We have one body

“We have one body, and if we would like to successfully fulfill the call of God on our lives, then we need to maintain our temples,” said Dawniqua Linyear a Christian fitness trainer and figure competitor. The conversation was over and she had proved her point. Me, a one time professional athlete was officially out of shape and out of God’s will for my life. I started to think how I got this way. At one time I bench pressed over four hundred pounds; ran a forty yard dash in 4.3 seconds; and had less than 3% body fat. But, now as I look in the mirror I don’t see that man anymore. More of her words started to play in my mind. “You are an athlete why are you so out of shape?” I know she was joking, but there is always a bit of truth in humor. I guess I never considered the spirituality of our bodies. I reckoned keeping the temple “holy” was all that was required of me – since I have never heard a preacher even broach the topic of gluttony. I deduce the reason why I worked so hard to keep myself in shape in the past was a result of my desire to perform on the football field. And, I suppose because I stopped playing, I lost the motivation to stay in shape. I am not saying its right, it’s just what happened. Alright time to confess, I have been out of football ten years now, and currently I am the youth pastor of a larger urban church in the Hampton Roads area. And, when I am asked to minister to youth across the country, the one calling card that opens more doors for me than my education or anointing is the fact that I played pro football. As a result, I am always asked to partake in some athletic event to engage students. But, because I am not in shape and because I know if I were to attempt to participate in any athletic activity, I would not only get embarrassed, but also get hurt as well. For various reasons I did not see being in shape as a part of my Kingdom Calling. Yet, I can vividly remember being in Bosnia Herzegovina, which is located in Eastern Europe, at the Emek Beraka camps ministering to Muslims and being asked to help run some basic athletic activities and having to pull out because I was not in any shape to help out. At the time I thought it was a funny way of getting out of the physical labor, but now I feel convicted and certain that I missed a myriad of opportunities to reach souls for Christ. Additionally, in the fall of 2009, I was a part of a mission’s team that went to Haiti to speak at a leadership conference, distribute goods at a medical clinic, and preach the gospel at several churches. I literally preached 7 sermons in two days and was dead tired; my fatigue was not only a result of the volume of sermons preached but it was because the temperate in Haiti was very high. I remember feeling as though I could not go on. But, after hearing Ms. Linyear’s words I realized I had not been a good steward of my temple, and if I had been, I would have had more energy to minister to the people and build relationships after I spoke. Instead I felt like I had to be whisked away due to exhaustion. Once again Ms. Linyear voice rings in my mind, “People fail to minister in areas that they refuse to practice. It's easy to talk about spiritual maturity and growth in Christ, which takes a certain level of discipline, but the truth is, God has already provided the blood, sweat and tears in this area, we just need to walk in it. Living a healthy and balanced lifestyle is a challenge physically, mentally emotionally and spiritually, and it takes extreme levels of discipline, along with some sweat and tears of our own.” I realized what she was saying was that being in shape is an act of worship! Why had I not seen it before? Being is shape is not just my responsibility or the responsibility of the missionary but it’s the responsibility of every believer. Remember the words of Christ, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:23). When it comes to being physically fit most believers reference 1 Timothy 4:8 and use it as a way of devaluing exercise. 1 Timothy 4:8 reads, “ 8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” What the NASB and KJV translates as “profiteth little” in Greek is translated “for a short time”. in Js 4:14, and could be translated the same in 1 Ti 4:8 The text is not saying that exercise has lesser value in contrast to spiritual exercise because the same adjective is used to qualify both actions. The text communicates both practices are beneficial, but the former practice will only last as long as we have these mortal bodies, and the latter practice will be beneficial throughout all eternity. But it doesn’t communicate that it does not profit us or that it is valueless to the believer. We must understand that our bodies are extremely valuable to us while in our possession. Now if it is true that [w]e have one body, and if we would like to successfully fulfill the call of God on our lives, then we need to maintain our temples… then what a tremendous value a fit body can be to the believer…

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 5: 1 -2, 8

1 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they[a] had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. 2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” …8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

Sun Tzu in his hugely influential book the Art of War said that “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him.” What remarkable insight Sun Tzu conveys here…in the world, successful warfare is based on deception. We see Joshua use deception to defeat Ai. As the Hebrews cross the west side of the Jordan, it seems as thought they are taking a page right out of Sun Tzu’s book again. If you look at vs. 1 the key phrase is “their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.” The enemy is terrified and has no will to fight just by the mere mention of God’s power. This seems like it would be a great time for Joshua to attack, but look at God’s command to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” Now if the Lord would have told Joshua to “appear as though you were going to circumcise yourselves to lure them in and destroy them,” I would have said ‘man Sun Tzu principles were universal and for every satiation. But, God tells the Hebrews to circumcise themselves. This is a major problem because doing so would make them vulnerable to attack, even annihilation. Why? Well, you can not fight when you have recently been circumcised. The healing process takes three-weeks. In vs. 8 of chapter 5 the text says, “And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed. It seems as though the decision to circumcise is an act of deception to lure their enemies in for the attack. But, nothing could be further from the truth. God is more interested in the covenant than He is with them quickly winning the war. For God the war could wait, but to be in a “right” relationship with Him could not. I can not imagine how difficult it was for Joshua to obey this command. Seemingly, obedience to this command could result in certain death if the enemy rallied and attacked them in this circumcised state. The Kingdom leader must always remember that God is more interested in maintaining His relationships than He is in us fulfilling our calling. Sun Tzu has remarkable insight…successful warfare is based on deception. However, Joshua is asked to circumcise the men of Israel making them vulnerable to attack, which is not an act of deception. Obedience could lead to certain death. Yet for a kingdom leader Obedience to God, which maintains a healthy relationship with Him, is his or her priority when leading God’s people.

I just finished reading Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

I just finished reading Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond...it was a fascination book. I had to read most of it with a filter though. Especially, when it pertained to his conclusions on evolutionary philosophy and carbon dating. But the premise of it was right on...to summarize... the book was an attempt to dispelled the racial argument that White Europeans came to dominate the world because of intelligence. Rather he proposes the assertion that even though all ethnicities have the same anatomy, they did not have the same opportunity. Diamond suggest that what was need to create a thriving technologically advanced society was the right "package" of conditions: the right type of land that could grow the right types of domesticated plants and food that could sustain the right type of domesticated animals. As a result the philosophy of the people would transition from a hunter gather mentality to a planting a growing society. This new society would result in a denser population and more diseases. Those who would survive the diseases would then move to other vocational fields rather than farming. As the population would grow then wars would begin resulting in an advancements in technology. Thus, if you don't have the right "conditions" the progressive advancement of the society would be hindered.

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 4:14

14 That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.

The obedient leader is the leader who brings glory to God. Obedience is the key…the theme of obedience is constant throughout the lives of any successful leader in the Kingdom of God. Without obedience God can not utilize a leader for the specific purposes of drawing people to Himself through the revelation of His unending grace. For example, Moses’ disobedience at Mount Horeb, where he hit the rock instead of speaking to it, resulted in him not being able to enter the Promised Land. In this instance we see that the Holiness of God is absolute. Even though Moses was “the meekest man on the earth” and that God had used him mightily, his disobedience had catastrophic consequences. However, we see Joshua’s obedience to God stand in distinction to Moses’ disobedience, and as a result of his obedience he entered the Promised Land unlike Moses. This does not mean that Joshua was a better leader than Moses; it simply means that Joshua’s obedience made him useful in fulfilling God’s purposes. Usually the only way a disobedient leader draws people to God is through a sense of reverence following the judgment (i.e.) Moses not entering the Promised Land as a result of his disobedience imparted more reverence into the heart of Joshua. Nevertheless, as a result of obedience, a leader will be exalted and the sole purpose of that exaltation once again is designed to bring glory and fame to God. We see in the text that Joshua has learned well from his predecessor. And, because of his faithfulness and the grace of God, he is now receiving the same exalted position in leadership that Moses did (vs. 14 That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses). Joshua did not perform half of the miracles Moses did, but his obedience resulted in the same level of status and glory as Moses had. The obedient leader glorifies God. Obedience is paramount for success in the kingdom…this theme is constant throughout the lives of successful leaders in the Kingdom. Obedience is essential in drawing people to Himself through the revelation of His unending grace.

Some pics from the past!!!

If God can turn a Shepard into a king, then he can use me for anything he wants...

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 4

⁴ So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, ⁵ and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶ to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

Some believe the axiom that leadership is influence. The leader knows his influence is specifically useful for the mission set before him or her. For the most part leaders influence those people whom they have direct or indirect contact with. Now with advancements in technology direct contact may mean communication via the internet or cell phone as well as face-to-face interaction. Today, the leaders influence is expansive to say the least. Nonetheless, the Kingdom leaders influence is even vaster. In looking at the nature of the Kingdom leader’s influence, we are introduced to a broader paradigm when we are considering the leaders function in the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom the leaders actions not only affect those people who he or she has contact with whether directly of indirectly, but they will affect their progeny for all time as well. Look at the text in vs. 5 - 6 God command’s Joshua to take up a stone from the River Jordan and place it on the opposite bank. What was the purpose of this action? “The purpose was to serve as a sign… In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” The stone that Joshua was commanded to set up were to be a memorial to God’s power and faithfulness. The scope of Joshua’s influence here is remarkable…vs. 7 says “These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever." The Scriptures makes it clear Joshua’s influence would last forever. Joshua’s obedience to God leads to the establishment of a eternal reminder of God’s faithfulness. Joshua’s obedience would influence believers for millenniums to come. Rarely do leaders think about legacy usually that term is used within the context of family; however, in the Kingdom its inhabitant are family and for the kingdom leader his or her influence is just as big as is their family is great. Leadership is influence; the leader knows his or her influence is designed to accomplish a mission. With the advancement in technology the leaders influence is expansive to say the least. However, the Kingdom leader’s authority is even larger. In the Kingdom the leaders actions not only affect those people who he or she has contact with whether directly of indirectly, but they will affect their progeny for all eternity.

John 21 Devotional

John 21: 18 - 19 When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you'll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don't want to go." He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, "Follow me."

Have you ever failed at something? When you failed how did you react? Did you give up and never try again? Or, did you get up, dust yourself off, and learn from your mistakes? You know most people would say our response is determined by our personality. And, I would agree with them. However, sometimes our failures are so bad we are powerless to do anything when we are put in the same situation again, and in those cases it is the very fear of failure that robs us of our ability to learn from our mistakes and robs us of our courage to try again. When we are in this state, we psychologically become reluctant to try again because we are fearful we will be identified as a failure and see ourselves as worthless. So instead of risking failure we become cowards and run from our opportunity to succeed and overcome life’s challenges. The shame of feeling worthless due to our ineptitude to pass our tests can drive one to self hate and eventually to self destruction. This can become a viscous cycle that requires repentance and the grace of God to over come. The funny thing about our walk with God is that our relationship with Him does not exempt us from any test. As a matter of fact, because of our relationship with God we will be tested even more. This is the reality that Peter is facing at the end of the book of John. Is it not interesting that the last story in the book of John is not Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, nor is it His ascension into heaven; but it is Peter’s restoration from his sin of denying Jesus, and the vivid declaration of how he would die. That is not how I would have ended it, but then again I am not its author. Nevertheless, Jesus after uncovering Peter’s lack of true commitment to Him, in vs. 15 – 17 describes Peter’s future in a gloomy way. Jesus said, “When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you'll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don't want to go." He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, "Follow me." Jesus was actually telling Peter that he would be executed when he got older. Scholars believe that Peter was crucified the in same manner in which Jesus was. I think the point John makes is Peter’s true commitment level to Christ would be revealed by the test he would endure through out the course of his life. Remember, Peter had already failed his first test when he denied Christ three times. Do you want to know something ironic? Jesus even told him that he was going to deny him. Nevertheless, by God’s grace Peter had another chance to redeem himself. So, here at the end of the book of John, Jesus basically tells Peter he would face the same test he had previously failed but at the end of his life. [Whoa! Imagine looking forward to that] Hold up that is not the key of this scripture the key is what Jesus did not say to Peter this time that is encouraging. Yes, I know it is very scary that Jesus is telling Peter he is going to be executed. And, I agree it is hard to find encouragement here. But, what Jesus did not say this time was that Peter would deny Him. You see, somehow Peter was eventually able to learn the one lesson every believer of Christ has to learn in this life. We can not pass life’s test in our own strength. We can only pass them through the power of God. Therefore, now in the last chapter of John Peter is facing his life’s final examination. Peter was being tested once more to prove his love for his Savior. Fortunately, in God’s mercy, He restored Peter and gave him a second change. And, just like Peter when we fail, God can restore us and give us a second chance as well; however, we must understand even though we have to continually take the test, which many we will fail, they do get any easier; therefore, it is essentially we learn how to trust God. Eventually, Peter passed his test. He did not deny Christ; moreover, he even asked to be crucified upside down. What a change of heart! What was the difference in Peter? When Peter was older he was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he had learned how to trust in God’s ability and not his own. Friend, you will be tested all your life, and you will fail some of them. The point is will you get up and take it again! Well, will you?
Three action steps:

Take the time to memorize John 21: 18 - 19
Do you like test? Why or why not?
What test in life have you failed in life? What test have you passed in life?

John 20 Devotional

John 20: 30 - 31 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Application: If you were going to make a story about a super hero, what kind of super hero would he or she be? Would they be strong, noble, and brave? Would they be smart, wise, and dependable? It is my guess that whatever attributes you would decide to give your hero they would be good. And, I guess it is safe to say that your hero would have very little flaws. It’s my guess that when you write your heroes’ adventures there would be a clear line between what makes your hero good and what makes his or her adversaries bad. While writing your story you probably would have to create a plot, in which by the time you got to the end of the story, people would desire to be just like the hero you wrote about. Ok, imagine this, after your story was written, imagine it being made into a blockbuster movie and making hundreds of millions of dollars because throngs of people watched it and daydreamed about being the hero you created. Wait a minute! Why isn’t the Bible written like that? Now let’s think really hard. Imagine if you were a disciple trying to write a story to make people believe that Jesus was the ultimate hero. Hold up, not just a hero but God, what kind of story would YOU write? Would you not show His power, His influence, and His courage? Would you not write it in a way that everything He did worked out just fine? Would you not write it in such a way that none of His adversaries where able to stand in His presence? And, I am sure you would write it in such a way that everyone would want to be Him and follow Him wherever He went! Well interestingly that is not quite what John the apostle did. In John 20: 30 – 31 he said, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” Wow did you read that? John wrote his gospel so that you may believe in Jesus and be saved. He wrote it so that Jesus would be the hero. That’s great, yet I am a bit troubled as I read what he said. I am troubled because when I read the Bible, I don’t see Jesus nor the disciples portrayed in a way that I WOULD WANT TO BE…Honestly, I see them going through so much... I see the disciples full of pride and arrogance, and I see the Hero at the end of the story hanging from a tree. When I see the types of stories the Bible depicts I say to myself THIS IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE ME BELIEVE IN JESUS? And, something deep in my heart says, YES! You see the truth is the Bible is not a made up story. It presents the truth the way it is. Often when you read it, you see your own self in its pages. And, you get a chance to see your true Hero facing everyday trials and going through them without moral fault. Remember John said he wrote it so that you may believe. Well, the fact that we see so many of the characters in the Bible making so many mistakes, makes reading the Bible much easier to believe because we see so many flaws in our own lives and in the lives of others. And, that makes it very believable. You see, John decided to record in his Gospel the very events good or bad that would lead you to believe that Jesus was the son of God. What’s the point? The point is Jesus is a Hero; it’s just that it is not our story to write, but it is His-story!

Three action steps:

Take the time to memorize John 20: 30 - 31
If you had to tell somebody about Jesus, what would your say?
what is the hardest thing to believe about the Bible and why?

John 19 Devotional

John 19: 28 – 30 Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Application: Do you have a hard time obeying instructions? Ok, do you listen and do what you are told whenever you are told to do something? You may answer…well it depends on what they are telling me to do. In other words, you will do what people ask you to do with conditions. To be honest, most of us are like that. We do what we are told with conditions. Let’s think for a minute. What are some of the conditions that determine whether we respond in obedience to what we are being asked to do? Well, I would say the main conditions are based on who is saying it, how they are saying it or, what they are asking us to do. More often than not, the factor that determines whether we will obey any request is how much inconvenience it cost us. Ok, most of us learn how to obey instructions at home. The people who will probably tell you what to do the most in your life will be your parents or guardian and God. And, usually how well we obey our parents is indicative of how well we will obey God. That is why the Bible says “Children obey your parents that you may live long upon the earth.” If you don’t learn to obey your parents, it is almost impossible to obey God. Learning to obey your parents will ultimately help you to obey other people who may have authority over you in your life as well, like your teacher or a police officer. The principle of submission is essential for a successful Christian life. Without learning how to submit to authority and obey instructions there is no way you will be able to stay in God “perfect” will. NONE! Friend, there will come a time in your life where you will hear God for yourself and besides Him telling you how much He loves you the next thing you will hear the most from Him are requests. And, God has a lot of request. Do you know what? He needs you to obey them, everyone one of them to be exact. There will not be one single command God asks you to do that is not just as important as the next. Jesus highlights this point as He was taking His last breaths of life on the cross. The Bible says, “…knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” Did you see that He said “It is finished…” not after He was tortured, or crowned with thorns, nor when He was put on the cross. Jesus said “…It is finished…” after He took a drink of juice! Imagine that, His entire life’s mission and work would have all been derailed if He had failed to take one simple drink on the cross. Jesus said that it was finished because drinking the juice was the last act He was instructed to perform in fulfilling His call. You see, every action of Jesus was in obedience to God and designed to fulfill God’s will upon the earth. Friend, we will never be perfect in this life, and we may never be. But, the truth is because Jesus was perfect we don’t have to. Nevertheless, God does require us to do our best in obeying Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” Do you see…we prove our love to God when we do what He says! That’s the point of trusting God, of loving Him, of being called His friend. If we do what He asks us to do, we know we love God and so does He. Ok, let me ask you this again. Do you listen and do what God tells you to do? Or, let me say it like this; do you love God with conditions?

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 19: 28 – 30

2. Has God told you to do anything before? Did you do it?

3. What is the one thing that God could ask you to do that you would have a hard time doing?

John 18 Devotional

John 18: 37 – 38a Jesus answered, "You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.” Pilate said, "What is truth?”

Application: Do you daydream? When you do it, what do you think about? Do you daydream about being a hero, being a princess, living happily ever after, or maybe making the last shot in a championship game? Let me ask you something. What is difference between your daydreams and real life? The answer to that is TRUTH. When you are daydreaming you are in control, and you have the ability to craft the outcome of your dream. However, in life we find out we don’t have that same control, and in life when we are faced with difficult decisions we need something stronger than our own imagination to get us through. We need the truth. Have you heard the saying that reality is stranger than fiction? What that saying means is the truths about the way things are in life are weirder than our imagination. Have ever you been in a situation where events happened in such as way that you knew it could not have been a coincidence? The fact is what you are noticing in these situations is intelligence or that Someone is directing events in your life. The truth is for all of us, there is Someone guiding our life, and that seems weird. Ironically, Pontius Pilate was in a very perplexing situation when he was judging Jesus; he found himself in a situation that was more than just a coincidence. He found himself in situation where he was somewhat aware that God was directing his life. You see, when the Jews brought Jesus to Pilate, who was the Governor of the Provence of Judea, they knew even though they were oppressed by the Romans, they had the power to influence the outcome of Pilate’s judgment of Him. And, everyone knew it especially the Jews. You see, if Pilate did not agree to execute Jesus, the Jews would start a revolt, and Pilate would be executed. So, Pilate was under political pressure to kill Jesus even though he knew Jesus was innocent. (John 19:6) What was even more ironic was that Pilate was also divinely warned by God in a dream his wife had, NOT to kill Jesus because He was innocent (Matt 27:19). Seems weird, well it sure did to Pilate? Pilate needed help, and the only person who could help him was looking him in the face. The funny thing is Pilate even believed that Jesus was sent from God. He also wanted to release Him (John 19:11 – 12) But, because he did not accept the truth and trust that God was in control of the situation and would protect him, he was unwilling to let Jesus go free. You see we often come to this point in life where we are at a crisis point; where we have to do the right thing regardless of the consequences. During these times God is trying to point to something in us. He is trying to get us to realize the truth! What is that truth? God is who he says He is and He is always in control! As a result of that truth, we need to depend on His strength and not our own. This is truth; this is the ultimate reality for everyone! And, it is this truth that Jesus was communicating to Pilate in court. Jesus said “…I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice. "Pilate said, "What is truth?” and so the conversation ends. Pilate who is standing face to face with truth (John 14:6) does not accept it. However, Pilate is not alone. We often find ourselves in the same situation when we are tempted to sin…cheating on a test, lying to your parents, having premarital sex are all indicators that you don’t trust God, and you don’t think that He is in control. When we sin we think we know what is better for us than God does. And, that is a lie! Therefore, the people who are truly willing to accept truth, regardless of consequences, are the ones who will hear Jesus’ voice and trust Him with their lives! Are you willing to accept the truth? Stop daydreaming and just do it!

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 18: 37 – 38a

2. What is truth to you?

3. Why do people see truth differently?

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 3:9-13

⁹And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. ¹⁰And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. ¹¹Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. ¹²Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man. ¹³And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.

We often hear in leadership circles that it is the responsibility of the leader to cast the vision for the people and to motivate them to the point where they will remain committed to the vision until the mission is accomplished. Along with casting the vision and motivating people, the leader is required to manage their effectiveness in accomplishing specific tasks along the way. Leadership is a challenging endeavor to say the least. For the Kingdom leader that challenge is magnified. We can add to the list of leadership responsibilities for the Kingdom leader the challenge of imparting faith to those in whom they lead. Imparting faith is a different action in contrast to inspiring. To impart faith is to give an individual a clearer perspective of an unseen reality, but to inspire an individual is to motivate them to accomplish the task they see before them. Imparting faith is a challenging endeavor to say the least, especially imparting the type of faith that would put ones life in jeopardy. However, the advantage for the Kingdom leader is that he or she is bringing one to faith in the living God. And because this is a living faith, God has the responsibility of producing results Look at the text in vs. 3: 10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you…” The text is making God’s intention clear. God is about to perform a miracle—the parting of the River Jordan (vs. 13)—and the sole reason for this miracle is so the Hebrews would know that God is with them and that he would not fail them. In this instance the Hebrews were asked to believe that Joshua was speaking for God and then they were required to believe that God would accomplish what He said He would. The faith imparted to the Hebrews opened up the door for God to move miraculously for them in the future as well… the rest of vs. 10 says “…and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.” So what was Joshua’s responsibility in this? Look back at vs. 9 “And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” You see Joshua imparted faith by simply gathering the Hebrews and speaking God’s words. And, the rest of the process is up to God. It is the responsibility of the leader to cast vision, motivate, manage and inspire them to remain committed to the vision until the mission is accomplished. Additionally for the Kingdom leader he or she is required to impart faith to those in whom they lead. However, the advantage of this task is that the Kingdom leader is responsible only to speak God’s word and then leave rest up to God.

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 3:7

⁷ And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.

It is especially important to have a balanced perspective when it pertains to the Kingdom of God. Many times when people articulate what they would consider the values of the Kingdom, without truly understanding the heart of the King, they derive false conclusions and end up in frustration. God’s heart is souls and he will do everything righteously possible to save them. How do we know that? John 3:16 states "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.” God cares so much for people that he is willing to take any measure to make that happen even exalting a leader at the risk of him or her falling into pride. Every believer should know how much God hates pride…Proverbs 6:16-17 There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: ¹⁷ haughty [proud] eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood…” Pride is the cancer of the Kingdom of God. However, anyone knows that being exalted is one of the fastest ways of developing a spirit of pride. Yet, we see two amazing things about God’s decision to exalt Joshua that gives us a balanced perspective on being exalted in the Kingdom. 1) God trusted Joshua to handle the type of fame that would come his way because of his success as a general. 2) Joshua’s exaltation was for one purpose. Verse 7 says “so they may know that I am with you.” So, we understand that God does not have any issues exalting His Kingdom leaders; however, they must be trustworthy and understand that the only purpose for their fame is to make the name of their God famous! It is imperative to understand God cares so much for people that he is willing to do anything to save them; even exalting a leader at the risk of him or her falling into pride.

Leadership lessons from Joshua

Joshua 3

Crossing the Jordan

¹ Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. ² After three days the officers went throughout the camp, ³ giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. ⁴ Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."

It’s common knowledge that it is the responsibility of the leader to determine not only the why of the mission, but he or she is also responsible to determine the how of the mission as well. However, in the Kingdom of God that is not the case. In God’s Kingdom, the leader is the facilitator of God’s will. This does not lessen the leader’s level of responsibility. It actually it heightens it because the leader must accurately receive from God, both the goal of the mission and the method of achieving that goal in order to be successful. The Kingdom leader must never lose sight of the fact that it is God who is leading the people. If the leader ever loses sight of that, they would be out of God’s will and be estranged from God’s protection and provision. We see these points emphasized in the scripture above. In vs. 2 we see that the Hebrews are camped at the Jordan river waiting to forge it; however, we see that they waited “three days to do so…” why? The Hebrews waited three days because they were waiting for instructions from God. Look at vs. 3 you see the specific instructions the officers give to the Hebrews, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.” Symbolically the arc represented the presence of God, thus they were required to wait on God and His presence before they were to begin their quest of possessing the Promised Land. This is a powerful point for leaders. Often a leader will do research, study, consult counsel, or train in order to proceed on their mission. Yet, we see here in the Kingdom that the first action the Kingdom leader must take is to hear from God and wait on his presence and direction before pursuing Kingdom goals. This is a theme that runs throughout the chronicles of Joshua, but it is especially important here because neither Joshua nor the Hebrews had “been this way before.” This venture was all together different from any of their previous experiences with Moses or with God. Yes, God had shown himself to be strong and powerful through the ministry of Moses, but now things were different. And, because the context was different, it required that they totally depend on God once again. They could not say this is how we did it last time or this is how we did it with Moses. These challenges were new and they needed to be close enough to God to respond appropriately to the new challenges. This is an important point because many times in leadership we can get stuck in the rut of tradition, and as a result hinder progress because the present challenges require new methods of overcoming them. Tradition can be helpful, but it can also be deadly if not used within an appropriate context. For maintaining values it would be wise to depend upon tradition, but for fulfilling a mission it would be catastrophic to do so. Look at the Gospel of Mark 7:8 The Kingdom leader must always keep in mind that he or she is not maintaining, but he or she is helping God’s people to possess their promises from God. The Kingdom leader is not after land, but he or she is striving to develop a fruitful relationship between the people he or she is called to lead and God. In the secular world, it is the responsibility of the leader to determine the direction of the mission. However, in God’s Kingdom, the leader is more of a facilitator of God’s will, which requires a greater dependency on God. The Kingdom leader must always draw his or her strength and direction from God.

PHd @Regent

I am trying to get back into the PHd program at Regent University. Keep me in prayer. I had to drop out of the program to deal with family issues the week before the first day of residency last spring. Please pray that I can glorify God through this process. ant Ecclesial Leadership Major Designed to advance the academic study of organizational leadership in ecclesial contexts, the Ecclesial Leadership major explores the past, present and future of organizational leadership in ecclesial contexts through a multi-disciplinary study combining the fields of leadership studies, organizational research, exegetical analysis, philosophy, theology, sociology, historical criticism and futures studies. Even though this major includes the historic disciplines of theology, the focus remains on the unique and particular contexts that ecclesial leadership and organizations face. Students will be prepared to teach organizational leadership, and in particular ecclesial leadership and organizational design at the university level or conduct research in association with ecclesial groups, seminaries, non-profits and missional groups. The Ecclesial Leadership major uses a cohort model that incorporates interaction with an instructor and other students. Major Specific Outcomes Ph.D. students enrolled in the Ecclesial Leadership Major will: conduct and report research on ecclesial leadership and organizational contexts demonstrate a doctoral understanding of historic, present and emerging models and approaches of ecclesial leadership design curricula for the furtherance of ecclesial leadership education

John 16 Devotional

John 16: 12 – 13 "I still have many things to tell you, but you can't handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is.”

Application: Have you ever gone to a movie and did not understand what was going on? Have you seen a commercial and felt lost as to its point? Or maybe you can remember being in class and having no idea what the teacher was talking about? How did that make you feel? Did you feel confused or maybe you felt frustrated? Usually when we get into circumstances like that our frustration drives us to look for someone to help bring clarity to the situation. As humans we take comfort in understanding. Why? Well I think it gives us a sense of control. Even a little bit of control can be comforting. Everyone likes to be in control; it’s part of being human. But, what happens when the questions we face can not be answered by anyone we know and can not be found in any books we read, or even through a www.GOOGLE.com search? Where do we go then? Well this is probably how the disciples were feeling as Jesus was talking to them. Think about it! He tells them in Chapter 13 that He would be crucified. In Chapter 14 He tells them that He is leaving them. Oh and in Chapter 15 He tells them that THEY would be persecuted. And, finally in chapter 16 he tells them that THEY would be killed as well. At this point, they are more than confused and frustrated; they are probably angry, shocked, and terrified. And to top it all off, they are feeling that way and Jesus is STILL there. Jesus knows this! That is why He gives them hope for the future. That is why he said, "I still have many things to tell you, but you can't handle them now. But when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is.” Jesus wants the disciples to know that there is a point to all of this. Even though he would not be there physically to answer their questions, He would be in them spiritually to help them make sense of their life. And, I think that is what He is trying to say to us. Just like with the disciples, he is not here physically and He knows we are going to go through difficult times. SHHH! Did you hear that? I hear the Lord saying, “I will be in you to answer any questions you might have. I will be here to help you gain control over your circumstances!” You see the Holy Spirit’s responsibility is to guide the believer to all truth. As a result of Him living in us, we have the ability to comprehend all truth through our relationship with Jesus. So, don’t be afraid of life, nor do you have any reason to fear death. Why? God is in control and because He lives in you He will give some of that control back to you. Oh, and this does not mean don’t study anymore! Sorry! ;-)

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 16: 12 – 13

2. Have you ever heard from God? What did HE say to you?

3. What does it mean when some one says the Holy Spirit guides us?

Leadership lessons from Joshua

⁵ Joshua 3:5 Then Joshua said to the people "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you."

One quality accepted of a leader is to motivate his or her people before a great battle, game, or mission. Usually it is at this point that the people get their inspiration to endure the fight until the end. The leader often through speech or action is called upon to put into context the follower’s purpose and to clarify their role in history. This is a common pattern played out in Hollywood. Whether it is 300, Troy, Kingdom of Heaven, or Braveheart the speech always precedes the battle. However, this is not the case when it comes to battle preparation for God’s Kingdom. Not only do we not see a speech to inspire the people of God on to victory, but Joshua tells the people to “Consecrate” themselves before they even begin the fight That’s pretty anticlimactic. Where is their inspiration to come from? Where is their motivation to come from? Why Isn’t Joshua standing in the middle of the River Jordan and declaring to the people of God to “Posses the land for it is yours…” No, you do not get any of that here. But, what you do get is this. Joshua the Kingdom leader tells his people that God would be among them and that He would work miracles). And, as a result of God being with them they were required to separate themselves from that which defiles and give them entirely to God. Joshua is conveying that God’s presence among the people would be all the inspiration and motivation they needed to endure until the end. The truth the Hebrews had to understand was that with God they would defeat every foe and win every battle. However, because God would be among the people they were required to live above defilement in order that he might remain with them. Even though the Kingdom leader may at times have to inspire the people of God to continue on, it is ultimately the Kingdom leader’s job to remind the people of God to live above reproach and that God himself is the ultimate motivation to go forward in faith—even before a war. A leader who can motivate his or her people before a great battle, game, or mission is valuable, but a Kingdom leader who can remind the people to live above reproach and who can put the focus on God is priceless.

John 15 Devotional

John 15: 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Application: Have you ever studied hard for a test only to realize that you studied for the wrong one? Or, have you ever spent so much time building up your relationships with your friends that you hurt your relationships with your family? Or, have you ever saved up your money to buy something only to realize that after it was purchased it did not bring you the joy you thought it would? What is the common denominator in each of these examples? The common denominator in each example is misplaced effort that led to major disappointment and not to true peace. Jesus is attempting to teach His disciples how to obtain true peace in this Scripture and to avoid the conclusion of realizing at the end of their life they have misplaced their efforts and are majorly disappointment with their rewards. You see, at this point in Jesus’ ministry, He is about to be crucified and return to Heaven. And, He is trying to give His disciples some last minute advice to live by while He is physically away from them. What is the crux of His advice you might ask? Well it is this no matter what your life looks like obey what I [Jesus] have told you and you will find eternal happiness. Why was this important for His disciples to understand? Well, just like Adam and Eve were tempted to doubt God’s word in the garden, so are Christians tempted to doubt God’s word in the world. Jesus talks about this temptation in chapters 15 and 16 of John. In John 15: 5 He says, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Now the question you may have is, ‘what does Jesus mean when He says “…apart from Me you can do nothing?”’ Does He mean I will not be rich unless I abide in Him? No! Does he mean I will not be healthy unless I abide in Him? No! Does He mean that I will not have friends unless I abide in Him? No! Does He mean I will not be popular unless I abide in Him? No! Well, what does He mean? In order to answer this you must go to John 16: 33. Jesus says, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” To understand what Jesus is saying you must remember that the New Testament is written in Greek by Jewish men. So whenever the author who is Jewish says peace in Greek, he is refereeing to the Hebrew word Shalom. Shalom in the Hebrew dialect has a significant meaning to the Jew and for us. For, Shalom means completeness, wholeness, health, peace, welfare, safety soundness, tranquility, prosperity, perfectness, fullness, rest, harmony, and the absence of agitation or discord. You see, Jesus is protecting His disciples from living their entire lives trying to fit into the world and thinking that they are going to find peace or become complete. He is trying to protect them from working hard for the wrong things. For example, why sacrifice your time with God and your family who you will be with forever (forever is along time it’s like forever!) just to get a promotion that will not last longer than 50 years max! Jim Elliot said it like this, “He Is No Fool Who Gives What He Cannot Keep to gain That Which He Cannot Lose.” Jesus Christ, Jim Elliot and I are all talking about eternal rewards! Jesus is trying to get His disciples and us to study for the right test! You see, we cannot be complete without Jesus’ help, and we cannot obtain eternal happiness or Shalom trying to fit into a world that is vindictive to our God. Friend, there are many things a person can do in this life, but in order to give God glory we must abide in Jesus to ensure we have peace and eternal rewards! How do we abide in Jesus? Look at John 15:10, “If you obey my commandment you will abide in my love.” Thus the point of what I am saying is this, “if you want to truly be happy forever, obey Jesus words.” If you obey His words, you will find true peace forever. And, you will never have to worry about being disappointed again! Oh and, don’t worry you are studying for the right test this time!

Three action steps:

1. Take the time to memorize John 15:5

2. How do you abide in Jesus?

3. What is the one command in Matthew 5 – 7 that is the most difficult for you to do? Why?

What God is doing...

Wow, I wish I could put into words what God is doing...Not now...not yet. But, the stars are aligning. I would ask you to pray for me that what ever obstacles the enemy has placed in front of me that I would trust God to remove them and that I would leave no blessing on the table. Man, I feel like I am at the precipice of walking into my destiny, but I need God to move majorly for me so that it can happen...

Ministry in Minnesota

This is a kind of look at God post. So enjoy...Well God is so good. And, believe me one day all wrongs will be righted so just trust in Him. This week I am up in Minnesota where I was asked to preach this Sunday at the Edge Christian fellowship in Rodgers. Rodgers is about 15 min drive from Downtown Minneapolis. I am also going to be speaking at the Minnesota Teen challenge, which is one of the largest teen challenge establishments in the country. I had a great time ministering there last time. Furthermore, the christian chronicle will be doing an article on what has been doing through me recently. And, lastly I have been asked to do a radio interview with KTIS, which is the largest Christan radio station in the US. God is moving...and I pray I can continually magnify his name. Now the funny thing is I found out about this interview on Monday. Tuesday i received the questions for the interview check out the questions:

· Question 1#: We heard that you played against another former Minnesota Viking in High School, and had a connection with him in college and the pro’s, can you tell us about that?

o Randy Moss

· Question # 2: Players had a definition for what the NFL stood for what was that?

o Not For Long

· Question #3 What did the fame of the NFL bring?

o Many good things but it also brought a lot of Shallow Friendships

· Question #4 How you decided to get into the ministry?

o Journey of discovering what my true calling was

· Question #5 You have said to people that your first time through school your grades were not the best, you even had an acronym for what your report card looked like, tell us now what you have achieved after football when it comes to your education?

o Earned a double Masters from Regent University in Business and Divinity, and will be starting PHD Program this spring.

o Recognized by Regent as top Divinity Student of the year / also an Academic all American

· Question #6 You have traveled overseas, where did you go and what was that like?

o Haiti, Bosnia,

· Question #7 What brought you back to The Twin Cities?

o Speaking at Minnesota Teen Challenge, and a local Church

· Question #8 You have recently started a non-profit ministry, can you tell us about that?

o Envision Immanuel

If you want to ask a fun question, Anthony also worked out/tried out for The Green Bay Packers (kind of like Brett Favre a Viking and a Packer)

Look at question #1 again...Now the funny thing is on Tuesday night I found out that Randy Moss may be traded to the Vikings...And on Wednesday morning I found out that he was traded. I don't know, but I think God is doing something.