If you want to be inspired and challenged - watch these.

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A Portrait of ME.

Anyone else think i look like a farmer? Ha Ha. Thats what Suzi said as soon as she saw this shot. What you don't know is that i'm wearing shorts underneath. I guess living in the countryside is waring on me.

Suzi and i are settling in really well in our new house up near Manchester. God is so good. Let me tell you that He knows you better than you know yourself. If you just LOVE him with your whole heart He will lead you into the purposes He set out for you. AND.... you will be full of Joy and content as you know that you are in the will of God.

Its a good place to be. The only place to be in my opinion.

Have a good day.

Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Its been a while but here's a good one.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to preach in our new church up here in the land of the North. It was an amazing time and God really gave me a word for the season. Have a listen and read through the notes. And please feel free to share this with your buddy's.

Let me know what your thoughts are.

Listen Online Or Download here.

Self Sufficient or Spoon Fed?

What is your security?     God, man or material possessions?

GOD is on the move. He is raising up an army. 

God is turning up the heat, because he wants a pure people.

Psalm24:3-4

3 Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?
      Who may stand in his holy place?
 4 Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
      who do not worship idols
      and never tell lies.
 5 They will receive the Lord’s blessing
      and have a right relationship with God their savior.
 6 Such people may seek you
      and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.
                         Interlude

Zephaniah 3:9 (niv) “Then will I purify the lips of the peoples,
that all of them may call on the name of the Lord
and serve him shoulder to shoulder. 

Zephaniah 3:9 (nlt) “Then I will purify the speech of all people,
so that everyone can worship the Lord together.

God has to take us through a time of purification. Like silver and gold are refined in the fire.

Re·fined/riˈfīnd/Adjective

1. With impurities or unwanted elements having been removed by processing.

Proverbs 17:3 - 3 Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
      but the Lord tests the heart.

Zechariah 13:9 - I will bring that group through the fire
and make them pure.
I will refine them like silver
and purify them like gold.
They will call on my name,
and I will answer them.
I will say, ‘These are my people,‘
and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

Malachi 3:3 - He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord. 

 Isaiah 48:10 - 10 I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.
      Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.

So we know we have to endure suffering! HOW DO WE DO IT?????

James 1: 2-4

 Dear brothers and sisters,^[a^] when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

endurance |enˈd(y)oŏrəns|

noun

the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way : she was close to the limit of her endurance.

• the capacity of something to last or to withstand wear and tear.

Endurance in the thesaurus - the race is a test of endurance stamina, staying power, fortitude, perseverance, persistence, tenacity, doggedness, grit, resolution, determination;

2 Peter 1:5-9 amplified

5For this very reason, ^[e^]adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in ^[f^]exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence), 6And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness, 7And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love. 8For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [^[g^]full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sometime we just want to give up!! WE CAN’T.9For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [^[h^]spiritually] shortsighted, ^[i^]seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.

Back to James 1:4 

( you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.)

Perfect? Is that possible?    What does ‘perfect’ mean?

Original greek word is   Teleios    

Definition -  

(a) complete in all its parts, (b) full grown, of full age, (c) specially of the completeness of Christian character.

Mature from going through the necessary stages to reach the end-goal, i.e. developed into a consummating completion by fulfilling the necessary process (spiritual journey).

James 1:5-8

 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

Surfing Story - Security getting stripped away.

Where is your Security?  What are your eyes fixed on? 

The Israelites are out of the wilderness. They are in the Promised Land. BUT, they still have to face difficult situations. 

Joshua comes face to face with the commander of the army of the Lord. 

Why did Joshua Fall face down and respond in the right way. 

BECAUSE HE FEARED THE LORD.