As we begin this week, I want to remind you that “Our God Is Able.” It does not matter what you are facing this week, our God is able. Whatever the size of your challenge before you, our God is able!

God is able to sustain you. Yes, He is able to strengthen you in the battles you may face this week. Keep the faith and trust the Lord to sustain you.

God is able to be with you. You are not alone. If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit abides in you. He is with you. This is not a license to be senseless or sinful, but it is a motivating truth that comforts you along the way. No, you are not in life alone when you know the Lord.

God is able to rally other people to help you. People matter to God. Life is enjoyed in a greater capacity and quite honestly, our wins in life increase in number when we walk through life with other people.

God is able to do a miracle. Yes, He really is. Not for miracle sake alone, but to remove barriers that may help you in some way. Most of all, to bring glory to Himself. Yes, our God is able to do anything, anytime, anywhere, with anyone, INCLUDING you.

Yes, our God is able . . . Live this week with that Hope and Confidence!

Sunday we celebrate, “I Love My Church Day”. This day became a part of our tradition in 1988, marking the special day we moved into our Worship Center at our Springdale location. Since it was such a win, ALL these years, either on the 2nd or 3rd Sunday of February, we have celebrated a day called, “I Love My Church Day”.

It was on this “I Love My Church Day” in 2001, that I laid out the vision for the beginning another location called, “The Church At Pinnacle Hills”. Even though this Sunday is most of the time a “normal preaching type of venue”, every now and then God for some reason uses that Sunday as a thrust towards our future. He did the same thing again when we launched on that Sunday just a few years ago the vision and calling to “Special Treasures”, which served as the launching pad to finance our most recent building projects.

This coming Sunday will be one of those normal type of preaching venues, but prayerfully, the Lord will use it to create vision and faith in the individual
lives of people. I am in the series called, “Staying Strong Through The Storms Of Your Life”. This message will be message #2 in a 4 week series.

This series gives you a superb opportunity to invite and bring others to worship with you. People are always facing problems, challenges, and yes, storms. God speaks to those issues clearly. Let’s introduce them into the ways of God.

Sunday night we will begin a “run” of doing Sunday night worship at our Springdale location. I will be preaching Sunday night on, “When Your Life Goes Through A Shipwreck”. Hey, please trust me, Sunday night will be very special. Please make Sunday a great day in worship, honoring the Lord at all times.

See you Sunday…Invite someone to “I Love My Church” day!

As a pastor, there are days that are tougher than others. Today will be one of those days. Seminary does not train you for it. It does not matter how many times you have done something like this, it never gets any easier. Yet, it is one of the reasons I am a pastor.

This morning at 10:00 a.m., I will conduct a Memorial Service for a 25-year-old young woman. It just does not seem right to see parents stand beside the casket of their child. Emotions are strong and hearts are torn. Each person responds differently to grief, so as a pastor you call the audible needed for that given moment.

People look to you for words or explanation. Yet the last thing you have is any explanation. All you have to offer is your love and support, coupled with words from God’s Word that fill our hearts with hope. Our prayer is that God will give all the power to stand beside that casket with peace and the power to walk away from the graveside with hope.

If you have a minute in your rush-filled day, take a moment and call this family to God in prayer. As you share that prayer to God, please pray for me as I conduct the service.

Oh yes, if you get all worked up over something that is somewhat trivial today, remember, this Wednesday could be a different one for you. By God’s grace may it be simply “usual” and without complaint for each of you. We are all “one pain away” from any day becoming a “very different day.”

May your Wednesday be usual.

Super Tuesday is shaping up to be quite a show. The candidates in both parties are running hard and longing to gain the approval of the masses which turns into enough delegates to win their party’s nomination. I have never seen anything like this experience in my lifetime.

I love to watch the election returns. I have enjoyed watching some of the debates. I love our nation, and I am intrigued with the political processes. Now, I would not want to lead you to believe I enjoy it to the level of sports, but I do enjoy it.

With the constant daily attention on the candidates by various forms of media, we are probably aware of more things happening than ever before. While that is helpful and informative, our challenge is to try to discern the actual truth through the spinmeister’s views of what is actually going on.

Who will win Super Tuesday for each party? I have no idea, not in this political season. It is as unpredictable as college and professional football this past season.

What do I know?

• We need to educate ourselves on each candidate and the issues facing our nation.
  
• We need to pray.
  
• We need to that while these matters are important, the most important of all matters is seeing God touch our nation with a real spiritual revival and awakening.
  

Have a super day!

Well, I was wrong again: The Giants upset the Patriots last night. This was truly one of the greatest Super Bowls in history. Even though they defeated my Dallas Cowboys (who had beaten them twice before in the year), the Giants really won my heart because of my love to see great players like Eli Manning achieve.

The Giant defense was incredible. They threw the entire game of the Patriots into disarray. They did what they had to do continually throughout the game. They were highly impressive.

Great life lessons from this year’s Super Bowl:

1. You cannot win all the time.
2. Anyone can win at the right time.
3. Big players make big plays.
4. Never give up.

Oh yes, there are many other lessons, but these are very important lessons. You cannot get down on yourself. You cannot let the opinion of others determine your future. You have to rise to the occasion when given the opportunity. When you never give up, your chances of winning increase greatly.

These lessons from the Giants are your giant lessons for living today.

Never give up.