Can u say flame broiled?

This is what happens when you get caught up in conversation with friends and forget about your steaks!

Godly Sorrow?

When I was a boy I can remember times when I would get caught doing something I wasn't supposed to be doing. Sometimes it was eating snacks before dinner or not finishing my chores. When I would be found doing the wrong thing I always acted the same way. I would force out some tears and show how sorry I was for doing wrong. I did this in an attempt to convince my parents that punishment wasn't necessary because I was truly sorry for my actions. I would immediately begin to tell them I was sorry for what I had done, and I was! I was sorry that I had caught! I was sorry for the consequences of doing wrong, but not necessarily sorry FOR the wrong doing.

Other times I wouldn't get caught. I would go weeks doing something I wasn't supposed to do, but after time it would start to bother me that I was getting over on my parents. I would hear them say how proud they were of me to other people or how good I was doing in school, while in reality I was cheating on test. In these times I wouldn't force out tears or try to show my sincerity of being sorry because they didn't even know I was doing wrong. Eventually, guilt would get the best of me and I would secretly repent and stop the cheating. This time I repented because of the wrong I was doing even before their were consequences.

I believe these are two illustrations of what the Apostle Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 7:9-11. "9Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorry led you to repentance. for you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorry brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: What earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter."

Many people become sorry for the consequences of their sins but not for the sin itself.

Which person are you? Are you quick to repent of something you get caught for and slow to come to repentance before your sin is revealed?

I pray today that you will be sensitive to what God is revealing in your life about sin. Allow His grace and abundance of mercy to rush over you as you learn to be a person that is sorry for their sins...and not only sorry for the consequences.

What Heaven Must Be Like

I just had coffee with a dear saint of our church. She described to me the story of how her husband passed from this life to the next. It was the most touching story I've heard of someone going into eternity. She described to Katina and I that at the moment he was taking his last few breaths, he told his daughter he was at the gates of heaven. He was worried how they would find each other there when she arrived. The daughter assured her father that they would be able to find one another. She went on to tell her father to go ahead into the gates and wait for her and mother to arrive.

He closed his eyes for a few moments then suddenly opened them back up. As he did he quickly turned to look at the door behind him. His eyes then turned slowly across the room as though he was watching someone. Then very calmly he sit back onto his pillow, folded his hands in front of him, closed his eyes and passed on to heaven.

I can't help but think this man was able to visibly see heaven and even more, to watch as the angels came to take him there.

This great women of God told me that now she isn't afraid to die. She told me that the Christian has nothing to fear in death, for its just a going home.

I wonder, are you confident that when you pass from this life that Heaven will be waiting on you? You can, by placing your faith in God's only Son. Jesus came that you may have eternal life through Him. I pray that you will make that decision today.

See you on the other side!

National day of prayer

Today is the National Day of Prayer, but yesterday one the staff and I were discussing how at some point the government could possibly try to force people not to recognize it. This conversation came about because today we have the opportunity to go to the capitol to pray with other church leaders.

It made me wonder...what if it really did start happening? What would you do if the government began to tell people we couldn't pray publicly anymore?

I can't help but think about our fellow brothers and sisters that are in countries where they can't pray nor worship publicly. There are many in other parts of the world who must hide in order to keep their lives if they worship Jesus as we do so freely here in America. I feel for them and pray for them daily.

I'm proud of my country and proud that we still can gather together and worship freely. It humbles me to know that its a privilege that we have. I pray that I never lose sight of the blessings that God has bestowed on me.

First post

Well I've set up this blog trying to be cool and enable the ability to send the post from my iphone. Not working. However, I will figure this out. Hopefully.

The last few months have been a whirlwind. 2 months ago I was sitting in my house in Kigali, Rwanda and tonight I'm typing these words from an apartment in OKC. I've gone from Missionary to Pastor in less than a month. It's been a little like a dream. A good dream though.

Although I will miss my Rwandan brothers and sisters, I'm crazy excited about Pastoring such an awesome church. Highpointe is filled with excited, hungry people. This is a great place to be right now. I've learned from the past that people who are hungry for God usually experience great things from God.

I seen that we have a great staff of people who love the church and want to see it grow. They are all talented and loving of the people. I'm glad my family and I are here to experience what God is about to do in OKC.