• It can enlighten our understanding about issues, both spiritual and secular, like nothing else on earth.
• It can feed our soul, inspire our heart, and sustain our flesh.
• It can deliver us when we’re bound, heal us when we’re hurt, and calm us when we’re concerned.

 It’s no exaggeration to say, “It’s the cure-all, the remedy, for every situation.”

2012 is still relatively a New Year and a great time to make a commitment to become a regular student of the Bible.  We cannot adequately live as Christians and do spiritual warfare without the Word of God being hid in our hearts.

10.  Please, no more pie.

9.  I love liver.

8.  I can’t think of a thing to preach.

7.  I wish we had a pastoral vote every Sunday.

6.  I am sorry to announce this morning that our choir is at full capacity.

5.  We’d like to start paying our Sunday school teachers next week.

4.   I never have anything to do in December.

3.   I hate it when people volunteer.

2.   I believe the Lord has called me to a smaller church.

1.   There will be NO offering today.

You may want to be a pastor to everyone in your community but some will never open that door and let you in regardless.

I use to beat myself up when I could not win someone over to my side of the fence.

It did not take long to realize it takes all types of people to win all types of people.

If you personally only relate to “professionals” then what will you do about the “biker?”

That’s why it’s important to never sell yourself short in ministry and don’t be afraid of what you don’t understand.

Important Facts:

1.  25% of the people you meet will never like you.

2.  25% of the people you meet might be persuaded to like you with lots of effort.

3.  25% will like you but might be persuaded NOT to like you.

4.  25% of people you meet will like you and stand by you no matter what.

In a recent conversation with my brother-in-law he told me something his father had told him and I want to share it with you.    “Be yourself because nobody else qualifies.”

I realize that if I spend my life and ministry trying to fit into someone’s personal mold I may be wasting valuable time being myself!

The bad news 25% of the people you meet will NEVER like you!

The good news 25% of the people you meet will like you and stand by you no matter what!

There has been an ABC television program that has bee extremely popular called, “Extreme Makeover.”

The show intrigues me because they purposefully seek out people whose families have been affected by some type of hardship such as a life-threatning illness or natural disaster.

The producers of the show will determine if the house is beyond repair and if so they will completely replace the entire house!  The homeowner does not pay for the materials or labor they are graciously donated by the local community and business.

What a great lesson that can be learned from such a huge act of mercy and kindness!

Jeremiah 18 gives a great example of a potter making vessels of clay.

Each vessel goes through a process but sometimes the vessel becomes marred.  In the everyday course of a man’s life he can face hardships, disasters and situations that threaten the very existence of his own life.

In the same since the spiritual side of a man can face many of the same challenges in His walk with God.

You can become discouraged and face your own spiritual war that comes because of present or past circumstances.

And the truth is that sometimes we have created these “natural disasters on our own, not intending to destroy beyond repair but we just don’t pray and read our Word like we once did and now we have become an at risk vessel!

What a great amazing act of grace when God takes what has been marred and scarred that He choose to extremely make us over again!

As some of you know I have been working a part-time job for several months now. I actually took that job to help out during the holiday season of 2009.

I really did not know how long I would continue and was up front with the person who hired me but felt like for me it was more than just extra money during the holidays.

The local company was aware that I was a full-time pastor in the city and have been for over 9 years. While on the job even though some pastors are tagged “lazy” I have given 110% while trying to be an example of good work ethic.

One of the young men who works with me actually said, “I know Tony won’t lie to me.” when another employee was trying call his bluff.

Please understand that no one has ever said to me that I could not say anything about my faith but I have been very reserved, trying to respect what most major corporations have set into place about being open with regards to religion and sexuality.

The one thing for sure is that most are NOT embarrassed or ashamed to discuss their sexuality on the job regardless of company policy.

As a matter of fact I was filling out some information regarding my family and shopping discounts only to notice that the company has made special efforts to include “same sex partners” on the information sheet.

This past week, two of the young men who work directly under my supervision began to ask me specific questions regarding “the end of time” and the popular Mayan Calendar cycle with it’s dozens of theories.

Yes, they expect a pastor to be an expert on the Bible and “theories” that people have plus movies about the end of the world (2012).

So tomorrow I have decided that I would address this during the 10:45 am service @ Refuge Church located at 6202 Indiana Avenue and the corner of Lee Road.

I am extending a personal invitation to all those who might be interested in my take on these thoughts and what the Bible has to say about it.

I would love to see you there!

“In those days I, Daniel, was in full mourning three full weeks. Is ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.” (NKJV)

So this fast consists of water or pure juices to drink and vegetables. I won’t bore you all the “cans. and cannots” of the dining experience. But I will say that beans and salad will never look the same to me.

So each day I have committed more time to early prayer and personal bible study.

An honest assessment would be, that I have fought more personal and spiritual battles during this fast than I care to indulge in.

Tomorrow marks the end of the fast and I am ready for some type of protein in the form of beef, fish or my least favorite chicken.

I am better spiritually and phsyically than I have been I’m some time. I know that I have received clear direction from the Lord.

The bottom line; Has this been worth twenty-one days of depriving my body of meat, caffeine and junk food?

I can’t tell you I am on day twenty!

Seriously, I am by no means saying that it was easy, but I can say it has been rewarding.

Because my motives were in the right perspective, it has been worth it all!

Now, can some please pass the A-1 sauce and the dinner rolls please?

I was lounging around during the new year flipping through the channels when I saw a movie called, “Facing the Giants.” It’s an excellent movie about a coach and a high school football team that was having a losing season. It seemed as though everything the coach tried to do turned sour. His car was on the fritz, he and his wife could not have children and some of the parents wanted to fire him.

During the course of the movie several things stood out to me. First the coach finds himself outside his home all night pacing and reading his Bible and praying. When sun came up the next morning he ask his wife, “If God doesn’t give us Children will you still serve Him and honor the Lord?” Her reply, “Yes I will!”

I believe there are lots of pastors, leaders and even lay people who are feeling exactly what this coach felt. The feel defeated and as though everyone around them is having the best season of their life, while you are struggling for will and fortitude just to get out of bed!

This year (2009) I have made this my motto “Doing my best and living the results to God.”  The only way that I can do my very best will be if I choose to honor God with my life. This means that wherever I am in life, I must choose to do the very best I possibly can and honor God. If I am winning, I honor God, if I am losing I honor God, if I am up I honor God, and if I am down I honor God!

I have come to this understanding that God is one who guides me and leads me. If I am following Him and listening to His voice then I must choose to obey. Once I make the choice to listen and obey God, that is all God has required of me.

God has promised to bless my obedience that honor Him!

So I have decided I can only do my best and the results are left up to God!

Tracking the path of the local church you will see that every decade brings change so the church must stay relevant to the culture. In the 60′s it was door-to-door evangelism; in the 70′s bus ministries and so on and so on.

In the late 90′s we saw churches that were “emerging” from the church culture and hosting their own seminars.  Many of the leaders felt like church had become irrelevant to the culture of the day. Many of these emerging churches were lead by youth ministers who felt they were old enough to pastor, so they began meeting in homes, theaters, school auditoriums, etc.

Most of these emerging leaders do not refer to the group they minister to as a “church” but as a “community.”  Their meetings are designed to be “seeker sensitive” or modern evangelistic approach to the un-churched community.

No visitor cards are passed out, no altar calls are given, no prayer for the sick in most of the genuine emergent communities.

Everything in each of the emergent meetings seem to be in order and very much on a schedule.  The average sermon is approximately 15 minutes long, lighting is key and media presentations are at an all-time high.

The truth is I am for all of these things! (However, I’ve never been able to preach 15 minutes) But I do believe the church must change it’s methods of reaching people in order to stay relevant to our culture. I have been in some of our churches in my own organization and I feel like I have went into a time warp of 1950!

I also began to evaluate my own methods of reaching my community and the church that I lead. I realized that I am contemporary, seeker sensitive (evangelistic approach), somewhat orthodox, and even a little traditional. Our services are very modern and media driven while hosting an atmosphere that most unchurched people could come and feel welcome and safe.

Yet, I have refused to stop having altar calls, prayer lines, and allowing the Holy Spirit to move at will in our gatherings.

If you take away the purpose of having church, are you really having church or do you have a social club where you are simply entertained and coffee is served?

So the question I have is “What flag to fly?” I can’t be considered “Emergent” and not a “traditionalist” so what am I?

I have come to the conclusion I must be more “progressive” than anything else. Meaning that we are constantly progressing towards new innovative ideas while we have not forgotten our heritage. It is my goal to continue to change our methods while keeping the Gospel message pure; that we continue to disciple men and women with the pure, unchangeable message with Christ’s ministry as our model.

That we use every opportunity to reach out into our community to share this pure Gospel message of Jesus Christ and His redemptive power.

My final conclusion, the methods of the church will change again and again and again with each decade that may come and go but the banner of Jesus Christ must be raised to the highest level and His message must not change!