Ignatius the Ultimate Youth Pastor

Saw this awhile ago but saw it on a friends twitter and it’s relevant to what we are talking about this weekend in Fusion.  Enjoy!!

Galveston Mission Trip – Day 6: Slothfulness and Reward

“Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.” Hebrews 6:12 (NLT)

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ²⁴ Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” Collosians 3:23-24 (NLT)

What a day!!!!  The Construction Team finished the fence, and stayed late to remove an old door and replaced it with a piece of plywood.

VBS Team saw 1 kid accept Christ and then did demolition work in the afternoon.  There is a story behind this that includes a stolen phone, and a talk about forgiveness!

The Facilities team, cleaned the showers and bathrooms then were sent to Demolish a house.

Every Student worked hard yesterday. The group really enjoyed tearing stuff up!!!!

Last night seemed to be cry night in our Worship Time.  These times have been amazing with leaders sharing a word of the day and then a time singing to the Lord.

Here are some pics from Todays’ Construction Team:

Galveston Mission Trip – Day 5: Purpose

“Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home.” Luke 16:9 (NLT)

“If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.” Matthew 10:39 (NLT)

We have had a great week with a lot of sun and great worship times at night.  Today we had our teams in three locations, here at Alamo, VBS, and Construction.

At the construction site we got all of our supplies after Lowes made us wait for 4 hours because of lack of communication.  This caused us to only get half of the fence done.  But the good news is we should have it completed on Thursday.  Just a note, almost every girl that has come to the construction site, has worked harder than most of the boys!!!

At VBS we had a low number again and have learned a lot. Trying to use this as a teaching tool for the adults and students there and relating how you have great plans and to see great things happen and when they don’t happen that way how to not give up and persevere through the challenge.

At Alamo, some of our students cleaned toilets for the first time.  Their objective was to work on the needs here that sometimes get overlooked because all of the construction guys/gals go to work sites.  They were also supposed to help unload all the new supplies that have been ordered but not yet arrive.

It’s been a good week.  We topped off the midway with a meal at a local food place called The Spot!  Great food, lots of it!  Here are some of the pics from today:

Galveston Mission Trip – Day 4: Obedience

“I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters,^[e] that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. ¹⁴ For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world,^[f] to the educated and uneducated alike. ¹⁵ So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News.

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.^[g]17 This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’” Romans 12:13-16 (NLT)

Today we took most of the group to the construction site and sent the rest to VBS. At the site, half of the group worked on painting the house while the other half worked on the fence.   However, we didn’t get the all clear for digging until late afternoon.  We took a volunteer team and worked until 8:45 to dig holes and set post so we could finish the fence Wednesday and Thursday.
At VBS they doubled their number of kids, which created some excitement.  After VBS that crew worked with the University Baptist Church and cleaned a yard in the community.

Here are some pictures from the Construction site:

Galveston Mission Trip – Day 3: Humble

“About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’

² Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. ³ Then he said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. ⁴ So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

⁵ And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf^[a] is welcoming me. ⁶ But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.’” Matthew 18:1-6 (NLT)

Today was our first day on the work-site and doing VBS in the park.  Both places had challenges.  At VBS, the students and leaders only had 3 kids show up.  This is much different than the VBS we were able to do in Mexico and it left some of the team feeling discouraged.  In that came the question, “Why go if no-one is going to show up?”  Great question!  I think it is easy sometimes to want to pull out of something when it doesn’t go the way we thought it should, or if kids don’t show up.  But we lead by example, if we pull out after 1 day, disgaurding all the work we did to pass out fliers, and talk it up with our students, I think we teach them that when things don;t go the way we thought, or when things get hard, its ok to give up.  There’s a word that I am sure will surface this week as a word called perseverance!  Maybe the lesson was never meant to be for anyone other than our group and our students to learn that sometimes when you work for the Lord you don’t see the results immediately, but you serve out of obedience, sacrifice, and perseverance.

We had some challenges at the work-site also. We arrived and demolished the rest of the fence to get ready to put the new one up in the next 2 days.  We will dig 28 holes for new fence posts to a 8ft privacy fence.  While several crews do that we will have another crew stripping/scrapping the trim and soffets as well as the front entry so it can be repainted.  The homeowner is a widowed lady’s who’s husband died 5 years ago.

In our worship time, Penelope shared the word of the day HUMBLE, and Josh led us in musical worship.  What a sweet time we had, the Spirit moved in a mighty way breaking students and adults challenging us to surrender all of us for all of Him.

It’s been a good trip!  We have had some challenges, 1 sick, 2 students stepped on nails, and 1 students stepped on a rock
and caused her foot to swell and toe to feel numb, and lots of sunburns!  Please continue to pray for our group!

Here are some pics from today!

1 John 1

“This is the message we heard from Jesus^[c] and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. ⁶ So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. ⁷ But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” v. 5-7 (NLT)

Today you have several choices to make, and the question remains, will you be in the light or in the darkness? Now know that we all try to put on a front and try to look good.  We may be able to fool many people but we can’t fool God.  He knows the condition of our heart and if its desire is to live in the light (publicly and privately) or if it hides in darkness.  Every decision you make forces this reality.

Today, lets choose to walk in the light, so we can begin to step out of darkness (the things we hide and think no-one will find out about I call it secret sin), and live the life Jesus calls us to live.  He is the light of the world and he shines though us illuminating the path for others.

Galveston Mission Trip – Day 2: Self-Control (update)

“‘So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. ¹⁴ So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. ¹⁵ But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶ For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.’[c]” v. 13-16

Today was very busy, Church, VBS and Work-site planning, the beach, and a lot of people moving in. The space has become very crowded and someone tried to break into our trailer. They put a hole in it and broke all the lights. God is going to do some awesome things this week because Satan is doing so much to distract us.

On a side note, the Internet isn’t the greatest here, so it’s really hard to blog! Please make sure to follow the twitters for the best updates. Our group is going to crash early! Got a big day tomorrow! Pray with us!

This morning, Day 3, we will challenge our students with yesterdays word – Self-Control.  We will typically do this in the evening from 8-9.  At this time we will worship through song, Bible Study (word for the day) and prayer.  Please pray for these times as we share with each other the things God is doing in us and through us!

Here are some pics from yesterday:

Don’t forget, follow my Twitter for the latest updates at www.twitter.com/dgould77 it also links to my FaceBook so add me as a friend nd you can follow there also!

1 Peter 1

“‘So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. ¹⁴ So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. ¹⁵ But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶ For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.’[c]” v. 13-16

Are you a person of self-control?  Many of us would probably say that we were so lets just take a little test to see how well we do in this area:

1. Can you sort between needs and wants, when buying things?
2. Do you find yourself getting caught in the moment?
3. When you are tired, do you say things without thinking or worrying about how they sound or come across?
4. Do you have a short fuse?
5. Are you the same person in public as you are in private?

I m sure the list goes on, but the Bible says to think clearly and use self-control.  A person with Self-Control thinks before they buy, speak, act or re-act.  A person with Self-Control is a person who can be used by God in great ways.

Could you be described as a person of Self-Control?

Today, lets THINK before we do that thing we are thinking about doing and lets show some Self-Control!

Galveston Mission Trip – Day 1: BE AN EXAMPLE

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” 1st Timothy 4:12

We have arrived in Galveston. Alamo Elementary is a great facility that we are lucky to be able to stay in. The showers are small, but we are thankful for them. I believe that this week is going to be very impactful for our group. Each night we will be meeting from 8:00-9:00 to sing, learn, and pray. Each night a different student will share a word and a verse that encourages or challenges us in our walk. Tonight, our word was EXAMPLE. We were challenged to BE AN EXAMPLE. Everywhere we go people are watching. Let’s stop making excuses and start living like we Jesus called us to live. It’s a challenge for all of us, young and old. What a great reminder and Challenge as we begin this week! Let be examples in the words we use, in our action, in our love, in our faith, and by our PURE lives!

Pics from today

Galveston Mission Trip – post #1

Well, in less than 24 hours Fusion Students and Leaders will load some vans and head to Galveston TX.  We are working with Good News Galveston helping the community rebuild from hurricane Ike.  We will be one of the first teams reaching out to the children through VBS/Back Yard Bible Clubs.  Along with this we will have some of our team members doing construction projects.  As we have prayed and planned, we have purposely left some open spaces so we could be flexible and meet a need as a need comes up. Sometimes we schedule so much that we schedule out the opportunity to meet needs on the fly.  As you pray, would you remember our students, and leaders as we embark on this mission tomorrow.  Here is what I would ask that you would pray for:

* Pray for Safety
* Pray for Brokenness
* Pray for Salvation’s
* Pray for Repentance
* Pray for Spiritual Growth
* Pray for Unity
* Pray for Attitudes
* Pray for Surrendered Hearts

I believe God is going to use this team greatly.  I know personally for me, mission trip is always a impactful and a highlight to see students do things they don’t normally do and experience God in ways they don’t normally allow themselves to experience Him.

If you want to follow the latest and greatest details, I will be twittering the trip and posting updates daily to the blog.  You can follow me on twitter here:

www.twitter.com/dgould77

Scarred

We just finished a series with our students called scarred and boy was it awesome.  We challenged the students to begin to unpack the hurt and pain that they have learned, from a young age to suppress and hide because of fear or rejection.  As we shared this series, I used a back pack to illustrate how we try to pack away the emotional pain we experience thinking that we can deal with it on our own, or that we can ignore it and it will go away!  I wish that was the truth!  But the reality is, as we pack these things away in our backpack there are two realities we can see:

Reality #1 – I can only fit so much in my backpack.

Reality #2 – The more I try to carry, the heavier the backpack becomes.

One thing I have learned is …  pain happens.  Everyone deals with pain, but not everyone deals with it in healthy ways.  I want to be the person that deals with pain in a healthy way.  The only way to do that is to begin the journey of unpacking the hurts I have experienced … and let me tell ya, I have some hurts. We all do.  Here are 5 things I shared this weekend with the students that I think are helpful steps to take to deal with the pain that many of us try to ignore or hide.

1.    Jesus welcomes your HEALING!
As I read the Bible, I have never seen someone Jesus turned away from or didn’t heal.  Notice that when this man ran to Jesus, Jesus didn’t run in fear or disbelief.  He simply talked to him as he would anyone else and healed him from the pain and torment he was in. You might be able to hide your pain from everybody in this room but you can’t hide your pain from Him. He welcomes it.

As you begin to unpack the emotional scars in your life hand them over to Jesus so He can heal you

2.    Do the opposite of what FEELS SAFE!
Whenever we get serious about dealing with a hurt, for some reason we begin to talk our way out of what needs to be done and settle for something that might be easier or feels safer.  For us to have the healing we need, we need to do the opposite of what feels safe.

Here’s what I mean.  If you have a pain that no-one knows about, the temptation will be, to try do it on my own, because that’s what feels safe.  If you want to experience the healing we are talking about in this series, you need to do the opposite of what feels safe.

3.    Connect with SAFE FRIENDS!
A lot of us have stuff in our life that we’ve kept hidden for a long time. Something that happened to you. Something that you did. You’ve never told anyone. Maybe there’s some things in your life—maybe an eating disorder, maybe it’s pornography, maybe its depression, maybe its just your family is just falling apart and you feel like life is spinning out of control. You’ve dealt with whatever this thing is for so long and you’ve tried and you’ve tried and you’ve tried to get past it. You see that all you’re doing is you’re just sitting there with your defense mechanisms. You’re exploding on people, you’re pouting, you’re denying and you’re never healing. Today, what I’m telling you is if you’re ready to get serious, if I’m ready to get serous, if we want to heal it’s going to start with us inviting some safe friends into our life and saying, I need help.

The question for you today is. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to invite some people into your life and share with them the deep hurt and the pain that’s going on and saying, “Will you help me?”

To help you with this we have created a safe place where you can have safe friends that will take this journey with you, it called Life Hurts God Heals.  It is a ministry that starts this Wednesday right here from 7:00-8:30.  I want to encourage you to get involved in this.  As you leave today, sign up at the booth, talk to one of the leaders and take the information to your parents.  I know it’s a risk, but remember, we have to do the opposite of what feels safe!

4.    Confess with TOTAL HONESTY!
It is much easier to tell partial truths.  But if you are going to take the steps toward healing take all of them!  Allow yourself to be totally honest so you can begin to deal with the whole problem and not just some of it.

Yes, it will be scary and hard, but once you find those safe friends it’s OK for you to be vulnerable. Here’s the thing. Everyone is broken. You are not alone. If you’re dealing with depression, you’re not alone. If your family is falling apart at the seams, you’re not alone. If you’re dealing with cutting, if you have thoughts of suicide, you are not alone. It’s a lie. You are not alone.

5.    Commit to CHANGE!
Change takes work, it can be scary and at times you may want to give up!  My prayers is that we can do this together.  That we could see and meet God in new ways as we begin to replace the hurt and resentment with peace and forgiveness.

Bottom line, hurt happens!  Let’s learn to deal with that in healthy ways . . . TOGETHER!

Packing Round 1

Well it’s that busy time of the year for me, long days and week long trips with students.  This Saturday we will leave Grace Community Church for a week long mission trip to Galveston TX.  However, my wife and boys are leaving for MO tomorrow.  As I put Josiah down for bed tonight he said in his sad voice that he was going to miss me.  I tried to encourage him with all the fun stuff they were going to do while they were in MO, but he said it didn’t matter because he was still going to  miss me.  It makes me feel good, but sad at the same time.  Josiah is getting old enough where he really wants to be with Daddy.  It will definitely be a quiet lonely house for the next three days.  But I know that they will have fun and that God is going to use our team in a special way next week in Galveston.  I will be posting daily happenings and testimonies from our students.

2 Peter 1

“In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.

⁸ The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.”  v. 5-9

Faith must be more than belief in certain facts; it must result in action, growth in Christian character, and the practice of moral discipline, or it will die away.  Peter lists several of faith’s actions, learning to know God better, developing perseverance, doing God’s will, loving others.  These actions do not come automatically; they require hard work.  They are not optional; all of them must be a continual part of the Christian life.  We don’t finish one and start on the next, but we work on them all together.  God empowers and enables us, but he also gives us the responsibility to learn and to grow.

Today, is your faith more than a belief in certain facts, or is it changing your actions?

1 Peter 3

“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.” v. 15

Some Christians believe that faith is a personal matter that should be kept to themselves.  It is true that we shouldn’t be boisterous or obnoxious in sharing our faith, but we should always be ready to give an answer, gently and respectfully, when asked about our faith, our life-style, or our Christian perspective.  The question we must ask ourselves is this . . . Can others see Christ in you?  Is there enough evidence by the way you live, not what you say, that would cause others to see that you are a Christ Follower?

Today, let examine ourselves and ask God to speak though our actions.  This might mean we have to ask differently.  If God exposes or convicts you of an attitude or an action, don’t be afraid to acknowledge that, ask for forgiveness, and start heading in a new direction.  Jesus, be with us today, and allow us to represent you to others.

Weekend Review – Scarred

What a weekend!!!  Crud war was nasty but fun.  I think i finally stopped smelling tomato/banana/ranch/mustard today.  Here is the announcement video from yesterday shot at Crud War.

This weekend we started a new series called Scarred.  The students responded in a big way, and God really met them where they were.  I am excited to see what happens this week and see how many students will take the next step and sign up for Life Hurts God Heals.  Here are some pictures of our Student Worship Team before the service and the Intro Video Andy made for the series.

1st Peter 2

“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. ¹² Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.” v. 11-12 (NLT)

As believers, we are “temporary residence and foreigners” in this world because our real home is with God.  However, it is very easy to get caught up in this world and forget that the world we know right now is only temporary.  Our true loyalty should be to our citizenship in Heaven, not to our citizenship here, because the earth will be destroyed.  Our loyalty should be to God’s truth, his way of life, and his dedicated people.  Because we are loyal to God, we often will feel like strangers in a world that would prefer to ignore God. Thus, the battle for how we live and what we live for rages on the inside of us.  There is always the temptation to put God on pause and live for ourselves in “the moment.”  The enemy will try to convince us to live how we want and ask God for forgiveness latter.  This type of lifestyle cheapens what Christ did on the cross.  Because of the cross and my love and dedication to Christ should cause me to live my life differently.

Today, lets focus on the coming kingdom and not just the worldly kingdom we see here and now.  Depending on how we live now, in this world, will determine how and where we live in the future.  Don’t cheapen the cross by believing the temptation to live how you want now, and ask for forgiveness later.  Choose today to live for Christ, not for yourself or for anyone else, and you will experience God in ways you never thought possible!

James 3

“Dear brothers and sisters,^[a] not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. ² Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.” v 1-2 (NLT)

What you say and what you don’t say are important.  To use proper speech you must not only say the right words at the right time but also not say what you shouldn’t. Examples of an untamed tongue include gossiping, putting others down, bragging, manipulating, false teaching, exaggerating, complaining, flattering, and lying.  Our words have the ability to build people up or tear them down.

I have found that if I think before I speak, I use better words.  This forces me not to spout off in the moment. (i am still working through this).  Before you speak ask yourself are my words . . .

TRUTHFUL – is this fact or gossip?

HELPFUL – Do my words help them or hurt them? Constructive criticism is helpful when it’s done in love. When its not done in love that’s just criticism.

INSPIRATIONAL – Does it bring them closer to God or push them further from God? Does it inspire them to do grater things?

NECESSARY – Do I need to even say anything? Sometimes we are smarter with our mouth’s shut!

KIND – Are my words kind?

Today, let’s think twice before we speak once.  Words are powerful … use them wisely!!!!

James 2

“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?  Can that kind of faith save anyone?” v. 14 (NLT)

We have all heard it, actions speak louder than words.  If you never spoke a word, would people know that you are a Christian by the things you do.  The reality is, the things we believe begin to change our actions.  “When someone claims to have faith, what he or she may have is intellectual assent – agreement with a set of Christian teachings – and as such it would be incomplete faith.  True faith transforms our conduct as well as our thoughts.  If our life remains unchanged, we don’t truly believe the truths we claim to believe.” (Life Application Study Bible)

Today, let’s begin to put our faith into action and show others our faith instead of something we talk about.  It’s easier to talk the talk, but the challenge and question today is can we walk the walk?

Fast Trip and a Fast Weekend

Where did it go?

The weekend was filled with highs and lows but defiantly one we wont forget.  The highs would include seeing our families, celebrating with Rachel on Graduating College, Eating at Mexican Villa in Springfield MO, taking the bots to Dunnigan Park in Bolivar MO.  This is the place that Stephanie and I started dating and have been dating ever since. The weekend ended with a great end of the year small group party at the Winters Home for our 11th and 12th graders and a Craw-fish Boil today at the Millsaps.  These were some awesome times in a cram packed weekend. But it wouldn’t be a Gould weekend without some sort of Drama.

Here are the lows from the weekend, Pizza Hut in McAlester OK, The Drive to Missouri, Josiah getting croup while in MO, The Drive back to Texas in the rain, which caused us to miss the Big Cabin exist forcing us to take the long way home. But the real kicker came Sunday Morning when our projectors went out just before our MS service.  This through me off so much because I had 2 videos taking up 8 minutes of my talk.  We ended up showing it on a little 27 inch stage monitor turned to the crowd.  Talk about throwing you off your game.  I was thankful we got one projector working for the HS school service.

However, even though it went by fast, it was a good weekend filled with several memory markers.  Here are some pics that I captured from the weekend:

Home: No place for Bible Study

A San Diego pastor and his wife claim they were interrogated by a county official and warned they will face escalating fines if they continue to hold Bible studies in their home. The couple, whose names are being withheld until a demand letter can be filed on their behalf, told their attorney a county government employee knocked on their door on Good Friday, asking a litany of questions about their Tuesday night Bible studies, which are attended by approximately 15 people.  Read More

Kris Allen – Heartless

Ok, I may have just become a Kris Allen fan. I really liked his version of Heartless. If you missed it here it is!!!!

more about “Kris Allen – Heartless“, posted with vodpod

James 1

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” v. 22-25 (NLT)

When I first started reading the Bible at the age of 18 James was the place I started.  I think I picked it because it was short and I wanted to say that I had read a book in the Bible.  The Bible can be intimidating, especially if you are not a good reader or don’t like to read.  Those usually go hand in hand.  Well it did for me.  But I still remember the first time I read these verses.  They were so convicting, but encouraging at the same  time.  You see I was guilty of hearing and knowing a little bit about the Bible, but I didn’t live out or reflect the things I had heard or learned.  (this is still a challenge today)  But the secret to the Life that God wants us to live is found in the pages of the Bible, His Word.  When we read, or hear them they should move us to a different place in our thoughts and actions.  What we truly believe will be seen in the everyday life we live.  My prayer today is that I would practice the things I read and hear, so I can live the life God desires me to live.  One filled with adventure, challenges, and victories!

Today, will you ask God to help you to apply the things you have heard and read so you can live the life He has created for you.  If you aren’t or haven’t read or listend to the words written in the Bible, I want to encourage you to grab a Bible, and start reading one chapter a day.  Highlight the things that speak to you and commit those to memory and action.

Twitter & FaceBook have wounded my blog, and life is busy!!!

I must admit that I haven’t been posting many blogs lately other than some devotionals or thoughts on American Idol.  There have been a couple of reasons for this.

1.) Life has become so busy – In March Stephanie switched jobs and moved from working the front desk at Grace to working at Grace Christian Preschool at the church.  She made the switch for a couple of reasons, the big one was to allow me to be in the office more, which  you would think would make work easier . . . but it hasn’t.  It seems that there is always more to do.  However, I have enjoyed the time to have random lunches with staff, students, and other leaders form area churches.

2.) Twitter and FaceBook – I must admit, I was a little hesitant in getting twitter.  At first, I thought it was unrealistic to let people know every time i was going to the boys room.  But, twitter has become so much more than what I expected.  I am not the best at it, but now I find myself checking twitter more than reading blogs.  Here is why:

• It’s short and to the point.
• I can see several people from one page.
• It interfaces with FaceBook.
• I get more dialogue through Twitter and FaceBook than my blog

These four things have caused me to blog less and twit more. Yes it is cool  to see my loyal blog readership increase, but this new concept of micro blogging has really become addicting,  In fact, I have had way more interaction with people that follow my twitter or are friends on FaceBook, than I did having dialogue with people on the blog.

So with this being said, I want to encourage you with this, if you don’t know what Twitter is, click this link to see my profile http://twitter.com/dgould77 – If you have FaceBook and can txt from your phone, think again about joining twitter, you would probably really enjoy it.

3.) Apathy – I’ll admit it, I have become apathetic in writing new things.  I have several idea’s for new post but just lack the drive to sit down and type the details.  Please keep in mind that I don’t know how to type! (yes, I still hunt and peck, but I sure have become fast at it over the years.)  It’s hard to justify coming home late and then telling the world about my day at the expense of spending time with my family.  Not perfect, but it is really something close to my heart, and something I have been trying to work on.

So, I said all of that just to say this . . . I will continue to blog, but for the fastest or most up-to-date info on whats going on in the Gould household, follow me on Twitter or catch me on FaceBook.  It’s much easier for me to post a thought, pic, or statement from my phone in 140 characters or less than to get the laptop out to write a new post at the end of the day!

Hebrews 12

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” v.1 (NLT)

The Christian life involves hard work.  It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, to run with endurance, and to struggle against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit.  To live effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus.  We will stumble if we look away from him to stare at ourselves or at circumstances surrounding us.  We should be running for Christ, not ourselves, and we must always keep Him in sight.

Today, lets keep our eyes on Jesus, and surrender every circumstance and decision to Him.

Hebrews 11

“Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. ² Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.” v 1-2 (NLT)

What or who do you put your faith in?  When things are going good, who do you thank?  When things aren’t going good, where do you turn?  These are just a few questions to get you thinking.  Who or what you are put your faith in is important because it will define how you live and what you believe.  Faith is more than a pleasant day dream of a perfect world.  In fact, faith isn’t always easy and sometimes it is questioned and challenged.  I have found these times to be scary, but in this process God tends to teach me the most about His love, His provision, and His promises.  He also gives me the strength I need to stand in Faith that He is still in control even though things aren’t going the way I want them to go.

Today, who or what are you putting your faith in?  For me, I am trusting Jesus with the details of my life and standing in Faith that God will do what He says He will do.  To be honest, sometimes that’s easier to say than to do, but everyday I pray for God to give me the strength I need to stand in Faith!