A week ago I started feeling sick and got tested for Covid-19. The test came back positive.
It has been a difficult week.
Genesis 131 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.
When I woke up this morning, I felt “good” for the first time in about 8 days. I could breathe. My head did not feel like it was going to explode. My hope was being restored.
And my sweet daughter made me an incredible omelette.
Life is good. And when things are not good it truly fills us with gratitude when we get our lives back.
I am a blessed man.
I have a wife that I adore who truly melts me.
I have the best kids in the world.
My job is incredible.
And my God?
He … is the God of All My Days.
Thank You Jesus.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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It was a day to celebrate. And I got to be a part of it!
Normally, I am not a big fan of 4-20. Neither marijuana nor Adolf Hitler are a reason to celebrate. Both have wreaked havoc over our society and hurt many. So normally, 4-20 is a day that I try to avoid talking about.
But not yesterday.
Yesterday changed my mind.
And gave me hope.
And reminded me that we have something great in our future.
And a 20 something reminded me of that.
As I sat in amazement in Grand Canyon University and watched a celebration of graduates, I was truly amazed. Worship songs were played, prayers were spoken, God was given glory, and our national anthem was played. All were represented—all races, all social classes, all who could stand up and put in the work.
It looked like the place where my dad and mom raised me: Born into poverty, they overcame more adversity than many of us could ever face. And they succeeded. And they represented. And they taught.
They are gone now. And in the glory of God. But their granddaughter … she stood in honor. And she received a diploma. And she spoke the words of the great nurse Florence Nightingale:
In full knowledge of the obligation I am undertaking, I promise to take care of the sick with all the skill and understanding I possess without regard to race, creed, color, politics or social status, sparing no effort to conserve life, to alleviate suffering and to promote health.
I will respect at all times the dignity and religious beliefs of the patients entrusted in my care, holding in confidence all personal information entrusted to me and refraining from any action which might endanger life or health.
I will endeavor to keep my professional knowledge and skill at the highest level and give loyal support and cooperation to all members of the health team.
I will do my utmost to honor the international code of ethics applied to nursing and to uphold the integrity of the nurse.
School was not easy for Jayci.
She had sleepless nights.
She monitored and mentored students who needed help.
She got “punted”, as she would say, many times.
But she stood up, and stood strong, and became an Overcomer.
Revelation 321 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
The Father is my Creator. He made all things and He is my Dad in all times.
Jesus is my Savior. He gave me the right to become a child of God and died willingly to pay for my sins.
The Spirit is my Counselor. He reminds, and prompts, and directs.
But my wife, and my daughter — they are my Heroes.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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Jesus never intended for us to live safely. He never wanted us to run and hide. And He never wanted an exclusive club for the select few. It was just the opposite:
Matthew 81 When He came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before Him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.
This is verse is unfathomable.
Hideous to look at, socially unacceptable, and viewed by all as the disease of the sinner, Leprosy was highly contagious.
To be around it was a ticket to removal from the social norm. It was dealt with by ostracizing those who had it and those who were around those who had it.
And yet … Jesus walks right up and touches it. Before people could ostracize both Him and the Leper, the Leprosy was gone. What could they do?
In the Old Testament and in some of our thoughts today, the righteous are encouraged to completely separate themselves from those who were not part of their group …
But in the religion of Jesus, it is not like that at all … In His world, HE is the infection. Ask the Lord to expose you.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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God holds the keys to the eternal kingdom. And though He works in mysterious ways, He is always the best way. ALWAYS. In his best moments, David knew this.
He stood up to face, and kill, a giant.
He pursued and won battle after battle as God anointed all that he did.
He made a great decision not to kill Saul in a moment where he very well could have.
1 Samuel 24 After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. 3He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” 7With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
In his greatest moments—David was an incredible example of how we are all to be before the living God. In a moment where the “easiest” thing to do would have been to kill Saul, David chose God’s plan.
What do you do when you are hiding in the cave? Or walking in the fire? Or feeling the world close in on you?
God is fighting for you. And He will NEVER, EVER let you go.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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On Friday, in His last breath, and in incredible agony, He uttered the words: “It is finished” (Translated: It is Paid IN FULL)
But it wasn’t finished.
It was only just beginning.
John 2015He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary. She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
What was FINISHED was Satan’s power over creation.
What was FINISHED was sin’s reign over all of mankind.
What was FINISHED was death’s power over all people.
In one breath, God wiped out the power of the enemy, the power of sin, and the sting of death.
Gone.
Destroyed.
And never to return again.
As you worship this morning, and tonight, and tomorrow— do not take that lightly.
It isn’t to be trampled on, or disregarded, or forgotten about.
For as much as soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy began a walk to bring us to freedom in the world, He made a move that gives us freedom before, during, and after our earthly existence.
He brought us freedom in the eternal.
And John tells us in John 1 that “to those who would receive Him, He would give the right to become children of God “.
Hallelujah.
And unlike everything else we encounter, it isn’t for the select few:
For the poor, He became homeless, that He might walk in the shoes of those who have no place to lay their head.
For the broken, He was beaten, and spit on, and punished, that He might experience brokenness to the highest degree.
For the illegitimate, He came to earth at His father’s shame.
For the slave, He was given over to Satan—to be tempted, and attacked, and devalued at the highest level.
And though the scriptures said He was coming—they did not know Him when He arrived. They DID NOT RECOGNIZE HIM.
But thank God this isn’t about us.
If it was, we would be living in utter failure—and without hope.
But we have hope.
And our hope is in Jesus—and Jesus ALONE.
He is alive. And He lives that you might have life, and life eternal.
Rejoice my friend.
And Receive Him. In Him, you are saved.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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If Nicodemus was in the dark, then any of us can be. A member of the Jewish ruling council, Nicodemus had discovered the only thing that any of us could ever need.
Jesus.
And so, knowing in his heart that Jesus WAS NOT A FRAUD, he paid Him a visit at night.
All of us are like this.
We get confirmation. We KNOW that we KNOW that we KNOW. And yet, we sneak off in the dark to get JUST ONE MORE CONFIRMATION.
John 31Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
We are on a collision course with the grave. It is one of the ONLY things that we can truly be sure of.
But the other thing that we can be sure of is this: Jesus Christ came to save the world. Not to condemn it—but to save it.
Not to condemn me, but to save me.
And not to condemn you, but to save you.
Are you BORN AGAIN?
In John 1, John says to those who would receive Him, He gives the right to become children of God.
Have an encounter with the Lord, TODAY … and then pass it on to someone else.
It will change the world.
As followers—we must—
Figure It Out
Go Forth—and make disciples of all nations.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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And even His followers had no comprehension of what the endgame was … His own disciples!
And yet—after a brutal execution and some ministry with a risen dead man, the disciples figured it out. After a couple days of hiding, and some encouragement—they became the Couriers of the New Covenant.
And it is a Covenant that we can not afford to let go of.
The message today is the same as it was 2000 years ago.
Those who are with Jesus are given special privileges and treated like kings and queens
Those who are with Jesus are forgiven—and they are given the keys to the kingdom
Those who are with Jesus are of every race, culture, and social class
Isaiah 96For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
My simple question is this:
How did Isaiah KNOW?
How did he KNOW?
This is Jesus.
How can a child be born who will be mighty God? Only in Bethlehem. Only a virgin birth. Only Jesus.
In all the Jewish law and culture and all of their writings—they had it correct.
And it would be Jesus.
When thousands of people CONVERTED … CHANGED … BEGAN A NEW CHAPTER … All from the testimony of a few men with no political power and no money and no status — It was because they had had an encounter with the King of the Universe.
And to make it very simple:
This is the ONLY thing that any of us need today as well.
Have that encounter with the Lord … and then pass it on to someone else.
It will change the world.
As followers—we must—
Figure It Out
Go Forth—and make disciples of all nations.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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And even His followers had no comprehension of what the endgame was … His own disciples!
And yet—after a brutal execution and some ministry with a risen dead man, the disciples figured it out. After a couple days of hiding, and some encouragement—they became the Couriers of the New Covenant.
And it is a Covenant that we can not afford to let go of.
The message today is the same as it was 2000 years ago.
Those who are with Jesus are given special privileges and treated like kings and queens
Those who are with Jesus are forgiven—and they are given the keys to the kingdom
Those who are with Jesus are of every race, culture, and social class
Genesis 1418Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.
There are so many verses that leave me wondering—but none more so than Genesis 14.
While fighting barbarians in the middle of the desert—a priest shows up and ministers to Abram. He is fed, ministered to, and encouraged. Afterwards, Abram gives him a tenth of what he has and then rejects taking anything from the King the Sodom.
There are several verses throughout scripture that mention Melchizedek—Acts 2, Hebrews 5-7, and even in Psalms 110. Some list Melchizedek as a priest, some as an angel, some as God Himself. And I personally HAVE NO IDEA.
But we can draw plenty of parallels between our own lives and this story … In the battles we face each and every day—God shows up.
He ministers to us.
He encourages us.
He blesses us.
But are we like Abram?
Do we continue in our pursuit of holiness and obedience, or do we take “the spoils of Sodom”?
I want to encourage you today.
Stand strong.
Be who you are.
Be proud of your beliefs, and your standing, and your morals. Know that the enemy will always try to sway you that you are “old fashioned” or “not with the times” or “old school”. But the reality is that the world is lost. People are lost—so knowledgeable and yet so full of foolishness. Don’t be afraid to stand for purity, and standards, and laws, and righteousness. This doesn’t make you backwards.
It opens you up for a meeting, in the middle of the desert, with Melchizedek.
Because whether an angel, or an ambassador, or an obedient servant—-he is a representative of the Most High God.
And having the blessing of the Most High God is your highest calling.
As followers—we must—
Figure It Out
Go Forth—and make disciples of all nations.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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And even His followers had no comprehension of what the endgame was … His own disciples!
And yet—after a brutal execution and some ministry with a risen dead man, the disciples figured it out. After a couple days of hiding, and some encouragement—they became the Couriers of the New Covenant.
And it is a Covenant that we can not afford to let go of.
The message today is the same as it was 2000 years ago.
Those who are with Jesus are given special privileges and treated like kings and queens
Those who are with Jesus are forgiven—and they are given the keys to the kingdom
Those who are with Jesus are of every race, culture, and social class
Matthew 1812 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.
This makes no sense.
Until you realize that YOU are the lost sheep.
That YOU are the one who He pursues at the cost of all that He has.
That YOU are the one He will walk the extra mile to invite into the Kingdom.
YOU.
You can not tell me that you are not important, or forgotten, or forsaken.
And you can not tell me that because YOU are the reason that He strives so hard to gather the broken.
When the prodigal son realized that He had not only wasted his father’s fortune, but that he had dishonored everything that he had taken from the estate: the teachings, the morals, the family loyalty, the wisdom—-EVERYTHING—he became a broken man. And he wondered home knowing that even the servants in his father’s estate were treated with honor.
That is the story of YOU.
As I listened to my wife’s favorite worship leader this morning—I couldn’t help but see the favor all over this man. It looks to me like he has come home to his father.
I can too.
And so can you.
As followers—we must—
Figure It Out
Go Forth—and make disciples of all nations.
In The Name of the Father and the
Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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2 MINUTE WARNING 