to prison? I have always kind of thought that the "least of these" were good people in bad situations. But Jesus didn't qualify them that way. He put good and bad people in the same category. It seems that the "least of these" are those who are not living the abundant life Jesus came to give us. Jesus desires that we experience and enjoy His love, peace and joy. The "least of these" are people who haven't trusted God fully and yielded completely to His will and can be found in every segment of society, even in church. It goes beyond race, religion and social status.

I believe He is saying to us that there are three kinds of people on this planet; those who are whole, those who are healing and those who are broken. He wants those who are whole, and those who are healing to help those who are broken to find the healer. Then the broken, will begin to heal as we assist them on their journey towards wholeness. Then they will themselves one day be able to help someone else who is broken take the first steps towards wholeness.

What you see in someone today may not be what you will see down the road. Are you the person today that you were 5 years ago? What if someone made a label and placed in on you that said, "This person is selfish, dysfunctional and broken" and you were obligated to wear it for the rest of your life. That wouldn't be fair now would it? Even if it is true today you may not always be that way. Would you want to have to carry that label around forever? When we judge someone we assign them a destiny in our minds and then we dismiss them. We say to ourselves that this is all they will ever be. Have you ever known an alcoholic that kicked the habit or a drug addict who overcame their addiction? What right do we have to make a judgement about who people are based on their current circumstances and behaviour and then assume that is who they are always going to be. What labels have people placed on you in the past that you are still carrying around today?

God has from now until the time they leave this planet to get through to them...and us! He is the only real judge and the only one qualified to make a final judgement on who we are and what we are going to be.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. 3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye."
Matthew 7:1-5 NLT

When we judge others we are playing God. That is dangerous. When we feel we are qualified to pass judgement on others we are, in fact, being prideful. Pride always reverses spiritual progress. Pride will destroy, that is what it does.

"Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall."
Proverbs 16:18

We must remember that we all have weaknesses and need a saviour on a daily basis. To be truly effective in helping others we must allow God to show us our weakness of character and expose our sin to us so that we can begin to heal and seek to become whole. Then we will be in a place to truly help the broken and the healing because we will have the right heart and true Godly motives. Never forget as you heal that God is the healer and that you cannot ever take any credit for the progress you make on your journey to wholeness. You have made it this far by God's goodness.

Busy Day

2011-03-28T11:19:00.000-05:00

Well, things have picked up in my world lately. Lots to do and keep track of while managing the unforseen situations that always seem to pop up at the most inconvenient moments. No complaints here because God always makes a way where there seems to be no way. Thank you, Lord.

Grief revisited

2009-05-30T07:04:00.000-05:00

I wrote this in response to Alejandro's original post "Dear God" here.

Alejandro...
I read your post about your grandmother. I was transported through time to 1996 to when my own "Granny" died after a 5 year battle with bone cancer. She too was the family matriarch. She is the one who used to rock me in her old wooden rocking chair as she sang and prayed over me. She is the one who told me repeatedly that God had a plan for my life and that He was calling me into His service. The entire family depended on her. She was our glue. She was a pillar of strength and unwavering faith.

She prayed for healing. I prayed for healing. We all prayed for healing. She rebounded and we thought she had it beat for a brief time. It was a temporary reprieve.

Cancer broke her back. Then cancer broke her hip. Cancer never broke her spirit. Over time we went from praying that she be healed to praying that the suffering would end. It eventually did.

Her death left us all broken and bewildered. Why, was asked often and fervently. She didn't deserve the agonizing and the suffering she had to endure. To put it bluntly...I was pissed! I was pissed at the cancer, the doctors, myself, everything, but mostly I was pissed at God! I thought that He could have intervened. Damnit, He should have intervened. But for whatever reason, she died. So did I. I felt like the one person who really knew me for who I was, had been stolen from me. She was my source of strength and confidence. She believed in me. Who was going to believe in me now? Who was going to encourage me. Who was going to love me unconditionally.

I was devasted. So was everyone else. We all leaned on her. We needed her. Her death violated me. It shook my theology and my faith. How could a "good God" allow her to go through that. How could a "good God" allow me to hurt like I did when she left? I didn't have answers and the one person I always went to when I didn't have answers was now gone as well. I felt so very alone and angry. So...I decided I was going to have a heart to heart talk with the big Kahuna. Man to Deity. I was mad, and by God (pun intended)I was going to get some answers. I talked to God...well, I yelled at God and I demanded to know "why." I told Him exactly how I felt. Abandoned. Offended. Betrayed. Misled. I told God in no uncertain terms that I didn't like what He had chosen.

Then when I was done. When I had said my piece. God spoke to me. I heard Him speak to my heart of hearts and He simply and lovingly said to me, "Danny, are you going to trust me when you don't understand me?"

What a loaded question. I thought about it very seriously. I knew my answer was important. After much thought, I said back to God, "What choice do I have, you are still God. There is no plan B. There is no alternative God to trust in. If I don't trust you then I go to Hell, right?" I said to Him with a broken heart and tears in my eyes, "Yes, I will trust you, even when I don't understand you!

Immediately, our loving and gracious Heavenly Father, gave me a sense of peace that I have difficulty explaining. I just knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that God loved me, that He loved my Granny. I didn't understand His purpose or His reasoning but I knew that somehow everything that happens is part of God's plan. There is no wasted human experience. God uses it all. Success and failure, victory and defeat. I didn't have the answers but I knew who did. Somehow knowing that the One who has all the answers also has me was enough. I truly experienced the peace that passes understanding.

Twelve years later, I still miss her tremendously; however, I can look back and see things with much more clarity. As long as Granny was here I leaned on her more than I trusted God. I have come to believe that all things work together for my good because I love God and I am called according to His purpose. Even her death.

After she died I used to go sit on the floor in her room and lean back against her bed. Man, I could feel her in that room. That was nice. It was comforting. I felt close to her even though she was in Heaven. I had done this on multiple occasions, but one day I was talking to God about her and He spoke to me again. He said, "Danny, what you feel in this room is not your Granny. It is Me. The thing you loved most about her is the way she made you feel. That was me, too. That feeling of unconditional love that you enjoyed so much was Me expressing My love for you through her. She only gave you what I gave her to give to you. I believe in you. I love you, completely and unconditionally. I am your source of strength and confidence.I am the one who really knows you for who you are."

I was overwhelmed with this revelation and I felt so sorry for doubting God's love for me. I knew instantly that God had given me the most powerful revelation I could be given. He showed me that all that I loved about Granny was really God Himself demonstrating His love for me through her.

It changed me, forever.

I hope that some day someone will get a revelation of God's love for them because God chose to demonstrate his love for them through me.

God did indeed heal her. If you could see her right now you would see someone who is whole and perfect. My granny is alive. In fact, she is more alive now than she ever was while she was in her earthly body. All that is lacking is made complete in the presence of the Living God. Yes, I miss her but I no longer feel abandoned. I know that she is not in my past but in my future and that God himself is my present.

I have never written this down before. You really triggered something in me with your post. I am praying for you and your grandmother. You are blessed to still have her even if she is declining. Enjoy her and cherish every moment you are blessed to have with her.

Danny Daniels

Spiritual Side of Weight Loss

2008-12-20T15:38:00.001-06:00

Day in the life?

2008-11-11T19:59:00.000-06:00

Food for thought

2008-07-17T09:20:00.000-05:00

In a few minutes I will be seated amongst many friends and family of a deceased aquaintance. We will be honoring and remembering him at his funeral service. I wonder about the flood of emotions that will be in that room. Grief. Anger. Relief. Sadness. Joy? When your life is over, it is not truly over but different. Those of us who are still trapped on this side of eternity have no clue what is going on beyond the eternal door. On this side we are limited in our ability to know or perceive what waits for us. On that side the limits are released and life truly begins.

"I Hate Christians"

2008-07-12T11:26:00.000-05:00

"I HATE Christians…yes, I said it and I mean it!".
More than any other religious people in the world Christians are the most un-devoted undisciplined hypocritical practitioners of any religion in modern times. What's even worse is that they have the audacity to be arrogant about it."

I'm sure that by now you are up in arms ready to fight whoever has "offended" our faith, for that too was my reaction. The man who made this comment to me was in a rant about all religious people, but had the harshest words for Christians. While I was enraged when he first said the remarks, their legitimacy later bothered me greatly. I would submit to you that if you, yes you, the enraged reader of this blog channeled some of that emotion into your relationship with God, then this man's statements might not ring so true to the majority of Americans. I'm sorry, but your "what would Jesus do?" bumper sticker DOES NOT make you a Christian.

I'm so tired to people who live any range of sin-filled, hell-bound lives slapping the title "Christian" on their messes with the excuse "God knows my heart". That's not how the bible that I read works. Christianity is not some buffet religion that allows its followers to pick and choose which parts of the beliefs they will hold on to at which times. It's almost as if people in the church don't even bother reading the very book that is supposed to guide our lives. Instead of honoring our bodies "as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God" teenage pregnancy rates and incidences of STD's are no lower among Christians that in the general population. Instead of honoring the vows that we swear before God to stay married "until death do us part", you are more likely to get divorced as a Christian than you are in any other American religions group. Instead of going "into all the world making disciples of all people" we are building bigger and bigger churches to make ourselves feel more spiritual. All too often though, Christians are not the modern prototypes of biblical principles and love that we should be. Instead we give in to any and every temptation of the enemy resulting in a world that devalues our worth.

There are three things that I would like to remind all of the faithful of that I think will help our situation. First, we must remember that God requires HOLINESS of his people, and grace and mercy are there for the inevitable times when you will make mistakes. We aren't supposed to live any kind of life then call on grace to cover it. God has been too good to us for us to treat him the way we do.

Next, we've got to remember that Christians do not live in an isle unto ourselves. We live in the context of the world, so there is a responsibility to show others the love of God and the joy of serving him through our lives. When we don't there is no standard and we end up with issues like the ones were facing now. Lastly, remember that it's never too late to fix what you're doing wrong. We serve an amazing God who has given us the ultimate gift, his son Jesus who is ready and willing to forgive us and to help us live right. Yet are we willing to live up to the task?

--Maurice Kuykendoll

Who are you focused on leading?

2008-06-06T14:07:00.000-05:00

By Scott Hodge

One of the most empowering moments in The Orchard's journey of transition & change occurred a few years ago when someone said to us:

"Until you get your focus OFF of the people who are disgruntled, unhappy, unsupportive, and resistant to the direction God has called you to go, and ONTO those who are excited, supportive and on board, you will NEVER gain momentum and see a new culture created in your church."

That statement set us free.

It really did. In fact, I can remember our team making several tough, but GOOD decisions that day that literally sped up our momentum by leaps and bounds.
Some of those decisions had to do with things we were going to STOP doing.

Decisions that:
We were NO LONGER going to try and get people to stay at our church who weren't happy.
We were going to stop spending time and energy trying to get the naysayers "on board" when it was very evident that most of them were not going to support the new direction.
We were going to stop allowing some of the "small things" to continue just to keep a few people happy (You know those programs and committees that are OPPOSITE of where you're headed, but you're keeping in place just to keep 12 people happy? Yeah, those...)

We also made some decisions about what we going to START doing or focus on being more intentional about.

Decisions that:
We would stay focused on God's mission for The Orchard NO MATTER WHAT. Even if it were just the three of us in the end!
The focus of our leading and teaching would be turned towards the people we were reaching and those who were excited about where we were headed.
We would only engage in ministries, programs, and events that aligned with our mission - regardless as to whether or not every other church in town was doing it or not. The mission would dictate everything - not what was "popular" with other churches or even what programs or events might have seemed "successful" in the past.

It wasn't easy, and yes, we lost a lot of people. But....it eventually created a momentum that led towards reaching the people that God had called us to reach. By 400% since 2003.
http://www.scotthodge.typepad.com/

Dear Church Planter "by Perry Noble"

2008-06-06T14:02:00.000-05:00

Dear Church Planter
Please do me a favor! Seriously…
If you are going to blog–then please write about what God is teaching you. Seriously–there is nothing more refreshing to read the writings of someone who God is stretching and challenging in unique ways.
Please talk about the life change that is happening in your church–those stories NEVER get old–EVER!
Please tell your readers what you are struggling with and inform us on how we can pray for you…seriously, there are people who read your blog that would LOVE to lift you up. Please use your blog to cast compelling vision regarding your church…share where you feel the Lord is leading you.

But…in the same respect…
Please do not spend all of your time attacking other churches and ministries…it only exposes your insecurity.
Please stop comparing yourself to other churches…God will hold you accountable for being faithful, not for keeping up.
Please stop bragging about all of the things you don’t do that other churches do (or vice versa.) That is nothing more than pride.
Please stop fussing at your church on your blog. People have enough to deal with everyday without reading the writings of a ticked off pastor.
Please stop trying to defend what you do. I did this for WAY too long…and I did nothing but waste time. If you are truly called to plant a church then focus on the Bride and not those who seek to tarnish her beauty!
Be who God called you to be…take risks…pray “stupid” prayers…ask people for commitment…believe in those no one else dared to believe in…PREACH JESUS…listen to the Holy Spirit…give everything your best…spend time BEGGING God to change lives…understand that God wants your church to grow more than you do…stop trying to make people happy…take some time for yourself…hire the people God tells you to hire…LEARN DAILY…spend whatever amount of money you need to spend to grow…develop your strengths, delegate your weaknesses…ignore your critics…STOP trying to be someone else…HONOR GOD’S GIFTING AND CALLING ON YOUR LIFE!!!
http://www.perrynoble.com/

My thoughts on religion.

2008-06-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, here is my take on religion. I want to be totally upfront and say that I am not a fan of religion. To me it seems that religion is simply mankind trying to be in control of their relationship with God. It usually consist of do's and don'ts designed to show us how "Good" we are doing. If we "do" what we are supposed to do and we "don't do" what we aren't supposed to do then we are therefore "Good and Godly people" that the world can envy and wish they were like us. It is all about performance. It is about measuring up to some unattainable standard. It is an exercise in futility. We cannot be "good enough" by our own effort. I have tried to be good and I have failed. You have too. Religion gives us this false hope that maybe if we work and strive hard enough we can arrive at some super religious place of status and we will finally be good in our own site. Not gonna happen. I am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I am not religious because I reject religion and I accept Christ. I know that it sounds like I am splitting hairs but my point is this; Religion is mans attempt to be in charge of our relationship with God. That is the exact opposite of how it really is. God is the boss. I am the servant/son. He is the King. I am the peasant. In our modern society we are naturally self-oriented, self-absorbed, self-obsessed, self-serving. When we enter into relationship with God through His son Jesus our focus is supposed to change. We are then going to become selfless as God does his work in us and through us. We then begin to be God centered. The really neat and cool thing about it is that when we become God centered He gives us a wonderful gift. Righteousness. That means that we are now considered by God to be "GOOD ENOUGH". Through no effort on our part. No striving and hard frustrating work. Just a gift because we trusted him. Salvation comes not from religion and its hoops that you jump through but from simply allowing God to love you and then in return loving him back.Selah!

Worship Video

2008-05-31T10:33:00.000-05:00

The message of this video is right on target. I was convicted and blessed by it. I hope the same for you. Please watch it and let me know your thoughts.

God calling

2008-05-28T07:09:00.000-05:00

It is amazing when you hear God's voice. It has to be the best experience I have ever enjoyed. When you go for a season without hearing Him clearly it makes you greatly appreciate the moment when you finally do.

Be blessed.

Antioch Church House Choir

2008-05-26T22:40:00.000-05:00

This song reminds me of my dear sweet Granny. I listened to it over and over at her house as little boy. It has stayed with me all these years. The group who sang it back then was called the Mercy River Boys. Good memories.

ME Church

2008-05-25T21:00:00.000-05:00

This video speaks for itself. It is funny/sad because there is so much truth to it. Enjoy.

Me Worship

2008-05-25T19:41:00.000-05:00

Here is another sad but funny video that goes along with the MeChurch video.

When we look for a church to attend all to often we are looking with the wrong focus. It is best to pray and seek God's direction where you should attend and SERVE.
Be Blessed.

2008-05-23T22:22:00.000-05:00

Praying is not for sissies.

Prayer requires honesty and transparency before God to be effective. We have to clean up our own mess before we are able to see and hear clearly enough to assist others effectively through prayer and action.

Pastor Rodney Hutcheson

2008-05-23T21:24:00.000-05:00

This evening I saw my good friend, Pastor Rodney, at a softball game. His little girl was going to pitch for the first time tonight. You could tell he was happy and nervous for her.

Rodney is one of those pastors who truly have their heart in the right place and he loves his congregation tremendously.

He pastors the First Assembly of God Church in Lindsay, OK. My family has visited there on many occasions and the people there are as friendly as they get. Say a prayer for them as they search for a new youth minister over the next few weeks. I will be praying also.

Kudos to Erin Springs Baptist Church

2008-05-18T22:14:00.000-05:00

I took my family to visit Erin Springs Baptist Church today. We all enjoyed it very much. Pastor Bryan Shaw finished up what appears to be a great series on raising Godly children. Even my 10 and 12 year old children were engaged by his sermon. We all laughed and were challenged at the same time as a result of todays message. We were made to feel very welcome by everyone there. It has been a long time since I have been in a service that good. Pastor Bryan was genuine and authentic. I loved it.

Thank you ESBC.

Do You Exist?

2008-05-10T00:02:00.000-05:00

I have very recently come to realize something huge...

It is when you have a "Divine sense of destiny" that propels you towards impossible undertakings, immensely greater than yourself that you are really alive. Without it you are snared in the duldrums of simple existence.

Jesus didn't come so you can have existence, but life.

That settles it!

2008-04-28T07:01:00.000-05:00

Find your must

2008-03-21T07:01:00.000-05:00

There are four kinds of people, I’ve discovered. Here they are:
1. There’s the “I could do that” person. These are the people that make excuses why they didn’t do it. If all the stars aligned and all the resources were made available, they could do that.

2. “I’d like to do that” person. That’s the person who says that if it’s simple, easy and fast, I wouldn’t mind having the reward.

3. “I should do that” person. That’s the person who lives by an inner sense of the moral rightness of a thing, but is never able to make the connection to move into action.

4. “I must do that” person. That’s the person who, in spite of lack of resources, opportunity, and skill, will go out and find all three.

Here is the question I have for you. What is your must? There are not many. There are probably not more than three, certainly no more than five in your life. But what are the things that you absolutely must do; must do or die? Not could do, not should do, not would do, but must do. If you haven’t found those things, you’re living your life as a terrible risk. What’s the risk? To waste it at things you’re really not good at, that you don’t care about, and are way too easy to do.
Remember, it’s the mediocre middle that looks for things that are fast, easy, and simple. It’s the elite, the excellers, the achievers, the succeeders, and those who raise their game to a level of must who end up with the money, power, and satisfaction. It will cause you tension, aggravation, and sleepless nights. It will wear you out and push you down the road. But that’s what you were made for.
-David Foster The Gathering

Seven questions to ask every ministry leader by Rick Warren

2008-02-23T21:28:00.000-06:00

We have a lot of haphazard ministry being done in our churches around the world. Good people, who love the Lord, aren’t thinking through what God has called them to do. Ministry is too important to be done haphazardly. We can’t just say, “I’ll give it my best shot!” We need to think through what the ministries in our church are all about. Our ministries must be good stewards of all they’ve been given. For that to happen, we’ve got to plan ministry strategically.
There are seven important questions that need to be answered when you’re planning an effective ministry. These are questions for any healthy ministry – whether it’s your music ministry, greeters, small group leaders, or any other ministry team.

1. Why are you here?
Every ministry in your church should have a clear idea of what it’s all about. Each one needs a purpose statement. You develop that statement by asking two questions: What is the business of this ministry? And what is none of this ministry’s business?
What’s the business of Saddleback? We attract members, teach them to worship God, develop them to Christlike maturity, and mobilize them for ministry in the church and a life mission in the world. We do that in each stage and segment of their lives. If something doesn’t fit within that mission statement, we don’t do it.

Every ministry within your church needs a purpose statement like that. Ask each ministry: What do you do and what do you not do?

2. What purpose of the church does your ministry fulfill?
Every ministry in your church should be tied to at least one of the five purposes of the church. Is this ministry designed to exalt Christ (worship)? Is it designed to reach out to the community (evangelism)? Is it designed to deepen relationships within the church (fellowship)? Is it designed to build people into Christian maturity (discipleship)? Is it designed to serve the needs of the church family (ministry)?

As a pastor, you need to make sure that each of your ministries does one of these five things. If it doesn’t, your church doesn’t need to be doing it.

3. Who are you trying to reach?
You need to figure out who your ministry is trying to reach – the Community, the Crowd, the Congregation, the Committed, the Core, or the Commissioned. Ministries trying to reach the Community are evangelistic in nature. Ministries that serve those during weekend services are focused on the Crowd. Ministries focused on church members will work with the Congregation. Ministries that help people grow spiritually will center on the Committed. Ministries that meet the needs of people within the church or try to get people involved in the ministry of the church will focus on the Core. And the ministries that help those who’ve committed to be involved in missions (the P.E.A.C.E. Plan for us at Saddleback) will need to focus on the Commissioned. (For a further explanation of these audiences, see my article from the last issue.)

You need to know who your ministry is trying to reach. The Community has different needs than the Committed. The Congregation has different needs than the Core. Knowing who your ministry is trying to serve will influence how the ministry operates.

4. Where do you believe God is calling your ministry to be in six months?
This is the stage where your ministry leaders dream. Where would they like to see the ministry six months from now? If your ministry leaders can’t think about the future, they aren’t ready to lead the ministry. Ask your ministry leaders to get away with God and talk to him about the ministry’s future.

5. How does your ministry do what it has been called to do?
Did you know that your body has nine systems in it? When any one of those systems gets out of order, it’s called an illness or disease. The church (the body of Christ) has systems in it as well. And for us to be healthy our systems have to work properly. How do your ministries do what they’ve been called to do? Ask your ministry leaders to think and pray about how to do ministry more effectively.

6. Who can you partner with to do what God has called you to do?
Your ministry leaders need to constantly be on the watch for people who can join them in ministry. Ask your ministry leaders to begin praying for at least one person who should be joining their ministry team.

Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Pray for laborers.” Ask your ministry leaders to begin praying for more laborers.

7. In what way do you serve people?Your ministries should serve the people in your community. Are you meeting physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual needs (or a combination thereof)? All of those needs are valid. Part of understanding the identity of your ministries is to know how each of them serves people. Then look for ways you can add value to the services those ministries provide. In other words, look for ways each of your ministries can do a better job providing for the physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual needs of the community.

Sermon Notes for 1-27-2008

2008-01-27T12:36:00.000-06:00

Worship and Idolatry:

Worship is more than the music portion of a church service.

The issue is not will we worship, but what, where, and how we worship.
Q. Why do we worship?
A. God created us to worship.

The English word, Worship, comes from the phrase ‘WORTH-SHIP.
The word “Worth” is synonymous to value.
The question of worship is what do I value most?

Matthew 4:8-10
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." 10Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'

Every human being by default is a worshipper.
The need to worship is ingrained in our very DNA.
We all serve a master of some kind.
We worship that which we obey.
Impulses, food, cigarettes, sex, family, mental strongholds, sports, atheism, politics, work, success, comfort, pleasure, ideals.
We serve these things because of how they make us feel or our perception of how they will make us feel.
Bottom line: We worship something whether it is God or ultimately ourselves.

We worship in an attempt to find fulfillment, wholeness, completeness.
We are born incomplete and we spend our lives searching for the “rest of us”. We are trying to fill a God shaped hole within us.
We all have an itch that demands it be scratched.
We worship to feel connected.
We are committed to what we worship. We give to that we worship; our time, our money, our thoughts.
We make sacrifices to the object of our worship.
We are dedicated to it. We serve the object of our worship

The opposite of Worship is idolatry.

Exodus 20:1-6 And God spoke all these words: 2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 3 "You shall have no other gods before me. 4 "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

· Idolatry is the worship of anything that is not God.
· The worship of created things rather than the creator.
· Idolatry is misappropriated or misplaced worship.
· Anything that you look to for fulfillment or contentment is an object of worship.
· Any and all fulfillment that does not include God is counterfeit, shallow and temporary and will eventually cause disappointment.

We worship idols because we are pursuing the illusion of control.
We believe the lie that we can be in charge.

We spend so much effort trying to control our life, our circumstances, our relationships, our jobs, our happiness.

Peace comes when we relinquish control over to God. This requires trust. Real trust. Our biggest mistake is that we don’t trust God.

Comfort is an idol.
· We seem to believe that comfort is a good goal.
· We want to feel good.
· We want to make more money so we can be comfortable.
· We want to buy things so that we can feel good.
· We want to get to a place where we can relax and take it easy.
· Comfort doesn’t satisfy.
· Comfort breeds laziness.
· We should pursue peace, rather than comfort.
· Embrace discomfort.
· Wholeness is what we really want.

Why do people worship?
We are pursuing the fulfillment of our inadequacies through our worship.
We are attempting to eliminate our sense of lack and incompleteness.
Our weakness compels us to worship.
We are seeking that which makes us whole and complete.
People seek affirmation and approval from things that can never give it to them.
People worship idols because they don’t understand that you can only truly find the “rest of you” in Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit.

The best thing you can do to win people to Jesus is to give them an example to look at of someone who had given themselves fully to God.

Marriage problems, Parenting problems, Overeating problems, Addiction problems, financial problems, are worship problems.

Anger, disappointment, frustration, fear, self-reliance, success or depression can all become idols. Even the church can become an idol.

Joshua 24:15
Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...
...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Deuteronomy 30: 15-20
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Urgent help needed

2007-11-08T06:54:00.001-06:00

Greetings Everyone! Pastor Peter Mutebi of Bugolobi Evangelistic Center in Kampala, Uganda emailed the following message to me this morning and I wanted to see if we could help. If you would like to help please send a check or money order made out to me, Danny Daniels and I will wire it to Pastor Peter on Monday. It is a good and Godly work that is worthy of your compassion and giving. I have been there and seen it with my own eyes. If God does not compel you to help then that is ok. Please, only give if you feel you are supposed to. I understand that God may have you giving in other places. Many of these children only get to eat at school so if the school can't feed them then...well you get the idea. If anyone would like to assist in an ongoing manner with regular monthly giving we will be happy to get it to them. Email me at betterlifeministries@gmail.com for instructions on how to give.
Danny Daniels
-- Better Life Ministries
www.betterlifeministries.blogspot.com

DEAR Pastor Danny,Greetings. Hope all is well with you and the family. Thank you again for your prayers and financial support. We wish to request for your prayers and possibly a financial help for our school. Presently, our school is experiencing a food shortage and financial crisis.The school does not have enough food in the store to feed the school children until December 7Th,when thethird term (semester)ends. Food can only last untilNov.12Th. We cannot close the school Early, children have to sitfor end of academic year exams from the Ministry of Education.The food to feed 350 children for threeweeks costs $2000. We have also a need of paying 21 teachers and the nonteaching staff November salaries which totals to$1820. THANK you again, hope to hear from you soon.God bless you richly,Your co-worker in Christ
Pastor Peter Mutebi

A Good Week

2007-10-07T20:38:00.000-05:00

This has been a blessed week. So much has been going on that I haven't had a lot of time to even think about it. Here are some of the things that have happened during the last seven days.

I had the honor of leading a dying man in the prayer of salvation.
I spent an hour with a 95 year old retired Baptist minister who is still sharp as a tack. He had some fun stories to tell. I felt I was in the presence of greatness.
I went to an amazing funeral that truly honored a genuinely Christ like man.
I went to a cookout today with some old friends...people that I love alot.
The Better Life Radio broadcast is going strong.
I went to the last night of a revival in Slaughterville. God was there in a way that I haven't seen in a long time. It was a blessing to see an authentic Spirit of God move in a service.
I officiated a wedding for a long time friend.
I got to spend some good time with my children this weekend. God is good.

Epiphany

2007-09-04T10:04:00.000-05:00

Thought for the day:
We are simply guests on this planet and at some point we will all have to leave. No one gets to stay indefinitely. What we do while we are here greatly affects what we will be doing when we check out.

You have from now until you check out to seek out and trust in the son of God, Jesus Christ. Live with Him. Live for Him. Remember, noone is guaranteed tomorrow. Or even the rest of today for that matter. Right now is all you can count on.

Eternal life begins at the moment you choose to believe Jesus is the son of God, he dealt with our weaknesses and sin on the cross with His own life, (He died for us) and that God raised him from the dead. When you believe that then you will want to love Him and serve Him.

Think about it.

Lion Chaser Manifesto

2007-08-27T12:44:00.000-05:00

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion!
By Mark Batterson of Theaterchurch.com

Really Amazing

2007-08-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

Amazing Grace by Stephen Tyler of Aerosmith

Five “Gut Check” Questions

2007-08-22T11:02:00.000-05:00

Article courtesy of Perry Noble, Pastor of Newspring Church

From time to time…in any arena of life there is a time for a “gut check.” We all experience it–but I think this is especially true in ministry. Here are five questions I often use to do a personal gut check…

#1 - Am I Listening To The Voice of God?
I had lunch with a pastor once who was curious about the success of NewSpring Church. During the course of our time together he asked me, “How do you make the really important decisions around here?” I told him, “I just try really hard to hear the voice of God.”
He looked at me with an extremely confused look on his face and so I continued, “I think one of the most important things a person can do is spend daily time with the Lord and seek His voice.” He then gave me a “isn’t that sweet” sort of look and we moved on.
I said it this past year at Unleash–Leadership is as easy as listening to God…and my job as a leader is to listen to and obey His voice–not some committee of really frustrated men who never seek the face of the Lord but feel they are somehow qualified to lead His church.
Scripture says in Isaiah 2:22 that we are not to fear man, but the Lord. Pastor–what is it that the Lord is telling you to do that scares you to death because you know “they” will not approve? Listen to the voice of God because…He is Sovereign…they are not!

#2 - Am I Taking Risks?
The thing I never want to do here at NewSpring is begin to play it safe. Starting this church was a risk, moving to the Fine Arts Center was a risk. Moving to this facility was a risk. AND…the next steps the Lord is leading us to take is a risk.
I never want to be one of those leaders who merely say, “Well, you know, I am praying about it!” Christians often use prayer as an excuse for inactivity…but because it sounds spiritual then no one can argue. I laugh when I read I Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath. In reading that story it is clear in I Samuel 17:16 that the Israelites were held in bondage for 40 days by the giant. I am sure they prayed for God to remove the giant…maybe they sang songs to God about what a giant killer He was…or better yet, they began Bible studies on how to kill a giant. BUT–it wasn’t until David walked down into the valley and cut off his flippin’ head that people were set free. David took a risk. What is the risk that God wants you to take–but you refuse?

#3 - Am I Understanding How Big God Is?
On my journey through Scripture I am understanding more and more how HUGE God is…and how much more He desires to do.
One of the problems with the modern church is that we limit God. I remember once after a service here at NewSpring where 50 people gave their lives to Christ a young lady went to have lunch with her family and told them all about the service. Her grandmother actually said, “That’s not of God–I’ve been in church all my life and have NEVER seen anything like that–those things just don’t happen!”
WHAT?
Why does the church limit God when Jesus said what He said in John 14:12? Why can’t God grow a church like He did in the book of Acts? Why can’t entire communities be transformed? Why can’t we see things happen in our time that happened in Scripture? Is He not the same God?
God is so much bigger than your greatest fear or obstacle!

#4 - Am I Surrounding Myself With The Right People?
One of the privileges I have here at NewSpring is working with an unbelievable staff. As I have said before–we are not the most “professionally trained” people on the planet; in fact, we have one person with a seminary degree on the entire staff. All we have is a bunch of common men and women who are in love with Jesus and also love seeing people meet Jesus! (Sort of like Acts 4:13) AND–everyone here believes that God CAN DO AWESOME THINGS. When I recently shared with our staff that I feel NewSpring will one day have over 100,000 people attending every weekend through our multi-site venues–our staff nearly went through the roof!!! We believe God for awesome things!!!
Oh yeah…one more benefit of not hiring the “professionally trained” is that, because they are from the market place–they KNOW how to connect with those who are disconnected from Christ.AND also–no one here has their own agenda…they are sold out to the vision of this church. Folks–you either have vision or division…and God works through one and not the other!!!

#5 - Am I Giving It My Best?
I was reminded the other day when reading Ecclesiastes 9:10 that I am called by God to give my 100% absolute best in all that I do.
One of the temptations of ANY pastor of a growing ministry is to slip into cruise control and “take it easy.” AND maybe that works for some people; however, I just can’t. God hasn’t called me to go at 50%…nor has He called me to pursue a ministry with a “that’s good enough” philosophy. I figure if God gave His very best for me by sending Jesus to the cross…I am called to offer my best back to Him.
(If you REALLY want to see how God feels about leftovers–check out Malachi 1:6-14!)
As a husband, father and leader I am to give it my best in all that I do. That doesn’t mean that I am perfect…heck, I am FAR from that, but…it does mean that all that God has called me to do that I should embrace and do with all my heart…knowing that He will make up the difference!

Something to think about

2007-08-19T13:35:00.000-05:00

Grace: Giving your best at all times whether the recipient deserves it or not. Grace is a product of real and sincere unconditional love. Love compels us to give grace...to give our best. When you love someone unconditionally you are giving them grace. When you withhold grace from others you disqualify yourself from receiving God's grace.

Remember what the Bible teaches us? Whatever a man sows he also reaps. Sow grace, reap it also. Withhold it and you won't.

Just something to think about.

Consumer Christianity

2007-08-12T20:32:00.000-05:00

What we have today is an abundance of "Consumer Christians".

Many of us Christians look at God as sort of like an Heavenly ATM. Always seeking God, usually superficially, for what He can do for us. God has become an accessory in this day and age. Something we put on and take off as we see fit. Depending on what our current mood or circumstances might be at the time. We call ourselves Christians so that once we have claimed that catchy little title for ourselves we can then allow God to serve us. Some of us "serve" God so that we get to "receive" (consume) God's blessings. Health, wealth, provision, protection, etc....

Christianity is at its core all about loving God and his son so much that we allow him to love others (both loveable and unloveable) through us.

How many cranky Christians have you known? Christ followers are supposed to be the most loving, and loveable for that matter, group of people on this planet. Very rarely do "we" live up to that standard.

Why is this acceptable? More importantly, what are you going to do about it?

Ask yourself these questions.
1. Does my brand of Christianity provoke me to look for people to bless, help, or minister to?

2. Do you spend more time seeking God for your own personal benefit and well-being than you do seeking Him on behalf of others?

3. Am I a "Consumer Christian" or a "Producer Christian"?

4. In my heart of hearts am I a "Giver" or a "Taker"?

Well?

Time Marches On

2007-08-08T16:59:00.000-05:00

I am now one day older than my 35th birthday. I am officially closer to my 40's than I am to my 20's. I am very reflective and introspective right about now. I have to admit I am not sure what to do with the revelation that my life is moving forward at full speed. No breaks, no time outs, and no time off for good behaviour. I guess they are right when they say you only live once. I am alive right this minute. I better get on with the business of being alive and bringing honor to my heavenly father. He is awesome. God puts each of us this planet for a very short time...

...I feel like my time is running out. I must be about my Father's business.

"Thank you , Lord for giving me a chance at life on this busy and confused planet. Help me to be and to do all that you have planned for me while I am here. Amen"

Responding on Monday to the Notes People Write You on Sunday

2007-07-23T12:35:00.000-05:00

I recently read this and wanted to pass it on. Enjoy.

Noel Heikkinen writes, "I look forward to and dread Mondays at the same time because on Mondays, I read feedback from our church’s weekend services. The notes I receive can be divided into three categories..."

Bereans
These are people who have legitimate questions about how I treated the Bible during the services. The “Berean” notes I get are people who have dug into the Word and come to a different conclusion than I did. These notes have a positive, respectful tone and I love dialoging with people like this. Many times, we will end up agreeing to disagree but will have an even greater respect for each other because of the tone of the exchange.
I love answering Bereans.

Encouragers
These are quick little notes encouraging me regarding the service. I get a few of these every week. Someone was touched by something I shared and wanted me to know. Often, it was an “aha” moment they had in their walk with Jesus. When I get these notes, I am always blown away that God is using me. He is obviously a great God if he can use me through all of my failings.
I love reading notes from Encouragers.

Cowards
These people find something nit picky they don’t like in me or my delivery or my message. Perhaps it’s a word I used that they don’t like, or an illustration they thought was inappropriate, or maybe they disagree with me on a gray area. Whatever their message, the strategies remain the same.

Here are a few:
1) Anonymous notes. Recently someone wrote a letter “to the church,” (even though it was specifically about me) and mailed it without signing it. I read it and promptly threw it away. It carried zero weight. It was a gray area they had issue with but they were too cowardly to have a conversation with me, so we will never be able to talk about it. It’s a shame--I think we could have learned something from each other.
2) Hateful notes. These are attacking / offensive notes when people write what they would never say to my face. Often it is something disparaging my character or my faith. I usually respond politely once and if their tone does not change, I ignore any more notes I get from them.
3) Gossipy notes. This is when someone contacts me to tell me his or her “friend is upset.” My response is always the same, “What did they say to you when you reproved them for gossiping and asked them to talk directly to me?”
4) Symbolic Gestures. I once taught on money and someone ripped up a check into tiny pieces and threw it in the offering basket.
As pastors, what should we do with cowards? Ignore them. The thing about Cowards is that they could so easily be Bereans--it’s all about tone and respect. Until they see that, they won’t be teachable enough to hear you.

For everyone reading this who is not a pastor, may I ask a favor?
Please, be Bereans. If you have a concern/disagreement, bring it directly to your pastor. Don’t gossip, don’t be hateful, don’t be a coward; and by all means, be respectful. I have made good friends with people who started out as dissenters. Some of my biggest supporters started out as critics. Now, we will both defend each other to the death. We may still disagree, but we love each other. That’s Christian unity.

About the Author: Noel Heikkinen is a husband of one and a father of four. With the rest of his time, he is a pastor at Riverview Church in the East Lansing, Michigan area, as well as a blogger, a podcaster, and a 24 addict.

Footprints?

2007-07-19T06:37:00.000-05:00

Footprints Revisited

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.
But then some stranger prints appeared,
And I asked the Lord, "What have we here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord, they are too big for human feet."

"My child," He said in somber tones,
"For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
The walk of faith, you would not know,
So I got tired, I got fed up,
And there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time,
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand,
Or leave their buttprints in the sand."

Author unknown

I thought this was funny. I am glad Jesus really doesn't do this to us.

Good stuff

2007-07-19T06:35:00.000-05:00

This is great.

PC Vs. Mac Parody

2007-07-19T06:31:00.000-05:00

I thought you might appreciate this! I did. Be Blessed.

Top Ten Mistakes Church Planters/Pastors Make

2007-05-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

This is a great article by Perry Noble, Pastor of New Spring Church.
Enjoy!
--Danny

#10 - Refusing To Dream Big

I hear TONS of excuses from pastors who say, “But I can’t do this and I can’t do that because I am not in Chicago or Atlanta.” NEITHER ARE WE!!! God is NOT limited by geography! Come on, when He sent His Son into the world–He sent Him to Bethlehem, NOT Rome!!! DREAM BIG…and take small steps to get there.

#9 - Trying To Be Someone Else

I’ve fallen into this trap before–pastors, understand that there is a unique calling on your life to be YOU! We should ALL learn from other leaders and other ministries…but at the end of the day we MUST be ourselves. I will never be as smart as Bill Hybels, as creative as Ed Young or as happy as Joel Osteen, but I will be the best Perry Noble I can be.

#8 - Not Growing As A Leader

If you are not growing then you’re dying…and so is your leadership.

#7 - Refusing To Take Risks

Too many churches grow to a certain size and then fall into “safe mode.” There is a safe place for all Christians…it is called HEAVEN…and until we get there we need to do all we can to continually kick the devil in the mid-section!!! We are called to do a lot of things–but we are never called to play it safe.

#6 - Letting People With Money Dictate The Vision

I have a theory…and so far it has been true with every church planter that I know. Within the first year a “big money” person will threaten to leave the church over an issue related to the vision…and you will either beg them to stay or let them walk. I have seen first hand that if you don’t allow them to leave then God will leave!!! We are told in Scripture to FEAR GOD…and that’s it. If you allow people with money to dictate your decisions then you are nothing more than an ordained prostitute.

#5 - Not Teaching About Money

Too many church planters were told somewhere along the way that you can’t teach on money–that it is offensive and will run people away. I believed that for a long time; in fact, I believed that until we did our FIRST money series last year here at NewSpring…and OUR ATTENDANCE INCREASED throughout the series. People want practical help with their lives…and the Bible has a TON to say about money; therefore, the church should as well. AND STOP APOLOGIZING for it…we don’t apologize for preaching on adultery…why should we apologize for speaking on money–especially when Jesus said what He said in Matthew 6:21 and Matthew 6:24!

#4 - Listening To The Wrong People

Christians are the ONLY people in the world who will buy a book and read it…and the author has never done what he has written about…all he has is theories. NO ONE in the secular world would do that crap! Seriously, if I wrote a book on surgery and then tried to say, “Buy my book…my wife is a doctor,” there isn’t a doctor in this country that would think my book was necessary for success…but many church planters are victims of that exact scenario. That is equal to asking your bankrupt brother-in-law for financial advice…it just doesn’t make sense.

#3 - Too Much Prayer and Not Enough Planning

I know church planters who are in constant prayer mode, asking God to “do it all.” And five years later they are in the same place…it takes a PLAN!!!

#2 - Too Much Planning And Not Enough Prayer

AND…I have seen the opposite! I will say this–EVERY leadership mistake that I have ever made was because I was not listening to the Lord.

#1 - Forming A Leadership Team Too Quickly

I have discovered that when you plant a church that you will attract every freak within a 50 mile radius. SO…delegate slowly! Allow people to serve…but do not appoint people to leadership positions until you are confident that the person is a leader, loves Jesus, gets the vision AND loves the church.

http://www.perrynoble.com/2007/05/22/top-ten-mistakes-church-planterspastors-make

He is Great

2007-05-09T22:02:00.000-05:00

When does salvation come?

2007-04-05T09:22:00.000-05:00

Salvation comes at what point?

Repeating a prayer? Baptism? Repentance? Works of righteousness?

Repeating a prayer?
When I was much younger I repeated a prayer and the preacher said I was saved because I prayed the prayer. I believe I was saved even before I prayed the prayer. I believed Jesus had saved me or I wouldn't have wanted to pray in the first place. Some people repeat a prayer because they are intimidated into it. Does that make them saved? Nope. It is about believing in Jesus.

Baptism?
Does Baptism make you saved? Nope. It is a declaration to the world that you have believed in Jesus Christ. It is like a wedding ceremony is to marriage. Do you need a ceremony to be married? No. You can get married by going before a judge and signing some papers or you can stand before family and friends at your local church and recite wedding vows. The wedding ceremony is held to declare your commitment to your spouse before all of those people who are important to you. Baptism is the same sort of thing. You are declaring to the world that you have given your heart to Jesus. Baptism is symbolic of you sharing in Jesus' death, burial and resurrection from the dead. You get baptised because you are saved not in order to be saved.

Repentance?
The word repentance usually causes people to think of great sorrow. I was taught that repentance is feeling really, really, really sorry about the horrible things I have done. Repentance means literally to change direction. Christian repentance is about correcting your course. If you are selfish then repentance means to choose to be unselfish. If you are hateful then start being loving. If you are ignoring God then stop and begin to spend time with Him. Repentance is also a product of believing.

Works of righteousness?
When you believe in Jesus then you have decided that he knows more than you do and He knows how we should do things. He says to obey him. We do that by reading his teachings from the bible and then doing what we read there. As Christians we do good things for two reasons. First, because he commands us to feed the hungry, help those who cannot help themselves, etc. Secondly, when we believe in Him, He begins a work in us that transforms our character into His character. He is love. Love wants to help others. But it all starts by believing.
According to Romans salvation is about believing in Jesus and confessing that belief. How then do we confess that belief? I think that it is best done by our actions rather than only by our mouths.

When people do good things it may be that they simply are caring people who want to help others. Is that a sign of salvation? Not by itself.

I believe that you can be saved by hearing the gospel message and believing it.
No words are necessary. Making a trip down the aisle of a church isn't necessary. It is about believing. The reason I say that no words are necessary is that I know that what you believe always comes out of your mouth. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." Sooner or later you are going to talk about it (Confess it).

I also know that what you believe is obvious by what you do. You can say I believe in Jesus all day long but if you don't do something different (such as love somebody) as a result of that belief then I don't buy it. It doesn't resonate as true. Actions do speak louder than words.

Be blessed.

Understanding Worship

2006-11-29T09:45:00.000-06:00

Effective and fruitful worship is very important to me.
The sad thing is that most Christians, most churches, most believers are clueless when it comes to understanding the purpose and power of true worship. Worship is not about singing songs. It is an attitude. It is the only reason you are alive.

Worship is extremely imperative and necessary to the life and effectiveness of the modern day follower of Jesus Christ. I hope you are paying attention here. I am telling you it is mega important. It is essential to having a energized and fulfilling relationship with God.

I have been in many dead churches, endured dead worship services and my heart aches as a result. Routine and ritualistic song singing is not God's plan for worship in His church. God's plan is that His children encounter His restorative presence in worship.

I believe that worship is the one thing that can create a supernatural spark in the hearts and lives of spiritually empty and unfulfilled Christians and their churches.

I feel confident in saying that I feel a divine responsibility to at least make an effort to change that. I plan to use this weblog to teach what the Lord has placed in my heart about worship and its vital importance.

Join me as we discover together the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and most importantly, the HOW of true Christ centered worship. I am certain that if you embrace and practice what I am going to teach you about worship you will be changed forever. You will see yourself, God, and this world differently and you will like it alot more.

Stay tuned

All things work together for my good?

2006-11-24T12:54:00.000-06:00

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,

to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 NKJV

In Romans 8 we are assured that everything is working in cooperation with and being used by God for the ultimate benefit of those whom God has called to Himself.

What? Danny, have you lost your mind? You are trying to tell me that everthing works for my benefit? That is just plain foolishness. Right? Bad things happen all the time. How am I supposed to benefit from pain and suffering, disappointment and rejection, from loss and betrayal?

I understand how you feel completely. I used to have a tremendous amount of difficulty understanding how this scripture could possibly be true. I thank God for His patience. As a result of my spiritual journey I have come to the following conclusions:

1. God is good.
Even though we sometimes don't see His goodness in practical terms it doesn't make it untrue. Sometimes our ability to see clearly is hindered by frustration, disappointment or ignorance.

2. God knows what is coming and how to get you through it to victory.
He is not controlled by our fickle emotions and does not make decisions based on our feelings. He sees our future and knows how to prepare us for it. He uses our experiences to grow us up and empower us to be Christlike so that at a future date when someone else needs help we are are equipped, willing, and able.
Our experiences are unique, yet universal. God consistently uses people who have been through difficulties and challenges and found victory to encourage and teach those who are currently walking down the same road they have previously traveled.
It is a cycle that allows us to be used by God to bring help and healing to those who need it. In the same way that God used someone in our past to help us get this far.

3. God is working on us and through us in order to produce the character of Jesus Christ in our hearts.
God has a plan for each of our lives that will take many different shapes for each of us. But there is one thing that is consistent for all of us. God plans on having all of you. His goal is for your heart to be fully His. Once that is accomplished everything else will fall in place. You are being prepared by God Himself to bring His unconditional love to an unlovable world. Once He can get it in you He can get it through you. We are called by God to produce spiritual fruit so that the world can taste and see that the Lord is good. As we honor God with our fruit He rewards us with His peace and joy and contentment.
Romans 8:28 shows us that God will work within our victories and our failures to teach us, mature us, equip us, love us, refine us, and empower us to live a life that is completely His.

Traditional churches losing members?

2006-11-16T16:34:00.000-06:00

I just read an article on www.mondaymorninginsight.com that said the United Methodist Church is still losing members in spite of the fact that over the last few years they have spent millions of dollars in marketing and advertising.

I, and others on the internet, have noticed a trend that people are leaving traditionally styled churches en mass. I don’t believe there is enough marketing money available to stop this trend.
People are hungry for something authentic and real and they are having a very difficult time finding it.

In my opinion, when the “church” begins to really love people because they have value in the sight of God we will see a shift in people leaving churches.

People often feel like they are viewed as a resource (Time, Money, Numbers) to be used by ministries and leaders to build a “ministry kingdom” or church program.

People today are very adept at spotting users and manipulators who act out of a sense of self preservation rather than passionate and unconditional love that is a by product of a God honoring life. Many pastors often put programs and traditions ahead of hearts and lives.

People are moved by true agape.

Bottom line: we must discover selfless living empowered by divine grace in order to truly love people into God’s kingdom.

Ted Haggard Scandal

2006-11-03T10:26:00.000-06:00

The national media is gleefully reporting accusations of immorality against Ted Haggard, a highly respected national minister.
Please keep him and his family and their church lifted up in prayer regardless of the truth or falsehood of these accusations.

As Christians we must not shoot our wounded. We must pray for truth to be revealed and for repentance and deliverance to be acheived.
“He who is without sin cast the first stone.”

As Christians we are to seek God and pray that his glory to be manifested in this very challenging set of circumstances.
We are going to see more of this as time draws to a close. We must be sure to seek God ourselves and make sure that we keep our own personal walk with God healthy and vibrant regardless of what we see around us.

Stay Blessable and do not allow accusing words to rest in our lips. Satan is the accuser of the brethren...please don’t become his mouthpiece.
Danny B. Daniels II
Better Life Ministries

Better Life?

2006-02-24T20:16:00.000-06:00

Better?
It's Definition: Greater in quality or excellence. To improve.

No matter where you are in life there is room for improvement. God's plan for us is abundant life. (John 10:10) This blog is designed to be a blessing in that it is my intent to help all of those who happen upon it to find their own "next level". From the top to the bottom in our world we all have a next level in our journey. Our goal is to once and for all deal with the things in our "past" that seem to show up and steal from us the realization of our "next". God intends for us to grow. To be more, to know more, to give more, to love more. Let's pursue "the better life" together. Nice to have you along for the ride.