Monday, January 31, 2011
The Little Things. How often do you stop to be thankful for the little things? As I sit here at my kitchen counter in front of my laptop, the sun is almost ready to begin peeking its way over the horizon. We’ve all seen a few beautiful sunrises in our lifetime, right? But todays will be the most beautiful. God has blessed us with another day to serve Him – and to point others to Him. I’m thankful for the sunrise.
When my alarm went off this morning at 4:45, I woke up in a warm, comfortable bed under warm, soft sheets in a warm, cozy house. Sure, it was a little difficult to wake up, and to be honest I would like to have slept a few more hours. But the blessing of waking up for another day is a gift. And the fact that I awoke in such a great situation, in the middle of so many blessings of God, gives me reason for gratitude. I’m thankful for a house and its furnishings.
I’ll be walking out the front door in a moment and climbing into my 2010 Ford Ranger. There are folks that have nicer rides, sure. My little “vroom vroom” as I call it is fairly basic, but it’s more than enough for me. When I put the key into the ignition and turn it, the engine fires right up (mainly because of the blue oval on the front…sorry, couldn’t help myself). No matter what time of the day or night, if I have somewhere I need to get to, this truck will take me. I’ve often taken for granted having a dependable vehicle, but not today. I’m thankful for my transportation.
I’ll jump out of that and climb onto a huge, yellow object that will haul about 65 students to school today. Sure, driving a school bus is loud at times. Sure it’ll try my patience sometimes. And yes, there are times when I’d rather not deal with a large group of loud students from kg. – 12th grade. But God has blessed me with the awesome privilege of having a small part in the lives of some students I would have never otherwise met. Being their bus driver means I get to be there for them when they have a bad day, and just give them a simple smile and “Good morning” each day too. I can also, even if it's in small ways, show them Jesus when they might not otherwise see Him during a normal day. So today I’m thankful for my school bus route.
When that’s over I’m going to be driving on up to Hillcreek, AR where I’ll get to spend a day on the farm with 2 of my nieces, my mom, one of my sisters, and my Uncle Raymond and Papaw. I’ve missed far too many opportunities to spend time with my family, and that mistake is over. I want to eat up any and every chance I have to be with them from this day forward. I’ve been blessed with such an amazing family, and the honor of my favorite title ever – Uncle Blake. I’m so thankful for my family.
So, do you see how that works? We have a lot we can gripe about, sure. There are many things in this world that can draw our complaints from deep within. There will always be something wrong with everything, and we can choose to focus on that. Or, instead, we can choose to zero in on what we have – what God has so graciously poured out upon our lives in His mercy. Today, I’m looking at what all I have to say thanks for. And at the end of the day, I think I’ll have a smile on my face.
Oh, and did I mention I’m thankful for you? Thanks for reading this blog and allowing me to share my heart with you each day. Feel free to pass this blog along anytime you wish. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to have some small part in the lives of so many people. So today – be blessed, and be sure to tell the Lord "Thank You" for all the little things...they're not so little after all!
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Enough.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Enough. Have you ever poured you heart out to God, that He would remove you from a situation that you were in? Have you begged Him, maybe even through tears and sobs, to take away some heartbreak or hurt that you just didn’t think you could handle any longer? Were you heartbroken at the thought that even though you prayed and prayed, your situation and circumstances didn’t seem to change? Did you doubt or question?
It’s been said that “prayer changes things.” That’s so very true, you know. Prayer does change things. Often times, however, it’s not what we have in mind. So often when we are praying for God to change our circumstances, He chooses instead to use our circumstances to change us. Paul knew all about this.
He wrote about a “thorn in his flesh” that he was tired of. He doesn’t tell us what it was, but many scholars believe that it was some type of eye condition – something that hindered his ability to see well. They say this for several reasons, but mainly because elsewhere when he wrote his own letters he mentioned that they were “weighty and large.” His experience meeting Christ on the Road to Damascus involved temporary blindness, which some believe also led to this eye sight issue. Regardless, he had something that made life slightly more difficult and he wanted it gone.
He says he prayed three times for God to remove this hindrance. Yet each time God didn’t take it away. I’ll be the first to tell you that there has never been a more faithful servant of Christ – a more loyal follower of God – than Paul was. He knew what it meant to leave everything he’d known behind to follow Jesus. He endured beatings, prison, stoning, ridicule, and ultimately execution for the cause of Christ. And here he is, asking a simple thing from the God that is able to do this and infinitely more. And God says no. Well, He says more than no, actually.
“My grace is enough. For My power is made perfect in your weakness.” There is it – his answer and explanation all rolled up into one. “My grace is enough.” In other words, “Paul, I want you to depend on Me so we can accomplish bigger things together, instead of you charging out on your own, depending on your own self-sufficiency.” “My power is made perfect in your weakness.” “Paul, when you are weak, I am strongest. When you are down, I will lift you up. When you can’t walk another foot, I’ll carry you the rest of the way. My grace is enough.”
We’ve all faced moments when we felt as though we couldn’t go on unless God intervened. I’ve been in a valley so dark I couldn’t see the light of hope at times. And in that valley I would lay awake, sometimes for entire nights, begging God to jump in and bring back that which my heart longed so deeply for. Yet it didn’t happen. My circumstances didn’t change. My situation stayed the same. But change did come.
He grew me. He taught me how to trust Him in ways I would have never otherwise learned. He taught me that people make choices, but the ones I’m responsible for are my own. And He taught me – no, He demonstrated to me – that His grace was, indeed, enough. I can face anything or anyone now that I know that. And the truth is, His grace isn’t just enough – it’s so much more than enough. He hasn’t filled up my cup – He’s overflowed it.
So today, I challenge you to ask God to help you to see the sufficiency of grace. Ask Him to help you trust Him more, and allow you to see His hand of grace all around you. And when the day is finished and you look back over a few valleys you’ve survived, know that it’s by His grace you made it. And His grace is always more than enough.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Enough. Have you ever poured you heart out to God, that He would remove you from a situation that you were in? Have you begged Him, maybe even through tears and sobs, to take away some heartbreak or hurt that you just didn’t think you could handle any longer? Were you heartbroken at the thought that even though you prayed and prayed, your situation and circumstances didn’t seem to change? Did you doubt or question?
It’s been said that “prayer changes things.” That’s so very true, you know. Prayer does change things. Often times, however, it’s not what we have in mind. So often when we are praying for God to change our circumstances, He chooses instead to use our circumstances to change us. Paul knew all about this.
He wrote about a “thorn in his flesh” that he was tired of. He doesn’t tell us what it was, but many scholars believe that it was some type of eye condition – something that hindered his ability to see well. They say this for several reasons, but mainly because elsewhere when he wrote his own letters he mentioned that they were “weighty and large.” His experience meeting Christ on the Road to Damascus involved temporary blindness, which some believe also led to this eye sight issue. Regardless, he had something that made life slightly more difficult and he wanted it gone.
He says he prayed three times for God to remove this hindrance. Yet each time God didn’t take it away. I’ll be the first to tell you that there has never been a more faithful servant of Christ – a more loyal follower of God – than Paul was. He knew what it meant to leave everything he’d known behind to follow Jesus. He endured beatings, prison, stoning, ridicule, and ultimately execution for the cause of Christ. And here he is, asking a simple thing from the God that is able to do this and infinitely more. And God says no. Well, He says more than no, actually.
“My grace is enough. For My power is made perfect in your weakness.” There is it – his answer and explanation all rolled up into one. “My grace is enough.” In other words, “Paul, I want you to depend on Me so we can accomplish bigger things together, instead of you charging out on your own, depending on your own self-sufficiency.” “My power is made perfect in your weakness.” “Paul, when you are weak, I am strongest. When you are down, I will lift you up. When you can’t walk another foot, I’ll carry you the rest of the way. My grace is enough.”
We’ve all faced moments when we felt as though we couldn’t go on unless God intervened. I’ve been in a valley so dark I couldn’t see the light of hope at times. And in that valley I would lay awake, sometimes for entire nights, begging God to jump in and bring back that which my heart longed so deeply for. Yet it didn’t happen. My circumstances didn’t change. My situation stayed the same. But change did come.
He grew me. He taught me how to trust Him in ways I would have never otherwise learned. He taught me that people make choices, but the ones I’m responsible for are my own. And He taught me – no, He demonstrated to me – that His grace was, indeed, enough. I can face anything or anyone now that I know that. And the truth is, His grace isn’t just enough – it’s so much more than enough. He hasn’t filled up my cup – He’s overflowed it.
So today, I challenge you to ask God to help you to see the sufficiency of grace. Ask Him to help you trust Him more, and allow you to see His hand of grace all around you. And when the day is finished and you look back over a few valleys you’ve survived, know that it’s by His grace you made it. And His grace is always more than enough.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Once In A Lifetime (In Memory of Mrs. Betty Lott)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Once in a Lifetime. There are people that we get the honor of meeting during our lifetime that are truly significant. They don’t blend into a crowd in our minds – they stand out. For one reason or another, they are once in a lifetime people – true blessings to know. Mrs. Betty Lott was one such person.
When I came to Victory in February of 2003, it didn’t take long to begin to learn that Mrs. Betty was quite the character. Any time spent around her at all would show you that she had a personality that was definitely memorable. She was the sister of my pastor’s wife, Joyce. And there wasn’t anyone in that church family that would stand up any stronger for a pastor than she would for Bro. Ben.
Several years ago a few of us from Victory travelled to Monticello for a funeral of a family member of Bro. Ben, and I was with the group that rode with Mrs. Betty. After the funeral we all went to eat at Wendy’s somewhere between here and there. She began to share stories from her life with us, and man did she keep us entertained!
Her son laid down his life fighting for freedom in Vietnam, and there wasn’t a mother any more proud of a son than she was of him. Her husband was also retired military until he passed away years earlier, and the love story those two apparently had was second to none. She truly had a remarkable life, though she didn’t view it as anything out of the ordinary.
They lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico for years. Every time we drove through Albuquerque traveling with our students for mission trips, it became a tradition to call Mrs. Betty if it wasn’t too late, so she could talk to us while we were in her old stomping grounds. She would ask if we were passing certain landmarks, and, like clockwork, we would begin to see all the things she told us to look for.
She had so many speeding ticket stories it was unreal. She didn’t just like to go places – she liked to go places fast! Her body was racked with arthritis in her later years, so much so that her hands were drawn up, and it was amazing that she would even walk on her feet. She had been the victim of numerous strokes, which ultimately took her to the rehabilitation/nursing home where she would spend her final days. But nothing could ever stop her or hold her back. She really was a remarkable lady.
And so it was that yesterday morning her fight with pain in her body ended. I can just see her as the angels escort her in to the very presence of her Savior, who she loved so dearly. I can just imagine she took off running towards Him as soon as He came into view. I’m sure she took plenty of time with Him. And as soon as she began to explore this place she’d looked forward to for her entire life, it would be my assumption that she hasn’t stopped running those streets of gold since.
Mrs. Betty Lott was a blessing to know. She was a friend. She’ll be missed. But with her home going, heaven has gotten just a little bit sweeter for all of us who had the once in a lifetime joy of knowing her here.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Once in a Lifetime. There are people that we get the honor of meeting during our lifetime that are truly significant. They don’t blend into a crowd in our minds – they stand out. For one reason or another, they are once in a lifetime people – true blessings to know. Mrs. Betty Lott was one such person.
When I came to Victory in February of 2003, it didn’t take long to begin to learn that Mrs. Betty was quite the character. Any time spent around her at all would show you that she had a personality that was definitely memorable. She was the sister of my pastor’s wife, Joyce. And there wasn’t anyone in that church family that would stand up any stronger for a pastor than she would for Bro. Ben.
Several years ago a few of us from Victory travelled to Monticello for a funeral of a family member of Bro. Ben, and I was with the group that rode with Mrs. Betty. After the funeral we all went to eat at Wendy’s somewhere between here and there. She began to share stories from her life with us, and man did she keep us entertained!
Her son laid down his life fighting for freedom in Vietnam, and there wasn’t a mother any more proud of a son than she was of him. Her husband was also retired military until he passed away years earlier, and the love story those two apparently had was second to none. She truly had a remarkable life, though she didn’t view it as anything out of the ordinary.
They lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico for years. Every time we drove through Albuquerque traveling with our students for mission trips, it became a tradition to call Mrs. Betty if it wasn’t too late, so she could talk to us while we were in her old stomping grounds. She would ask if we were passing certain landmarks, and, like clockwork, we would begin to see all the things she told us to look for.
She had so many speeding ticket stories it was unreal. She didn’t just like to go places – she liked to go places fast! Her body was racked with arthritis in her later years, so much so that her hands were drawn up, and it was amazing that she would even walk on her feet. She had been the victim of numerous strokes, which ultimately took her to the rehabilitation/nursing home where she would spend her final days. But nothing could ever stop her or hold her back. She really was a remarkable lady.
And so it was that yesterday morning her fight with pain in her body ended. I can just see her as the angels escort her in to the very presence of her Savior, who she loved so dearly. I can just imagine she took off running towards Him as soon as He came into view. I’m sure she took plenty of time with Him. And as soon as she began to explore this place she’d looked forward to for her entire life, it would be my assumption that she hasn’t stopped running those streets of gold since.
Mrs. Betty Lott was a blessing to know. She was a friend. She’ll be missed. But with her home going, heaven has gotten just a little bit sweeter for all of us who had the once in a lifetime joy of knowing her here.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Trust.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Trust. So much of this life we live is based upon trust. Yet it surprises me how many people I talk to regularly that use an “inability to trust” as justification for not doing things with their lives. So many say they can’t accept Christ because they just “don’t have it in them to trust.” I find that a little strange. So today, if you have ever used that excuse for not beginning a relationship with Christ, let’s explore trust, shall we?
Are you sitting down as you read this? If so, then you know how to trust. Though you didn’t even think about it as you sat down, by putting your full body weight on the object you’re sitting on right now, whether it’s a stool, chair, couch, recliner, etc. you were allowing your life to be supported and held up (literally) by an inanimate object. You’re trusting as you read this.
Have you gone anywhere in your car/truck lately? When you sat down in the driver’s seat and put the key in the ignition, you turned that same key and probably didn’t think much about what would happen next. You just blindly trusted that the turning of the key would start the engine. Then you trusted that putting the transmission into gear would make the car travel. Then you trusted that those pedals in the floor would do their job, both starting and stopping the car as needed. You were trusting.
Ever flown anywhere? I don’t have to point out the fact that you were entrusting your life and well-being to a pilot and flight crew that you’d never met before. Whether you flew in clear weather or a storm with near zero visibility, you allowed the flight crew to navigate the storm for you, while you sat back and enjoyed a small bag of peanuts and enjoyed the company of total strangers in cramped seats. You really can trust, see?
We place our trust in so many things daily, even though most all of those things have the chance of failing us. Surely most all of us at one time or another have seen some hilarious YouTube video of someone sitting down in a chair that couldn’t support them, which led to their crashing to the floor. At some point in our lives we’ve probably all turned the ignition key in a car, truck, or tractor only to find out that it wasn’t going to be starting without a little mechanical intervention of some sort. And it’s far too often that we hear of an airplane going down because of the errors of a flight crew that made some bad judgment, resulting in massive loss of life. We trust those things, but failure is so very possible.
So why is it when we come to God that we can’t trust? After all, He’s never failed – period. He’ll hold us up when we fall into His arms. He will be there for us when we call every single time. He’s the “Pilot” that can navigate our lives through anything and everything that comes our way, no matter what. To simply say that He’s trustworthy would seem like such a tragic understatement, yet it’s so true. He is trustworthy, and faithful, and good, and awesome, and powerful, and glorious, and so, so much more. He is.
So today, if you’ve never trusted Him as your Savior and Lord, would you take a moment right now and give yourself to Him in trust and faith, asking Him for forgiveness of sin? Maybe you’ve already done that at some point, but now you find yourself having a hard time giving some specific area of your life, or some tough situation in life, to Him completely. Would you bail headlong into the all-capable, trustworthy arms of Christ today? He’s there, waiting for you. All you’ve got to do is trust.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Trust. So much of this life we live is based upon trust. Yet it surprises me how many people I talk to regularly that use an “inability to trust” as justification for not doing things with their lives. So many say they can’t accept Christ because they just “don’t have it in them to trust.” I find that a little strange. So today, if you have ever used that excuse for not beginning a relationship with Christ, let’s explore trust, shall we?
Are you sitting down as you read this? If so, then you know how to trust. Though you didn’t even think about it as you sat down, by putting your full body weight on the object you’re sitting on right now, whether it’s a stool, chair, couch, recliner, etc. you were allowing your life to be supported and held up (literally) by an inanimate object. You’re trusting as you read this.
Have you gone anywhere in your car/truck lately? When you sat down in the driver’s seat and put the key in the ignition, you turned that same key and probably didn’t think much about what would happen next. You just blindly trusted that the turning of the key would start the engine. Then you trusted that putting the transmission into gear would make the car travel. Then you trusted that those pedals in the floor would do their job, both starting and stopping the car as needed. You were trusting.
Ever flown anywhere? I don’t have to point out the fact that you were entrusting your life and well-being to a pilot and flight crew that you’d never met before. Whether you flew in clear weather or a storm with near zero visibility, you allowed the flight crew to navigate the storm for you, while you sat back and enjoyed a small bag of peanuts and enjoyed the company of total strangers in cramped seats. You really can trust, see?
We place our trust in so many things daily, even though most all of those things have the chance of failing us. Surely most all of us at one time or another have seen some hilarious YouTube video of someone sitting down in a chair that couldn’t support them, which led to their crashing to the floor. At some point in our lives we’ve probably all turned the ignition key in a car, truck, or tractor only to find out that it wasn’t going to be starting without a little mechanical intervention of some sort. And it’s far too often that we hear of an airplane going down because of the errors of a flight crew that made some bad judgment, resulting in massive loss of life. We trust those things, but failure is so very possible.
So why is it when we come to God that we can’t trust? After all, He’s never failed – period. He’ll hold us up when we fall into His arms. He will be there for us when we call every single time. He’s the “Pilot” that can navigate our lives through anything and everything that comes our way, no matter what. To simply say that He’s trustworthy would seem like such a tragic understatement, yet it’s so true. He is trustworthy, and faithful, and good, and awesome, and powerful, and glorious, and so, so much more. He is.
So today, if you’ve never trusted Him as your Savior and Lord, would you take a moment right now and give yourself to Him in trust and faith, asking Him for forgiveness of sin? Maybe you’ve already done that at some point, but now you find yourself having a hard time giving some specific area of your life, or some tough situation in life, to Him completely. Would you bail headlong into the all-capable, trustworthy arms of Christ today? He’s there, waiting for you. All you’ve got to do is trust.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Failure Part 2: License to Sin?
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Failure Part 2: License to Sin? Yesterday I shared with you my failures, and they are many. I wrote about the fact that I am so, very unworthy. I can’t do anything to earn God’s favor or attention. As a matter of fact, so much of what I do is worthy of His forsaking me. But His promise is clear and true: “I’ll NEVER leave you nor forsake you.” He wants me – He has chosen me – failures and all. Because in my failures He can be magnified and glorified as the One that is working His will in spite of me. And that, my friend, is good stuff.
So the question arises, “If I so often find myself failing and falling and God loves me anyway, does that, then, make it okay for me to just stop fighting my sin nature? Is that a license to just do whatever feels good?” I have an answer for that question that is pretty straight forward: NO! Absolutely not!
Paul answered that very question. He wrote much of his letters to churches about his failed past. On one occasion he even said, “Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Yet he also tackled this issue of grace for our sin. He asked the rhetorical question, “Should we just continue to sin that grace may abound?” And that’s the question of today – since God loves us unconditionally, and accepts us by grace through faith – does that, then, make it okay for us to just live as we want to? Paul’s answer: “God forbid!”
Yes, I fail so often, as do you. But can I just tell you today that there’s a difference in failure and sin? When I fail as an athlete, it’s one thing. But when I blatantly sin against the God of the universe, it’s a whole separate issue. God can use my weaknesses for His glory – to prove that He is the strong One, not me. However, when I choose to turn from Him to the sin that this world has to offer, He doesn’t get glory from that. Period.
So does this, then, mean that God hates us when we sin? Again, the answer is simple: absolutely not. His grace, amazing grace, never changes, and never gives up on us. I don’t know about you, but I can feel Paul’s words personally, when he said, “The things I want to do I don’t do, and the things I don’t want to do I find myself doing.” I still fall by the mighty sword of my ingrained sin nature on an all too regular basis. I am not happy, nor am I proud, of that. But God never walks away.
However, never in a million years would I ever allow myself to say to you that because we fail in our spiritual walk does that mean we can just lay down our arms and stop striving to live holy and blameless for Him. Am I holy? In God’s eyes, by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, yes – because Christ’s righteousness has been “imputed” or credited to my behalf. But in daily living am I holy? Far from it. But I want to be so badly, because then my life will actually look like Him. And the world so desperately needs to see Him.
So the bottom line is simple: the world needs Jesus. And we who have been found by Him can show them Him. Our weaknesses and inabilities can point them to Him if we make it known that our victories and conquering moments are through Him and Him alone. And when we sin – when we err from His plan – we can confess it, truly repent (turn away from it), and admit our sinful and broken state – and still point others to the One that can offer them forgiveness too. Whether by failing or succeeding, may our lives tell the world, “Jesus loves you.”
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Failure Part 2: License to Sin? Yesterday I shared with you my failures, and they are many. I wrote about the fact that I am so, very unworthy. I can’t do anything to earn God’s favor or attention. As a matter of fact, so much of what I do is worthy of His forsaking me. But His promise is clear and true: “I’ll NEVER leave you nor forsake you.” He wants me – He has chosen me – failures and all. Because in my failures He can be magnified and glorified as the One that is working His will in spite of me. And that, my friend, is good stuff.
So the question arises, “If I so often find myself failing and falling and God loves me anyway, does that, then, make it okay for me to just stop fighting my sin nature? Is that a license to just do whatever feels good?” I have an answer for that question that is pretty straight forward: NO! Absolutely not!
Paul answered that very question. He wrote much of his letters to churches about his failed past. On one occasion he even said, “Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” Yet he also tackled this issue of grace for our sin. He asked the rhetorical question, “Should we just continue to sin that grace may abound?” And that’s the question of today – since God loves us unconditionally, and accepts us by grace through faith – does that, then, make it okay for us to just live as we want to? Paul’s answer: “God forbid!”
Yes, I fail so often, as do you. But can I just tell you today that there’s a difference in failure and sin? When I fail as an athlete, it’s one thing. But when I blatantly sin against the God of the universe, it’s a whole separate issue. God can use my weaknesses for His glory – to prove that He is the strong One, not me. However, when I choose to turn from Him to the sin that this world has to offer, He doesn’t get glory from that. Period.
So does this, then, mean that God hates us when we sin? Again, the answer is simple: absolutely not. His grace, amazing grace, never changes, and never gives up on us. I don’t know about you, but I can feel Paul’s words personally, when he said, “The things I want to do I don’t do, and the things I don’t want to do I find myself doing.” I still fall by the mighty sword of my ingrained sin nature on an all too regular basis. I am not happy, nor am I proud, of that. But God never walks away.
However, never in a million years would I ever allow myself to say to you that because we fail in our spiritual walk does that mean we can just lay down our arms and stop striving to live holy and blameless for Him. Am I holy? In God’s eyes, by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, yes – because Christ’s righteousness has been “imputed” or credited to my behalf. But in daily living am I holy? Far from it. But I want to be so badly, because then my life will actually look like Him. And the world so desperately needs to see Him.
So the bottom line is simple: the world needs Jesus. And we who have been found by Him can show them Him. Our weaknesses and inabilities can point them to Him if we make it known that our victories and conquering moments are through Him and Him alone. And when we sin – when we err from His plan – we can confess it, truly repent (turn away from it), and admit our sinful and broken state – and still point others to the One that can offer them forgiveness too. Whether by failing or succeeding, may our lives tell the world, “Jesus loves you.”
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Monday, January 24, 2011
Failure.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Failure. I’ve become sort of a pro at failing. I’m 27 years old, and during my time on earth the truth is I’ve probably spent more time dealing with failure than any other single thing. I’ve failed in almost every area at some point along the journey – goals, relationships, finances, leadership, ministry, soul winning, education, commitment…need I go on? Honestly, folks – I’ve made a ton of mistakes – and failed a whole lot in my short life thus far. It’s actually pretty fantastic.
Some of you are already beginning to think that I’m on a pitty party this morning after reading this blog thus far. Well, in that assumption you would have failed, because I could not be any farther from that today. The reason I’ve called attention to my past failures (though not specifically…that’s none of your bees wax for sure…ha) is actually pretty glorious: God wants me anyway!
Oh, believe me: the fact that God wants me is not shocking to anyone more than me. Yes, He does – He wants me! He chose me – failures and all! And the more I read His Word, the more I find that my failures – my inabilities to accomplish things – my weaknesses – they all, believe it or not, aim the spotlight back to Him!
I’ve met a lot of folks in my ministry that seemed to believe that when God got them He really got an asset. They think they are something to behold – a real catch for God’s family. They list things like their talents, abilities, winsome personalities, charisma…oh, the list goes on and on. And in their mind, honestly, it seems like they are really convinced that they are truly exceptional. But then I run across Scripture that says, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will exalt you…” God’s Word says things like it’s by the “foolishness of preaching” that God chooses to bring folks to Himself. He says things that shake us to the core like, “In your weakness, I AM strong…”
When God got me He didn't get an asset - He got a liability! God didn’t choose me because of what I CAN do. On the contrary – He chose me because of what I CAN’T do! And why on earth would He do that? Oh, it’s actually quite simple. You see, when things in my life or ministry actually work out – when great things are done, and folks begin to think I’m exceptional in some way, I can step back, point my finger to the sky, and say without a doubt in my heart or mind, “It was God.” And I can say that for one, simple reason: I know, based upon past experience, I’m not capable of it on my own.
And to be 100%, totally honest and transparent with you this morning – I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve battled pride before, and it doesn’t end in a very pretty way. Proverbs says the destination of pride is destruction, and I don’t know anyone that sits down with their life plan in front of them with that as the ultimate destination.
So today – admit your failures to Him. Live honestly, and realize you aren’t perfect, and are truly nowhere near it. Accept that you often fail. And let that smile stick upon your face knowing that God wants you that way. He wants to use your inabilities and weaknesses to glorify Himself. When you are weak – He’s strongest.
Tomorrow's Blog: Failure Part 2: License to sin?
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Failure. I’ve become sort of a pro at failing. I’m 27 years old, and during my time on earth the truth is I’ve probably spent more time dealing with failure than any other single thing. I’ve failed in almost every area at some point along the journey – goals, relationships, finances, leadership, ministry, soul winning, education, commitment…need I go on? Honestly, folks – I’ve made a ton of mistakes – and failed a whole lot in my short life thus far. It’s actually pretty fantastic.
Some of you are already beginning to think that I’m on a pitty party this morning after reading this blog thus far. Well, in that assumption you would have failed, because I could not be any farther from that today. The reason I’ve called attention to my past failures (though not specifically…that’s none of your bees wax for sure…ha) is actually pretty glorious: God wants me anyway!
Oh, believe me: the fact that God wants me is not shocking to anyone more than me. Yes, He does – He wants me! He chose me – failures and all! And the more I read His Word, the more I find that my failures – my inabilities to accomplish things – my weaknesses – they all, believe it or not, aim the spotlight back to Him!
I’ve met a lot of folks in my ministry that seemed to believe that when God got them He really got an asset. They think they are something to behold – a real catch for God’s family. They list things like their talents, abilities, winsome personalities, charisma…oh, the list goes on and on. And in their mind, honestly, it seems like they are really convinced that they are truly exceptional. But then I run across Scripture that says, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and He will exalt you…” God’s Word says things like it’s by the “foolishness of preaching” that God chooses to bring folks to Himself. He says things that shake us to the core like, “In your weakness, I AM strong…”
When God got me He didn't get an asset - He got a liability! God didn’t choose me because of what I CAN do. On the contrary – He chose me because of what I CAN’T do! And why on earth would He do that? Oh, it’s actually quite simple. You see, when things in my life or ministry actually work out – when great things are done, and folks begin to think I’m exceptional in some way, I can step back, point my finger to the sky, and say without a doubt in my heart or mind, “It was God.” And I can say that for one, simple reason: I know, based upon past experience, I’m not capable of it on my own.
And to be 100%, totally honest and transparent with you this morning – I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve battled pride before, and it doesn’t end in a very pretty way. Proverbs says the destination of pride is destruction, and I don’t know anyone that sits down with their life plan in front of them with that as the ultimate destination.
So today – admit your failures to Him. Live honestly, and realize you aren’t perfect, and are truly nowhere near it. Accept that you often fail. And let that smile stick upon your face knowing that God wants you that way. He wants to use your inabilities and weaknesses to glorify Himself. When you are weak – He’s strongest.
Tomorrow's Blog: Failure Part 2: License to sin?
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Friday, January 21, 2011
Forever.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Forever. We hear that word all the time don’t we? “Oh, I sat in the doctor’s office FOREVER waiting…” No you didn’t. You may have been there a long time, but not forever. “It seems like it’s taking FOREVER for summer to get here…” No, it’s not. Sure it seems like time drags, but it’s not forever. The truth is, forever is a period of time that’s not able to be measured. It’s just forever.
And everyone will live that long – forever. Everyone. God created us in His image, according to Genesis. Part of being created in His image is being created as a forever being. The difference is He never had a beginning (don’t think about that too long…it’ll make your head hurt, trust me…) and we do. He is eternal (no beginning, no end), and we are everlasting (a beginning, but no end). When your life began at your conception, something forever started.
So the question isn’t, “Will you live forever.” The question is, “WHERE will you live forever?” And there are only two options. The Bible tells us of a place called heaven, for those who have been made right with God, and a place called hell, for those who have rejected God’s offer of forgiveness. It’s not complicated at all – just two choices.
Living forever in heaven is infinitely better than we could ever imagine. The Bible gives us a few descriptions of this place called heaven. It mentions streets that are paved using gold (the finest metal on this planet is used as asphalt in the place I’m headed…wow). It tells us about gates made of solid pearl, walls of solid jasper, mansions built for each of us headed there, and a place of no more death, pain, sorrow, disease, or heartache. All that is exciting, and my mind can’t fathom how shiny and brilliant this place will be. But the greatest part of heaven is Who is there.
I have a ton of loved ones waiting for me in heaven. I have two grandmas that I love dearly, a grandpa I’d like to get to know better, some great-grandparents (one of which was my best friend during childhood), cousins, many other family members, and some lifelong heroes of the faith and world history. But the One I can’t wait to see more than any other? Well, that’d be the One that’s responsible for me being there to begin with – Jesus. I cannot wait to see Him in person. I’m not totally sure what I’ll do – hug Him, fall on my face before Him (that’s the most likely guess), or just stand there and sob. Either way, I’ll see Him, and that’s plenty of motivation for me to live in hope!
However, not all will be there. Scripture tells us that there’s another place to spend our forever. It’s a place that many preachers and Christians don’t feel is important to talk about these days. But if we don’t tell people about this place, we are failing them immensely. It’s a place not created for us at all – but rather for the devil and his imps. By rejecting the offer of God to forgive our sins by what Christ did on Calvary, we are making the choice to go there. We don’t go there because we’re worse sinners than anyone else, just as we don’t go to heaven because we’re better than anyone else. Someone will go to hell to live their forever because of a decision to reject Christ. Period.
To the same degree that heaven is beautiful beyond our mind’s comprehension, hell is just as vastly horrendous. Our minds can’t even begin to fathom how terrible a place it is. The Bible says it’s a place of everlasting darkness (pitch black), unquenchable fire, torment, and pain. And the worst part of it? It never ends. While you’ve lived on earth, though you rejected Christ, you still lived with the presence of God in the world around you. Not in hell – there’s the total absence of His presence – a total God vacuum. And no matter how much one begs to leave, it’s forever.
You see, death is the end of our ability to choose to accept or reject Christ. Our lives here are filled with opportunities to choose Him. But when this present life ends, so does our time of choosing. Forever is an awful long time to live in regret.
So today – what will you choose? God loves you, and His desire is for you to come to know Him through His Son Jesus. That’s why He went to the cross – so you wouldn’t have to experience even a moment in this place called hell, let alone forever. Would you cry out to Him today – asking Him to forgive your sin and be your Savior and Lord? Forever is a long, immeasurable amount of time – and I pray you’re ready to spend it all with me in the presence of the King!
(If you’d like more information on beginning a relationship with Christ, feel free to email me at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com.)
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Forever. We hear that word all the time don’t we? “Oh, I sat in the doctor’s office FOREVER waiting…” No you didn’t. You may have been there a long time, but not forever. “It seems like it’s taking FOREVER for summer to get here…” No, it’s not. Sure it seems like time drags, but it’s not forever. The truth is, forever is a period of time that’s not able to be measured. It’s just forever.
And everyone will live that long – forever. Everyone. God created us in His image, according to Genesis. Part of being created in His image is being created as a forever being. The difference is He never had a beginning (don’t think about that too long…it’ll make your head hurt, trust me…) and we do. He is eternal (no beginning, no end), and we are everlasting (a beginning, but no end). When your life began at your conception, something forever started.
So the question isn’t, “Will you live forever.” The question is, “WHERE will you live forever?” And there are only two options. The Bible tells us of a place called heaven, for those who have been made right with God, and a place called hell, for those who have rejected God’s offer of forgiveness. It’s not complicated at all – just two choices.
Living forever in heaven is infinitely better than we could ever imagine. The Bible gives us a few descriptions of this place called heaven. It mentions streets that are paved using gold (the finest metal on this planet is used as asphalt in the place I’m headed…wow). It tells us about gates made of solid pearl, walls of solid jasper, mansions built for each of us headed there, and a place of no more death, pain, sorrow, disease, or heartache. All that is exciting, and my mind can’t fathom how shiny and brilliant this place will be. But the greatest part of heaven is Who is there.
I have a ton of loved ones waiting for me in heaven. I have two grandmas that I love dearly, a grandpa I’d like to get to know better, some great-grandparents (one of which was my best friend during childhood), cousins, many other family members, and some lifelong heroes of the faith and world history. But the One I can’t wait to see more than any other? Well, that’d be the One that’s responsible for me being there to begin with – Jesus. I cannot wait to see Him in person. I’m not totally sure what I’ll do – hug Him, fall on my face before Him (that’s the most likely guess), or just stand there and sob. Either way, I’ll see Him, and that’s plenty of motivation for me to live in hope!
However, not all will be there. Scripture tells us that there’s another place to spend our forever. It’s a place that many preachers and Christians don’t feel is important to talk about these days. But if we don’t tell people about this place, we are failing them immensely. It’s a place not created for us at all – but rather for the devil and his imps. By rejecting the offer of God to forgive our sins by what Christ did on Calvary, we are making the choice to go there. We don’t go there because we’re worse sinners than anyone else, just as we don’t go to heaven because we’re better than anyone else. Someone will go to hell to live their forever because of a decision to reject Christ. Period.
To the same degree that heaven is beautiful beyond our mind’s comprehension, hell is just as vastly horrendous. Our minds can’t even begin to fathom how terrible a place it is. The Bible says it’s a place of everlasting darkness (pitch black), unquenchable fire, torment, and pain. And the worst part of it? It never ends. While you’ve lived on earth, though you rejected Christ, you still lived with the presence of God in the world around you. Not in hell – there’s the total absence of His presence – a total God vacuum. And no matter how much one begs to leave, it’s forever.
You see, death is the end of our ability to choose to accept or reject Christ. Our lives here are filled with opportunities to choose Him. But when this present life ends, so does our time of choosing. Forever is an awful long time to live in regret.
So today – what will you choose? God loves you, and His desire is for you to come to know Him through His Son Jesus. That’s why He went to the cross – so you wouldn’t have to experience even a moment in this place called hell, let alone forever. Would you cry out to Him today – asking Him to forgive your sin and be your Savior and Lord? Forever is a long, immeasurable amount of time – and I pray you’re ready to spend it all with me in the presence of the King!
(If you’d like more information on beginning a relationship with Christ, feel free to email me at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com.)
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Love Like Jesus.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Love Like Jesus. I’ve been preaching for 13 years now, and been serving in ministry as either a Youth Pastor or Pastor for 9 of those years. The only reason I share that is simple: I’m a really, really slow learner. You would think that by now I would at least have begun to understand what this calling is about – that I would know what I’m supposed to do when people are hurting. Yet it seems like every day I’m reminded of just how much I don’t know.
We all face days when someone we love is living in a crisis, right? Maybe it’s a friend that’s going through a really hard breakup, or another friend that gets a terribly difficult diagnosis from the doctor. We see hurting people all around us every single day. And for those of us that serve in vocational ministry, you can multiply that daily. There are so many people that are hurting. Some of them are dealing with consequences of bad choices that are far steeper than they ever dreamed they’d be, yet some of them are dealing with consequences of simply being a human on planet earth. Either way, they’re hurting.
On a weekly basis there are folks in hospitals, funeral homes, jails, and hurting homes within the church family God has allowed me to serve in. And it always seems like I initially try to find answers to give them – like they expect me to know why all this has happened. Bro. Ben, my pastor who has been in the ministry for a little more than half a century and has far more knowledge and wisdom than I may ever possess, gets it. We don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions. We don’t have to know “Why.” We don’t – and we usually can’t. Man, there’s such a freedom in that.
We aren’t commanded to know all the “whys” or even the “hows.” Our job, whether you serve Him as a minister in a vocational way, or you are a believer living out your faith in your daily walk – is to love. It’s just that simple – love. Casting Crowns, my favorite group ever, has an awesome song that explains it all. “We don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions, just tell them He loves them, and stay by their side. And love them like Jesus.”
Loving like Jesus is simple, yet pretty complex at the same time. Much of this ministry of loving like Jesus is presence – being there. And by being there you’re saying to this hurting person, “I love you, I care, and I do enough to stand by you no matter what.” But I think the most important aspect of loving like Jesus is that we aren’t loving them for our own benefit. Jesus loved us when we had absolutely nothing to give Him in return. This is the kind of love He’s called us to give to others – totally selfless – totally unconcerned about what we’ll get back.
So today, stop trying to search for all the answers to the tough questions. It’ll drive you crazy. The truth is that most of what happens in this life can’t be understood by our human minds. All we have to understand is our role – to love. And when we begin to love like Jesus the world will see the difference He’s made in us, and they’ll want what we’ve got. Mark it down – it works, and people will be forever changed because of it. Love like Jesus today.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Love Like Jesus. I’ve been preaching for 13 years now, and been serving in ministry as either a Youth Pastor or Pastor for 9 of those years. The only reason I share that is simple: I’m a really, really slow learner. You would think that by now I would at least have begun to understand what this calling is about – that I would know what I’m supposed to do when people are hurting. Yet it seems like every day I’m reminded of just how much I don’t know.
We all face days when someone we love is living in a crisis, right? Maybe it’s a friend that’s going through a really hard breakup, or another friend that gets a terribly difficult diagnosis from the doctor. We see hurting people all around us every single day. And for those of us that serve in vocational ministry, you can multiply that daily. There are so many people that are hurting. Some of them are dealing with consequences of bad choices that are far steeper than they ever dreamed they’d be, yet some of them are dealing with consequences of simply being a human on planet earth. Either way, they’re hurting.
On a weekly basis there are folks in hospitals, funeral homes, jails, and hurting homes within the church family God has allowed me to serve in. And it always seems like I initially try to find answers to give them – like they expect me to know why all this has happened. Bro. Ben, my pastor who has been in the ministry for a little more than half a century and has far more knowledge and wisdom than I may ever possess, gets it. We don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions. We don’t have to know “Why.” We don’t – and we usually can’t. Man, there’s such a freedom in that.
We aren’t commanded to know all the “whys” or even the “hows.” Our job, whether you serve Him as a minister in a vocational way, or you are a believer living out your faith in your daily walk – is to love. It’s just that simple – love. Casting Crowns, my favorite group ever, has an awesome song that explains it all. “We don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions, just tell them He loves them, and stay by their side. And love them like Jesus.”
Loving like Jesus is simple, yet pretty complex at the same time. Much of this ministry of loving like Jesus is presence – being there. And by being there you’re saying to this hurting person, “I love you, I care, and I do enough to stand by you no matter what.” But I think the most important aspect of loving like Jesus is that we aren’t loving them for our own benefit. Jesus loved us when we had absolutely nothing to give Him in return. This is the kind of love He’s called us to give to others – totally selfless – totally unconcerned about what we’ll get back.
So today, stop trying to search for all the answers to the tough questions. It’ll drive you crazy. The truth is that most of what happens in this life can’t be understood by our human minds. All we have to understand is our role – to love. And when we begin to love like Jesus the world will see the difference He’s made in us, and they’ll want what we’ve got. Mark it down – it works, and people will be forever changed because of it. Love like Jesus today.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Legacy.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Legacy. I think that living for something larger than yourself is an art. Many folks live for the simple principle of “What’s in it for me?” but to truly live your life now for the benefit of someone else later is something worth applauding. And our society is full of folks that are living a legacy as we speak. I began wandering down this train of thought last night…
I drove the cheerleader’s bus for a Cabot High School basketball game last night. The game was at Central High School in Little Rock, a very famous historical landmark in Arkansas, and national, history. I was just feet from the very place where 9 brave high school students, with the support and encouragement of those like Daisy Bates, stood up for what was right, in spite of the tremendous cost to themselves. Did they really want to attend a white’s only school that bad? Were they that desperate to make the news? I don’t think that was it at all. I’ve read interviews and writings of a few of the Little Rock Nine, and I think their motivation was legacy. They wanted folks that were coming after them to not have to walk through a riot, mocking, and armed guards to get to school because of their skin color.
Sometimes it’s the simple things that grab my heart more than anything else. Maybe it was the rich history of the school, or maybe I was just being sentimental. But last night I couldn’t help but admire the fact, at the game, that there we were – red and yellow, black and white – all sitting in the same gym, watching the same ballgame. On the court were players of many skin tones, all playing the same game. We have our problems in America, yes. But over time, because of the legacy and stand of so many, we have gradually gotten more and more things right.
We had to drive down Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive to get to the school last night. And as I sat watching that game with all those thoughts racing through my mind, I had to wonder – is this what he was dreaming about? Was he daydreaming of the day when we would live lives with one another, regardless of skin color, and it just wouldn’t be a big deal anymore? It doesn’t make the front page of the newspaper when a black student and a white student play on the same sports team, or use the same public restroom, or attend the same school. It’s just life now. Maybe, in many ways, we’re living the dream already.
I am a believer, and I love my Christ. I love His Word, and it is my absolute, settled forever rule of faith and practice. It has a great deal to say about prejudice and judging someone’s value on their outward appearance. MLK, Jr. knew the word as a pastor and servant of Christ. God’s Word motivated him to stand up as strongly as he did.
I want a legacy that stems from the Word too. I want someone’s life to be better tomorrow because I lived today. That’s a legacy.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Legacy. I think that living for something larger than yourself is an art. Many folks live for the simple principle of “What’s in it for me?” but to truly live your life now for the benefit of someone else later is something worth applauding. And our society is full of folks that are living a legacy as we speak. I began wandering down this train of thought last night…
I drove the cheerleader’s bus for a Cabot High School basketball game last night. The game was at Central High School in Little Rock, a very famous historical landmark in Arkansas, and national, history. I was just feet from the very place where 9 brave high school students, with the support and encouragement of those like Daisy Bates, stood up for what was right, in spite of the tremendous cost to themselves. Did they really want to attend a white’s only school that bad? Were they that desperate to make the news? I don’t think that was it at all. I’ve read interviews and writings of a few of the Little Rock Nine, and I think their motivation was legacy. They wanted folks that were coming after them to not have to walk through a riot, mocking, and armed guards to get to school because of their skin color.
Sometimes it’s the simple things that grab my heart more than anything else. Maybe it was the rich history of the school, or maybe I was just being sentimental. But last night I couldn’t help but admire the fact, at the game, that there we were – red and yellow, black and white – all sitting in the same gym, watching the same ballgame. On the court were players of many skin tones, all playing the same game. We have our problems in America, yes. But over time, because of the legacy and stand of so many, we have gradually gotten more and more things right.
We had to drive down Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive to get to the school last night. And as I sat watching that game with all those thoughts racing through my mind, I had to wonder – is this what he was dreaming about? Was he daydreaming of the day when we would live lives with one another, regardless of skin color, and it just wouldn’t be a big deal anymore? It doesn’t make the front page of the newspaper when a black student and a white student play on the same sports team, or use the same public restroom, or attend the same school. It’s just life now. Maybe, in many ways, we’re living the dream already.
I am a believer, and I love my Christ. I love His Word, and it is my absolute, settled forever rule of faith and practice. It has a great deal to say about prejudice and judging someone’s value on their outward appearance. MLK, Jr. knew the word as a pastor and servant of Christ. God’s Word motivated him to stand up as strongly as he did.
I want a legacy that stems from the Word too. I want someone’s life to be better tomorrow because I lived today. That’s a legacy.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Jesus.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Jesus. His Name is so simple, yet so profound and complex. To some, He was just a good teacher. To others, just a prophet among prophets. Still others believe Him to just be a good man that walked the earth once. There are some who believe He was simply one of many that claimed to be the Messiah. But to those whose lives have been changed by this Name, there’s so very much more to be found in Him.
Ask the woman at the well. To say that she had lived an imperfect life was an understatement. She had been married 4 times, and the guy she was currently living with wasn’t even her husband. Her life was a monument to broken dreams, flimsy commitments, and shattered futures. Yet here she is – talking to God Himself. And He’s looking her right in the eyes – something a Jew wasn’t supposed to do. And when she left the well that day – she left clean, whole, forgiven, and new.
Ask the children. So many thought they were a waste of time for Him to see. He was the long awaited King, so why would He be so concerned about talking to children? Yet there He is – sitting with them all around Him, laughing, and showing them they mattered. He would go on to say that we all needed to be like them – idealistic and simple – in order to grasp the gospel He had come to preach and proclaim. Humility and pure trust are attributes children can teach us a lot about it seems.
Ask Lazarus. He had been sick for days, and his sister had sent for Jesus when he first fell ill. I can imagine that as he continued to feel worse and worse, he wondered where his cousin was. He waited day after day, until finally he felt the breath leaving his lungs. I can imagine he looked around the room as he felt his life slipping away, checking one more time to see if his cousin Jesus had arrived. But the next time he heard His voice it would be speaking the famous words, “Lazarus, come forth!” Death would be stepping aside and he would be taking up this body yet again as he miraculously rose from the grave, thanks to Jesus.
Ask me. I was told and taught about Him all my life, both at church and home. I’m thankful for that. But the truth is that God doesn’t have any grandkids. There had to be a time when I, personally, made the choice to give my life to Him, and accept His gift of salvation for myself. The night I took that step, my sin was forever dealt with. He washed me clean and forgave me, just like the woman at the well. He showed me I was important to Him, just like the children. And He brought life back to a dead body cursed by sin, just like Lazarus.
And that’s why today, no matter how dark the valley, no matter how bright the mountaintop, no matter how loud the world’s distractions, and no matter how confusing the heart's chaotic rants – just speaking that Name brings unmatchable peace and calm. When the storm rages around me, or when the victory is so real I can taste it – just saying that Name, Jesus, makes it all worth it.
Teacher, prophet, good man, Messiah – yes, all of these are true. But once you accept this Name as the Savior and Lord of your life – He becomes oh so much more.
(If you’d like more info on what it means to ask Christ to forgive your sin and be the Lord of your life, please take a moment and shoot me an email at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com so we can talk about this some more.)
PS: I’d like to thank Bro. Ben Leonard, my pastor, for starting my mind down this train of thought with one of his messages this past Sunday. I’m thankful for you, and I’m thankful that you continue to allow God to use you so mightily every day.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Jesus. His Name is so simple, yet so profound and complex. To some, He was just a good teacher. To others, just a prophet among prophets. Still others believe Him to just be a good man that walked the earth once. There are some who believe He was simply one of many that claimed to be the Messiah. But to those whose lives have been changed by this Name, there’s so very much more to be found in Him.
Ask the woman at the well. To say that she had lived an imperfect life was an understatement. She had been married 4 times, and the guy she was currently living with wasn’t even her husband. Her life was a monument to broken dreams, flimsy commitments, and shattered futures. Yet here she is – talking to God Himself. And He’s looking her right in the eyes – something a Jew wasn’t supposed to do. And when she left the well that day – she left clean, whole, forgiven, and new.
Ask the children. So many thought they were a waste of time for Him to see. He was the long awaited King, so why would He be so concerned about talking to children? Yet there He is – sitting with them all around Him, laughing, and showing them they mattered. He would go on to say that we all needed to be like them – idealistic and simple – in order to grasp the gospel He had come to preach and proclaim. Humility and pure trust are attributes children can teach us a lot about it seems.
Ask Lazarus. He had been sick for days, and his sister had sent for Jesus when he first fell ill. I can imagine that as he continued to feel worse and worse, he wondered where his cousin was. He waited day after day, until finally he felt the breath leaving his lungs. I can imagine he looked around the room as he felt his life slipping away, checking one more time to see if his cousin Jesus had arrived. But the next time he heard His voice it would be speaking the famous words, “Lazarus, come forth!” Death would be stepping aside and he would be taking up this body yet again as he miraculously rose from the grave, thanks to Jesus.
Ask me. I was told and taught about Him all my life, both at church and home. I’m thankful for that. But the truth is that God doesn’t have any grandkids. There had to be a time when I, personally, made the choice to give my life to Him, and accept His gift of salvation for myself. The night I took that step, my sin was forever dealt with. He washed me clean and forgave me, just like the woman at the well. He showed me I was important to Him, just like the children. And He brought life back to a dead body cursed by sin, just like Lazarus.
And that’s why today, no matter how dark the valley, no matter how bright the mountaintop, no matter how loud the world’s distractions, and no matter how confusing the heart's chaotic rants – just speaking that Name brings unmatchable peace and calm. When the storm rages around me, or when the victory is so real I can taste it – just saying that Name, Jesus, makes it all worth it.
Teacher, prophet, good man, Messiah – yes, all of these are true. But once you accept this Name as the Savior and Lord of your life – He becomes oh so much more.
(If you’d like more info on what it means to ask Christ to forgive your sin and be the Lord of your life, please take a moment and shoot me an email at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com so we can talk about this some more.)
PS: I’d like to thank Bro. Ben Leonard, my pastor, for starting my mind down this train of thought with one of his messages this past Sunday. I’m thankful for you, and I’m thankful that you continue to allow God to use you so mightily every day.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Friday, January 14, 2011
It's All Relative.
Friday, January 14, 2011
It’s All Relative. There’s a heat wave sweeping through Arkansas today. As I sit writing this it is 22 degrees, and it will rise to a balmy 44 degrees by the end of the day. Sure, normally we would see that and say it’s freezing cold. But compared to the single digits we’ve experienced the past few days, and highs of just below freezing for almost a week, it’s warm. You see, it’s all relative.
I had a conversation with a friend a few months back. He’s a very nice guy. He tries his best to help people in life. He strives to be a loving father, husband, brother, and son. He even volunteers in his community on a regular basis. His statement to me was pretty simple: “I’m a good guy. My life is lived more morally than most folks I know.” The problem is, he doesn’t know Christ. You see, it’s all relative.
If I’m living my life in comparison to other people, I will at times look pretty good. Then there are other times when I’ll look pretty bad. My moral standing – my righteousness – will be relative to who I am around at the time. That’s a pretty shaky place to stand on the most important issue in life, don’t you think?
There’s one absolute, though, when it comes to my goodness. When I compare myself to Christ – God’s absolute standard for holiness and perfection – I’m awful. As a matter of fact, that doesn’t even do it justice. I’m not awful, I’m despicable. I’m rancid. I’m filthy. I’m sickening. I’m vile. Get the idea?
The truth of the matter is, so many things in our lives are relative, but this issue isn’t. God’s standards are settled, and on our own we can never in a million years attain to them. You can never, ever, never be perfect, or holy, on your own. Period. That’s not relative – that’s fact.
That’s why Jesus came. So today, if you’ve never begun a relationship with Him, would you consider it? We have all sinned, including you, and including me. And that sin makes us stained and blemished. And in order to be in God’s family, and in order to spend even a moment with Him, let alone an eternity, something has to be done about that sin. That is why Jesus came. On the cross His sacrifice paid the debt that our sin brought to our lives. And by asking Him to forgive your sin, wash you clean spiritually, and be your Savior and Lord, you can be ready.
All of the relative comparisons of our morality we can come up with on this earth will vanish in the first second we stand before God. Are you ready for that day? (If you’d like more info on being ready for that day, email me at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com .)
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
It’s All Relative. There’s a heat wave sweeping through Arkansas today. As I sit writing this it is 22 degrees, and it will rise to a balmy 44 degrees by the end of the day. Sure, normally we would see that and say it’s freezing cold. But compared to the single digits we’ve experienced the past few days, and highs of just below freezing for almost a week, it’s warm. You see, it’s all relative.
I had a conversation with a friend a few months back. He’s a very nice guy. He tries his best to help people in life. He strives to be a loving father, husband, brother, and son. He even volunteers in his community on a regular basis. His statement to me was pretty simple: “I’m a good guy. My life is lived more morally than most folks I know.” The problem is, he doesn’t know Christ. You see, it’s all relative.
If I’m living my life in comparison to other people, I will at times look pretty good. Then there are other times when I’ll look pretty bad. My moral standing – my righteousness – will be relative to who I am around at the time. That’s a pretty shaky place to stand on the most important issue in life, don’t you think?
There’s one absolute, though, when it comes to my goodness. When I compare myself to Christ – God’s absolute standard for holiness and perfection – I’m awful. As a matter of fact, that doesn’t even do it justice. I’m not awful, I’m despicable. I’m rancid. I’m filthy. I’m sickening. I’m vile. Get the idea?
The truth of the matter is, so many things in our lives are relative, but this issue isn’t. God’s standards are settled, and on our own we can never in a million years attain to them. You can never, ever, never be perfect, or holy, on your own. Period. That’s not relative – that’s fact.
That’s why Jesus came. So today, if you’ve never begun a relationship with Him, would you consider it? We have all sinned, including you, and including me. And that sin makes us stained and blemished. And in order to be in God’s family, and in order to spend even a moment with Him, let alone an eternity, something has to be done about that sin. That is why Jesus came. On the cross His sacrifice paid the debt that our sin brought to our lives. And by asking Him to forgive your sin, wash you clean spiritually, and be your Savior and Lord, you can be ready.
All of the relative comparisons of our morality we can come up with on this earth will vanish in the first second we stand before God. Are you ready for that day? (If you’d like more info on being ready for that day, email me at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com .)
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Unconditional Acceptance.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Unconditional Acceptance. Have you ever known any “fair weather friends?” You know what that term means, right? These are folks that pat you on the back when things are going well, but when times get tough they cut and run. These are folks that are all about supporting you when it’s easy, but when it requires some sacrifice it’s just too much to ask. These are folks that you know, deep down inside, you’d better not trust too much because there’s a tremendous risk of being hurt eventually.
Sports teams have them. I’ve said a million times and I’ll continue to say: You could not pay me enough to be a football coach, at any level. Whether in high school, college, or the NFL – coaches have a tough job! Think about it: when you win, everybody loves you. Folks will all but worship the ground you walk on when you’re grabbing those championships and trophies. But let a coach have a bad game, or heaven forbid a bad season, and the fans are done with him. Fans are often times much more concerned with what that person can offer them than they are with the person himself.
And thus is the ballad of the fair weather friend. It’s all about what they can get out of the friendship. And when that friendship isn’t necessarily giving them something at the moment, they’re done. When that “friendship” begins to require something of them, some sacrifice or hard work, they bail. “WIIFM” – what’s in it for me – applies here.
Oh, but have you ever had a friend, albeit rare, that is truly unconditional? They really love you no matter what. If you’re on a mountaintop, they’ll be there with you. If you’re in the lowest valley and have nothing to offer them in return, there they are by your side. I used to think I had a lot of these friends, but a few days in a deep valley will open your eyes to reality. God allowed me, through some tough experiences, to see who would be there no matter what. And I’ve come to discover that if you have a couple of true, unconditional friends, you’re rich in ways most will never understand.
And then there’s God. It’s amazing to me that no matter how much I continue to fail Him, by grace He accepts me unconditionally. He doesn’t bail when I fail. Did you catch that? Just think about it – when I sin, when I fall – it’s Him I’m sinning against. He’s the One I’m hurting the most. Yet there He is – never failing, unconditionally loving me no matter what. And to say that He loves me even when I have nothing to offer Him in return is the understatement of the century. I have absolutely nothing of worth to give Him, period. Yet His love for me abounds.
I want to be that kind of friend. I want to love like He loves me – no strings attached. I want to extend unconditional love and acceptance to my friends. God doesn’t accept my sin at all. He knows it will hurt and destroy me, so He can’t just be ok with it. But He accepts me. I want to challenge my friends to new levels of commitment in Him. But when they fail, I want to love them all the more. And when they don’t possess the ability or strength to offer me anything in return, even when it seems as though their friendship is weak towards me, I want to extend to them a love and acceptance that can only be described as Godly.
I want to be the kind of friend Jesus is to me. And I pray you’re that kind of friend to me, too.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Unconditional Acceptance. Have you ever known any “fair weather friends?” You know what that term means, right? These are folks that pat you on the back when things are going well, but when times get tough they cut and run. These are folks that are all about supporting you when it’s easy, but when it requires some sacrifice it’s just too much to ask. These are folks that you know, deep down inside, you’d better not trust too much because there’s a tremendous risk of being hurt eventually.
Sports teams have them. I’ve said a million times and I’ll continue to say: You could not pay me enough to be a football coach, at any level. Whether in high school, college, or the NFL – coaches have a tough job! Think about it: when you win, everybody loves you. Folks will all but worship the ground you walk on when you’re grabbing those championships and trophies. But let a coach have a bad game, or heaven forbid a bad season, and the fans are done with him. Fans are often times much more concerned with what that person can offer them than they are with the person himself.
And thus is the ballad of the fair weather friend. It’s all about what they can get out of the friendship. And when that friendship isn’t necessarily giving them something at the moment, they’re done. When that “friendship” begins to require something of them, some sacrifice or hard work, they bail. “WIIFM” – what’s in it for me – applies here.
Oh, but have you ever had a friend, albeit rare, that is truly unconditional? They really love you no matter what. If you’re on a mountaintop, they’ll be there with you. If you’re in the lowest valley and have nothing to offer them in return, there they are by your side. I used to think I had a lot of these friends, but a few days in a deep valley will open your eyes to reality. God allowed me, through some tough experiences, to see who would be there no matter what. And I’ve come to discover that if you have a couple of true, unconditional friends, you’re rich in ways most will never understand.
And then there’s God. It’s amazing to me that no matter how much I continue to fail Him, by grace He accepts me unconditionally. He doesn’t bail when I fail. Did you catch that? Just think about it – when I sin, when I fall – it’s Him I’m sinning against. He’s the One I’m hurting the most. Yet there He is – never failing, unconditionally loving me no matter what. And to say that He loves me even when I have nothing to offer Him in return is the understatement of the century. I have absolutely nothing of worth to give Him, period. Yet His love for me abounds.
I want to be that kind of friend. I want to love like He loves me – no strings attached. I want to extend unconditional love and acceptance to my friends. God doesn’t accept my sin at all. He knows it will hurt and destroy me, so He can’t just be ok with it. But He accepts me. I want to challenge my friends to new levels of commitment in Him. But when they fail, I want to love them all the more. And when they don’t possess the ability or strength to offer me anything in return, even when it seems as though their friendship is weak towards me, I want to extend to them a love and acceptance that can only be described as Godly.
I want to be the kind of friend Jesus is to me. And I pray you’re that kind of friend to me, too.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Gimme, Gimme...Busted Pipes.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Gimme, Gimme…Busted Pipes. Snowmageddon has just about, officially, come to an end here in central Arkansas. The few inches of snow that remain on the ground are only in the grassy areas, and the roads are slowly but surely all clearing up. It’s still extremely cold, though. It got down to 12 degrees here last night, which means I took necessary precautions that I usually always take when temperatures drop that low: I left the sink steadily dripping in the bathroom.
Some would say, “But Blake, doesn’t it cost you more on your water bill to leave the water running like that?” Of course it does. But the cost of leaving it steadily dripping is nothing compared to the cost of replacing busted pipes that have frozen due to the cold temps! Granted, the pipes in this house are probably well insulated, I don’t like the risk. I want to make sure my pipes don’t freeze, so I do what has to be done. The secret: keep the water moving just enough to prevent freezing. There has to be a steady outflow.
There’s an undiagnosed condition in Christianity I like to refer to as “Dead Sea Syndrome.” It’s pretty prevalent in most all churches, actually. The only cure for it is real, Holy Ghost filled revival. The end result of it is death, and stagnation. It’s sad that this is such a common issue with so many who know Christ, but the truth is it is more present than we realize.
The Dead Sea is a body of water in the Middle East that is fed by good water, but is unable to support life. Its water has such a high salt content that nothing can live there – no fish, no plant life. Nothing. It’s literally a dead sea. Visitors to the area even find it fun to go out in the water because, due to the high levels of salt in the water, a person floats at the water’s top with ease. The reason for the Dead Sea’s stagnation? It has no outflow.
Once water arrives in the Dead Sea is stays in the Dead Sea. The sun evaporates the water as it does everywhere else on earth, and leaves the salt behind. This salt has nowhere to go, and so it builds up, and builds up, and builds up.
Just like water pipes, and just like large bodies of water – we need an outflow. We tend to spend our lives praying, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” And I’ll be honest; I pray my fair share of this. I pray for God to give me wisdom, patience, strength, grace, mercy…etc. And I pray the same for others daily. And the fact of the matter is God is so faithful, and the more I seek Him, the more He pours of Himself into me. I love my God for investing in me like He does!
But our world is cold. And if there’s not a steady outflow from my life into the world, my pipes will freeze…and bust. My sea of life will become stagnant, and will not promote life. I’ll be so consumed with being a taker and saying “gimme gimme” that I’ll forget about what I’m called to be and do in a lost and dying world.
Bible study, prayer, quiet time, fellowship…these are all vitally important to the growing, vibrant life of a believer. But without giving, worship, service, ministry…we’ll be stagnant. We’ll be dead.
So today, join me in this challenge: I’m asking God to challenge me to open wider my outflows in life. I want to give more of what He gives me. I’m not asking for busted pipes and stagnant water. I want the River of Life to flow OUT of me into a world that’s dying of thirst.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Gimme, Gimme…Busted Pipes. Snowmageddon has just about, officially, come to an end here in central Arkansas. The few inches of snow that remain on the ground are only in the grassy areas, and the roads are slowly but surely all clearing up. It’s still extremely cold, though. It got down to 12 degrees here last night, which means I took necessary precautions that I usually always take when temperatures drop that low: I left the sink steadily dripping in the bathroom.
Some would say, “But Blake, doesn’t it cost you more on your water bill to leave the water running like that?” Of course it does. But the cost of leaving it steadily dripping is nothing compared to the cost of replacing busted pipes that have frozen due to the cold temps! Granted, the pipes in this house are probably well insulated, I don’t like the risk. I want to make sure my pipes don’t freeze, so I do what has to be done. The secret: keep the water moving just enough to prevent freezing. There has to be a steady outflow.
There’s an undiagnosed condition in Christianity I like to refer to as “Dead Sea Syndrome.” It’s pretty prevalent in most all churches, actually. The only cure for it is real, Holy Ghost filled revival. The end result of it is death, and stagnation. It’s sad that this is such a common issue with so many who know Christ, but the truth is it is more present than we realize.
The Dead Sea is a body of water in the Middle East that is fed by good water, but is unable to support life. Its water has such a high salt content that nothing can live there – no fish, no plant life. Nothing. It’s literally a dead sea. Visitors to the area even find it fun to go out in the water because, due to the high levels of salt in the water, a person floats at the water’s top with ease. The reason for the Dead Sea’s stagnation? It has no outflow.
Once water arrives in the Dead Sea is stays in the Dead Sea. The sun evaporates the water as it does everywhere else on earth, and leaves the salt behind. This salt has nowhere to go, and so it builds up, and builds up, and builds up.
Just like water pipes, and just like large bodies of water – we need an outflow. We tend to spend our lives praying, “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” And I’ll be honest; I pray my fair share of this. I pray for God to give me wisdom, patience, strength, grace, mercy…etc. And I pray the same for others daily. And the fact of the matter is God is so faithful, and the more I seek Him, the more He pours of Himself into me. I love my God for investing in me like He does!
But our world is cold. And if there’s not a steady outflow from my life into the world, my pipes will freeze…and bust. My sea of life will become stagnant, and will not promote life. I’ll be so consumed with being a taker and saying “gimme gimme” that I’ll forget about what I’m called to be and do in a lost and dying world.
Bible study, prayer, quiet time, fellowship…these are all vitally important to the growing, vibrant life of a believer. But without giving, worship, service, ministry…we’ll be stagnant. We’ll be dead.
So today, join me in this challenge: I’m asking God to challenge me to open wider my outflows in life. I want to give more of what He gives me. I’m not asking for busted pipes and stagnant water. I want the River of Life to flow OUT of me into a world that’s dying of thirst.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Friday, January 7, 2011
Hate Me.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Hate Me. He’ll be heading to school in just a few minutes. It’s a warzone, a desolate place to him. He’s always been different, as long as he can remember. He thinks back to elementary school, when he tried his very best to fit in to the playground cliques, but failed. He thinks ahead to middle school, when he tried to find his niche at lunchtime to sit with, but failed. Then on to junior high, where he even tried the Christian club, but just wasn’t accepted. Now he’s in high school, and he’s just trying to survive each day until graduation. He’s trying.
She’ll be walking onto that same campus in just a few minutes. She’s popular, and to the eyes of the world she’s got it all. Her parents have plenty of money and the biggest house on their block. She drives a brand new car they bought her for her sweet 16. Everyone’s jealous, or so she thinks. Sure, sometimes she can be a little hard to get along with, but isn’t everyone at times? It just seems like every time she turns around, her friends are talking about her. When will she ever experience what a true friendship is like, one that never talks about her behind her back or hurts her like this?
Hatred. Walk onto a public school campus, and within the first few minutes, if you’ll pay attention, you’ll see it. You’ll feel it. It’s palpable. You can almost taste it. And I think there’s a very real reason why hatred is so real on these campuses. When you remove God from a particular setting, it leaves a void. And the natural substitute for love is hate. The enemy jumps at the chance to saturate people’s lives with hate. And that hate is all too real for students that live in the scenarios like above.
There are students that walk onto their school campuses each day that feel as though they’re wearing a sign on their back that says, “Hate me.” After all, that’s what they keep getting from everyone, or so it seems. Whether they’re the popular kid, or the outcast – so many, at times, feel this is the truth for them. This morning God has been breaking my heart for these students, for some reason more than any other it seems. This is so often how He calls me.
I want to be His love to these students. I want to show them that there’s a God that loves them, no matter what people may do, sure. But I also want them to see that there ARE some people that can, in fact, love them too. Their life isn’t pointless, and it doesn’t have to be miserable. That the purpose that a relationship with Christ brings also brings with it joy and passion for living. I want to show them that.
And I want you to, as well. So today, look around you. If you’re at school, watch for the folks that are wearing that invisible sign, and replace it with “Love me.” Show them Him by simple acts of kindness or compassion. If you’re at work, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to see someone wearing this sign, too. It may show itself differently, but the need is just as huge.
Join me in showing Him to them – and proving that LOVE wins over HATRED any day of the week. That’s what the cross proves. Now let your life prove it too.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Hate Me. He’ll be heading to school in just a few minutes. It’s a warzone, a desolate place to him. He’s always been different, as long as he can remember. He thinks back to elementary school, when he tried his very best to fit in to the playground cliques, but failed. He thinks ahead to middle school, when he tried to find his niche at lunchtime to sit with, but failed. Then on to junior high, where he even tried the Christian club, but just wasn’t accepted. Now he’s in high school, and he’s just trying to survive each day until graduation. He’s trying.
She’ll be walking onto that same campus in just a few minutes. She’s popular, and to the eyes of the world she’s got it all. Her parents have plenty of money and the biggest house on their block. She drives a brand new car they bought her for her sweet 16. Everyone’s jealous, or so she thinks. Sure, sometimes she can be a little hard to get along with, but isn’t everyone at times? It just seems like every time she turns around, her friends are talking about her. When will she ever experience what a true friendship is like, one that never talks about her behind her back or hurts her like this?
Hatred. Walk onto a public school campus, and within the first few minutes, if you’ll pay attention, you’ll see it. You’ll feel it. It’s palpable. You can almost taste it. And I think there’s a very real reason why hatred is so real on these campuses. When you remove God from a particular setting, it leaves a void. And the natural substitute for love is hate. The enemy jumps at the chance to saturate people’s lives with hate. And that hate is all too real for students that live in the scenarios like above.
There are students that walk onto their school campuses each day that feel as though they’re wearing a sign on their back that says, “Hate me.” After all, that’s what they keep getting from everyone, or so it seems. Whether they’re the popular kid, or the outcast – so many, at times, feel this is the truth for them. This morning God has been breaking my heart for these students, for some reason more than any other it seems. This is so often how He calls me.
I want to be His love to these students. I want to show them that there’s a God that loves them, no matter what people may do, sure. But I also want them to see that there ARE some people that can, in fact, love them too. Their life isn’t pointless, and it doesn’t have to be miserable. That the purpose that a relationship with Christ brings also brings with it joy and passion for living. I want to show them that.
And I want you to, as well. So today, look around you. If you’re at school, watch for the folks that are wearing that invisible sign, and replace it with “Love me.” Show them Him by simple acts of kindness or compassion. If you’re at work, I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to see someone wearing this sign, too. It may show itself differently, but the need is just as huge.
Join me in showing Him to them – and proving that LOVE wins over HATRED any day of the week. That’s what the cross proves. Now let your life prove it too.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Hungry Much?
Thursday, January 06, 2011
Hungry Much? I have some numbers I want you to remember, and I’ll explain their significance in just a moment to you. The numbers are 8,000, 1, 10, 30, and 360. These are all important numbers to commit to your mind, but even more so to your heart. These are numbers that don’t just represent numbers themselves, they’re people. Please allow me to explain.
8,000 – that’s the number of children under the age of 5 that die each day from hunger related, preventable causes. 8,000 – that’s a small town in Arkansas! 1 every 10 seconds. Do me a favor and take just a moment to count to 10 seconds…a child just died from hunger related, preventable causes…10 more seconds…there’s another preventable death. That’s startling, isn’t it? Heartbreaking really. But it’s reality for 1 in 6 people on this earth that are dealing with the very real life of hunger.
Last night we began a journey with our students at Victory that will ultimately culminate with a Famine Weekend on February 25th – 26th. We challenged them to not only see the need, as hopefully we have just now, but to take the next step and begin to do something about it. For far too long the Church at large has seen the need. I’m not so idealistic as to believe that we have missed it, and that’s why we haven’t done more. No, I believe it’s right in front of us, we’ve just chosen to look away.
For far too long we’ve had the idea that “The Church isn’t a welfare program.” This is a statement I actually heard a man say growing up, and it breaks my heart all over every time I think about it. The rest of his statement was, “…so let them go to the Salvation Army.” Well, he was sadly mistaken, actually. All throughout the Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, God’s desire is for His people to have compassion on those in need. And true compassion doesn’t just say how bad we feel for people’s plight – it MAKES us get up and help them. This generation gets it. It’s time that the Church stopped just talking about caring and compassion. By feeding someone’s temporal hunger, we can then give them the greatest gift ever and share the Gospel that will quench their eternal spiritual hunger too. Now enter World Vision.
$30 – that’s all it takes to feed and care for a child for a month through World Vision, the Christian organization we’re working with to accomplish our goal of fighting hunger through our 30 Hour Famine event. World Vision uses these funds to not only feed that one child, but they set up shop in villages and teach the people how to farm and raise cattle, in order to be able to care for themselves long term. And they bring the Gospel with them when they go into these areas.
$360 – that’s what it takes to feed a child for an entire year. This is the goal I’ve set as a personal fundraising challenge. I want to work, make a little sacrifice, and insure that a child is cared for throughout 2011. Not because I have to – but because I choose to.
The bottom line: people are hurting, and there are enough resources on this planet to meet every need there is. We just have to step up, Church, and make it happen. Will you join me in fighting hunger? Will you join me in putting my money where my mouth is and living compassion? Will you join me in my journey to Love Hungry? (Email me if you’d like to donate to the Real Life 30 Hour Famine cause – pastorblakeman@yahoo.com.)
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Hungry Much? I have some numbers I want you to remember, and I’ll explain their significance in just a moment to you. The numbers are 8,000, 1, 10, 30, and 360. These are all important numbers to commit to your mind, but even more so to your heart. These are numbers that don’t just represent numbers themselves, they’re people. Please allow me to explain.
8,000 – that’s the number of children under the age of 5 that die each day from hunger related, preventable causes. 8,000 – that’s a small town in Arkansas! 1 every 10 seconds. Do me a favor and take just a moment to count to 10 seconds…a child just died from hunger related, preventable causes…10 more seconds…there’s another preventable death. That’s startling, isn’t it? Heartbreaking really. But it’s reality for 1 in 6 people on this earth that are dealing with the very real life of hunger.
Last night we began a journey with our students at Victory that will ultimately culminate with a Famine Weekend on February 25th – 26th. We challenged them to not only see the need, as hopefully we have just now, but to take the next step and begin to do something about it. For far too long the Church at large has seen the need. I’m not so idealistic as to believe that we have missed it, and that’s why we haven’t done more. No, I believe it’s right in front of us, we’ve just chosen to look away.
For far too long we’ve had the idea that “The Church isn’t a welfare program.” This is a statement I actually heard a man say growing up, and it breaks my heart all over every time I think about it. The rest of his statement was, “…so let them go to the Salvation Army.” Well, he was sadly mistaken, actually. All throughout the Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, God’s desire is for His people to have compassion on those in need. And true compassion doesn’t just say how bad we feel for people’s plight – it MAKES us get up and help them. This generation gets it. It’s time that the Church stopped just talking about caring and compassion. By feeding someone’s temporal hunger, we can then give them the greatest gift ever and share the Gospel that will quench their eternal spiritual hunger too. Now enter World Vision.
$30 – that’s all it takes to feed and care for a child for a month through World Vision, the Christian organization we’re working with to accomplish our goal of fighting hunger through our 30 Hour Famine event. World Vision uses these funds to not only feed that one child, but they set up shop in villages and teach the people how to farm and raise cattle, in order to be able to care for themselves long term. And they bring the Gospel with them when they go into these areas.
$360 – that’s what it takes to feed a child for an entire year. This is the goal I’ve set as a personal fundraising challenge. I want to work, make a little sacrifice, and insure that a child is cared for throughout 2011. Not because I have to – but because I choose to.
The bottom line: people are hurting, and there are enough resources on this planet to meet every need there is. We just have to step up, Church, and make it happen. Will you join me in fighting hunger? Will you join me in putting my money where my mouth is and living compassion? Will you join me in my journey to Love Hungry? (Email me if you’d like to donate to the Real Life 30 Hour Famine cause – pastorblakeman@yahoo.com.)
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
No Matter What.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
No Matter What. I have said many times that you could not pay me enough to be a football coach. It’s a pretty unstable life as it relates to fans. One day everyone loves you, so long as you’re winning. But have a bad season, or even a bad game, and the tide quickly turns. Regardless of how great a coach’s record is with a team, let them have a few bad games and everyone suddenly begins to question their ability. And believe you me, there’s rarely anything taken quite as seriously as this game called football.
This is on my mind after watching last night’s Sugar Bowl game between my Arkansas Razorbacks and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The game started rather sluggishly on our part. At the halftime we were down by 18 points, and we just weren’t playing a real good game. Facebook came alive with everything from, “Whoo pig pewie” and "someone please put some GLUE on their HANDS!" to “who replaced our football team with a bunch of cheerleaders???” People get brutal when the team they showed up to cheer for is down and out.
After halftime, we came out ready to play some football. And we made up most of what we trailed by at halftime – all but 5 points. And it looked as though we would pull of a win as the clock slowly ticked down the last few minutes of the game. Then it happened – an interception. Ryan Mallett through a pass, and from the camera angle we were watching, it almost looked like he through right to the Ohio player who caught the ball. And there went Facebook again, instantly lighting up with fire and brimstone against this guy that 5 minutes prior everyone was touting as college football’s hero quarterback.
“Fair weather fans” is the term we so often use to describe folks that only cheer for their team when they’re winning. Certainly Arkansas is no exception to the rule when it comes to the number of people that fall under that category. When we’re up, we’re all up together. But when we’re down, people start to jump ship. It happens to coaches, and it happens to players. I guess that’s just the way it is with the world of sports. But not with Him.
Seeing things like that makes me so thankful that God isn’t a fair weather fan of mine. Believe me, I give Him plenty of reason to jump ship. I do plenty of stuff that could easily cause Him to say, “Oh…really? Have you forgotten everything I’ve taught you? You just gonna roll over like that, and let the enemy run over you?” I throw TONS of interceptions, and have even more turnovers and fumbles as it relates to my life and ministry. There are many, many times when I don’t bring honor, glory, and pride to the “uniform” I wear as a Christian. Yet there He is, my biggest Fan, cheering all the way.
So just let that sink in today, ok? God is a fan of His children. He’s a beaming Father. He gets pleasure from watching us run our race, even when we fall. He loves us. And I think the greatest part about His love for us is that He loves us too much to let us stay down when we fall. He doesn’t want us to make a habit or a ritual of it. He offers a little discipline when we run astray, out of love, to get us back on track. And loving arms to catch us and make sure the landing isn’t too hard when the fall comes.
God loves me. God loves you. And even more than that – He likes us too. That’s good stuff – no matter what.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
No Matter What. I have said many times that you could not pay me enough to be a football coach. It’s a pretty unstable life as it relates to fans. One day everyone loves you, so long as you’re winning. But have a bad season, or even a bad game, and the tide quickly turns. Regardless of how great a coach’s record is with a team, let them have a few bad games and everyone suddenly begins to question their ability. And believe you me, there’s rarely anything taken quite as seriously as this game called football.
This is on my mind after watching last night’s Sugar Bowl game between my Arkansas Razorbacks and the Ohio State Buckeyes. The game started rather sluggishly on our part. At the halftime we were down by 18 points, and we just weren’t playing a real good game. Facebook came alive with everything from, “Whoo pig pewie” and "someone please put some GLUE on their HANDS!" to “who replaced our football team with a bunch of cheerleaders???” People get brutal when the team they showed up to cheer for is down and out.
After halftime, we came out ready to play some football. And we made up most of what we trailed by at halftime – all but 5 points. And it looked as though we would pull of a win as the clock slowly ticked down the last few minutes of the game. Then it happened – an interception. Ryan Mallett through a pass, and from the camera angle we were watching, it almost looked like he through right to the Ohio player who caught the ball. And there went Facebook again, instantly lighting up with fire and brimstone against this guy that 5 minutes prior everyone was touting as college football’s hero quarterback.
“Fair weather fans” is the term we so often use to describe folks that only cheer for their team when they’re winning. Certainly Arkansas is no exception to the rule when it comes to the number of people that fall under that category. When we’re up, we’re all up together. But when we’re down, people start to jump ship. It happens to coaches, and it happens to players. I guess that’s just the way it is with the world of sports. But not with Him.
Seeing things like that makes me so thankful that God isn’t a fair weather fan of mine. Believe me, I give Him plenty of reason to jump ship. I do plenty of stuff that could easily cause Him to say, “Oh…really? Have you forgotten everything I’ve taught you? You just gonna roll over like that, and let the enemy run over you?” I throw TONS of interceptions, and have even more turnovers and fumbles as it relates to my life and ministry. There are many, many times when I don’t bring honor, glory, and pride to the “uniform” I wear as a Christian. Yet there He is, my biggest Fan, cheering all the way.
So just let that sink in today, ok? God is a fan of His children. He’s a beaming Father. He gets pleasure from watching us run our race, even when we fall. He loves us. And I think the greatest part about His love for us is that He loves us too much to let us stay down when we fall. He doesn’t want us to make a habit or a ritual of it. He offers a little discipline when we run astray, out of love, to get us back on track. And loving arms to catch us and make sure the landing isn’t too hard when the fall comes.
God loves me. God loves you. And even more than that – He likes us too. That’s good stuff – no matter what.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Coming Soon.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Coming Soon. I laid awake most of last night thinking. If you haven’t heard of the biggest Arkansas stories of the new year thus far, let me share a bit with you. Just a few moments after 2011 began, about 5,000 birds unexplainably fell from the air, dead, near Beebe, a city just down the road from where I live. On the same day, about 90,000 fish, all the same species, were found floating, dead, in the Arkansas River near Ozark along about a 15 mile span of water. There are already tons of theories, but the Arkansas Game and Fish have said that based upon the birds autopsy, disease wasn’t a factor. Nothing has yet to be ruled out with the fish.
Already people are saying this stems from all types of things. Some are already shouting global warming. While others are eerily remembering the movie 2012 about the Mayan prophecy of the world’s ending in that year. I’m not an alarmist, and I’m sure there’s a very good reason for these 2 strange events we have seen in our home state. But it did make me begin to think about His return.
As I lay there in bed thinking about all that’s going on in our world, there’s just no way to explain all of it away. The events of planet earth are building. They are building to what will most assuredly be a climax that this world has never known before. War, disease, drought, famine, unrest, genocide, power…just watch the news occasionally and you will see. Our world is exactly what the Word said it would be in the last days.
And the trumpet sound – the great calling away – the rapture – could easily happen at any moment. There’s nothing left to be accomplished as it relates to Bible prophecy in order for Christ to come back. It could happen any second. This reality usually brings joy and peace to my heart. I normally get giddy at the thought of Christ returning. But for some reason, as I laid awake last night, it made me feel restless and uneasy.
I couldn’t stop thinking about all that aren’t prepared around me. There are so many people – even right here in my own neighborhood – that aren’t ready. If Christ returned at this very moment, so many that I’ve seen daily would not be ready to stand before Him. I honestly don’t think death is the most urgent event to be prepared for in our day, though it is a very real possibility. I honestly think the return of Christ is more eminent and soon.
So as I lay there, with my mind racing to who all need to hear about Him, the thought ran through my mind and suddenly grabbed me: What are you going to do about it? It’s easy to speak of concern for people. It’s easy to say God has burdened us with the eternal need that people have. It’s so easy to talk about feeling conviction for not sharing Christ enough. But what about putting some action where our words are? If the concern, the burden, the conviction is real – motivation to act will immediately follow.
So this morning I’m faced with a very real reality for my life: I don’t share Jesus nearly enough. And He used my sleepless night of uneasy fear to remind me of that. So I’m asking Him to give me the courage, the strength, the boldness – to make 2011 a year of the Gospel, beginning today.
He’s coming soon. Are you ready? Are they?
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Coming Soon. I laid awake most of last night thinking. If you haven’t heard of the biggest Arkansas stories of the new year thus far, let me share a bit with you. Just a few moments after 2011 began, about 5,000 birds unexplainably fell from the air, dead, near Beebe, a city just down the road from where I live. On the same day, about 90,000 fish, all the same species, were found floating, dead, in the Arkansas River near Ozark along about a 15 mile span of water. There are already tons of theories, but the Arkansas Game and Fish have said that based upon the birds autopsy, disease wasn’t a factor. Nothing has yet to be ruled out with the fish.
Already people are saying this stems from all types of things. Some are already shouting global warming. While others are eerily remembering the movie 2012 about the Mayan prophecy of the world’s ending in that year. I’m not an alarmist, and I’m sure there’s a very good reason for these 2 strange events we have seen in our home state. But it did make me begin to think about His return.
As I lay there in bed thinking about all that’s going on in our world, there’s just no way to explain all of it away. The events of planet earth are building. They are building to what will most assuredly be a climax that this world has never known before. War, disease, drought, famine, unrest, genocide, power…just watch the news occasionally and you will see. Our world is exactly what the Word said it would be in the last days.
And the trumpet sound – the great calling away – the rapture – could easily happen at any moment. There’s nothing left to be accomplished as it relates to Bible prophecy in order for Christ to come back. It could happen any second. This reality usually brings joy and peace to my heart. I normally get giddy at the thought of Christ returning. But for some reason, as I laid awake last night, it made me feel restless and uneasy.
I couldn’t stop thinking about all that aren’t prepared around me. There are so many people – even right here in my own neighborhood – that aren’t ready. If Christ returned at this very moment, so many that I’ve seen daily would not be ready to stand before Him. I honestly don’t think death is the most urgent event to be prepared for in our day, though it is a very real possibility. I honestly think the return of Christ is more eminent and soon.
So as I lay there, with my mind racing to who all need to hear about Him, the thought ran through my mind and suddenly grabbed me: What are you going to do about it? It’s easy to speak of concern for people. It’s easy to say God has burdened us with the eternal need that people have. It’s so easy to talk about feeling conviction for not sharing Christ enough. But what about putting some action where our words are? If the concern, the burden, the conviction is real – motivation to act will immediately follow.
So this morning I’m faced with a very real reality for my life: I don’t share Jesus nearly enough. And He used my sleepless night of uneasy fear to remind me of that. So I’m asking Him to give me the courage, the strength, the boldness – to make 2011 a year of the Gospel, beginning today.
He’s coming soon. Are you ready? Are they?
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Monday, January 3, 2011
Lord, Make It Enough.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Lord, Make It Enough. God’s man had journeyed to the home of a widow and her son. There was a dark cloud hanging over that house that day. He would find out as soon as he entered that they only had enough meal to make one small portion of bread. Their plan was to make that last bit of bread, share it with one another, and then die. Starvation was certain at that point. Yet God’s man speaks and says, “Make the bread, then let me eat it.” Some would call it crazy. The widow called it obedience. Her cry – Lord, make it enough. She and her son never starved that day, nor in the days to come. God turned that “last meal” into the beginning of a life of provision for them.
The little boy had packed just enough for himself to enjoy a nice sized lunch that day. He was going to hear this man named Jesus preach, so he wanted to make sure he didn’t have to listen to his stomach growl throughout the day long message. When evening came, there were literally thousands and thousands gathered on the hillside. Jesus and His disciples were discussing what they would do about feeding all these hungry people. What could his little lunch do? Lord, make it enough. That little boy’s lunch turned into a feast for thousands upon thousands. 12 baskets could barely contain the leftovers at the end.
The poor, lame man at the gate needed money. He was just like everyone else on this planet, and without money he would starve. It was just that simple. Nevermind that he couldn’t walk – he needed to eat. As Jesus’ 2 apostles walked by, he asked them for some spare change. Their response shocked him – “Silver and gold have we none, but what we have, we give to you. In the Name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.” Lord, make it enough. I’m sure the once lame beggar that’s dancing down the street now would surely tell you it was.
He’s a young man, still wet behind the ears. His life is full of scars and even more blemishes. There are tons of people more qualified, skilled, able, and gifted than him. Yet God has called him to serve. And in this role God has given Him to serve through, his heart’s desire is to see students come to know Christ and fall more and more in love with Him daily. He doesn’t know how best to accomplish that. He isn’t the “student ministry master” by any means. Yet day after day, he simply prays, “Lord, make it enough.” And somehow, someway, in ways that can only bring glory to Christ, God uses his life and all its flaws to point folks back to Him.
You may not have much money. You may not think you can sing. You may not think you can teach. You may even think there’s not anything extra-ordinary you can do for Him. But whoever He’s created you to be – your personality, your abilities, your influence, your “you-ness” – lay it before Him with this prayer on your heart, “Lord, make it enough.” Time after time after time His answer resounds down through the ages, “My grace is enough. My power is made perfect in your weakness.” And today, in 2011, you’re certainly no exception to that rule.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
Lord, Make It Enough. God’s man had journeyed to the home of a widow and her son. There was a dark cloud hanging over that house that day. He would find out as soon as he entered that they only had enough meal to make one small portion of bread. Their plan was to make that last bit of bread, share it with one another, and then die. Starvation was certain at that point. Yet God’s man speaks and says, “Make the bread, then let me eat it.” Some would call it crazy. The widow called it obedience. Her cry – Lord, make it enough. She and her son never starved that day, nor in the days to come. God turned that “last meal” into the beginning of a life of provision for them.
The little boy had packed just enough for himself to enjoy a nice sized lunch that day. He was going to hear this man named Jesus preach, so he wanted to make sure he didn’t have to listen to his stomach growl throughout the day long message. When evening came, there were literally thousands and thousands gathered on the hillside. Jesus and His disciples were discussing what they would do about feeding all these hungry people. What could his little lunch do? Lord, make it enough. That little boy’s lunch turned into a feast for thousands upon thousands. 12 baskets could barely contain the leftovers at the end.
The poor, lame man at the gate needed money. He was just like everyone else on this planet, and without money he would starve. It was just that simple. Nevermind that he couldn’t walk – he needed to eat. As Jesus’ 2 apostles walked by, he asked them for some spare change. Their response shocked him – “Silver and gold have we none, but what we have, we give to you. In the Name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk.” Lord, make it enough. I’m sure the once lame beggar that’s dancing down the street now would surely tell you it was.
He’s a young man, still wet behind the ears. His life is full of scars and even more blemishes. There are tons of people more qualified, skilled, able, and gifted than him. Yet God has called him to serve. And in this role God has given Him to serve through, his heart’s desire is to see students come to know Christ and fall more and more in love with Him daily. He doesn’t know how best to accomplish that. He isn’t the “student ministry master” by any means. Yet day after day, he simply prays, “Lord, make it enough.” And somehow, someway, in ways that can only bring glory to Christ, God uses his life and all its flaws to point folks back to Him.
You may not have much money. You may not think you can sing. You may not think you can teach. You may even think there’s not anything extra-ordinary you can do for Him. But whoever He’s created you to be – your personality, your abilities, your influence, your “you-ness” – lay it before Him with this prayer on your heart, “Lord, make it enough.” Time after time after time His answer resounds down through the ages, “My grace is enough. My power is made perfect in your weakness.” And today, in 2011, you’re certainly no exception to that rule.
That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
blake
This blog is brought to you courtesy of http://fromblake.blogspot.com. Visit today and sign up to become an official follower!
Feel free to write blake anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com
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