Josiah and I have been reading the Bible together before he goes to bed each night for quite sometime now. We have made it through the Old Testament and just started the New Testament. The last couple of nights have been on the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Tonight, the passage was from Acts 1 when Jesus ascends to Heaven. As Josiah and I talked about the lesson, we talked about Heaven and who gets to go to Heaven. We talked about what keeps people from heaven. He knows that sin keeps people from Heaven (We’ve talked about sin for awhile and he knows what sin is). So when I told him that sin keeps us from God and if we don’t have Jesus in our heart we can’t go to Heaven, He understood it. He asked if I (me) died would I go to Heaven and I said yes because I have asked Jesus into my heart and He forgave me of my sin. And because I have done that, when I die, I get to go to Heaven. After I said this, I asked him, “What happens to people that don’t ask Jesus into their heart?” He said with a gulp, “they go to Hell.” I asked, “Why do they go to Hell?” He said, “Because Jesus hasn’t taken away their sins.”

At this point my heart began to race. I asked Josiah, “Have you ever asked Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins? He said, “I want too but I don’t know how!” So innocent. I said, “All you have to do is pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and to forgive you of your sins. If I pray with you, do you want to pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and forgive you of your sins?” He said, “Yes!” So needless to say, we called Stephanie into the room, of coarse Jackson followed, and as a family we prayed together and Josiah asked Jesus to come into his heart and forgive him for his sins. As a dad, this the moment you pray for and as a pastor/dad you try not to rush, but tonight I am proud to proclaim we have one more for Jesus in the Gould Family! Josiah asked Jesus into his heart!

Today I took Josiah to the dentist! In between appointments we grabbed a quick bite to eat at McDonald’s. Watching Joe play with a huge smile on his face was the highlight of the morning!

As I sat at the dentist office, that mental picture of Joe looking down at me saying, “Daddy” with a huge smile on his face will forever be etched in my memory and on my heart!

It made me think back to when I was a kid. Life was much easier. As a kid the biggest stress-or in my life were rainy days that kept me from playing outside or my friends not being able to play outside with me!

Life is much different now! Even though kids are expensive (if it’s not the hospital with one, it’s the dentist with the other) they are well worth it. Everyday my boys remind me of the important things in life. They seem to always find something to make themselves happy or make us laugh. They trust and give so much not expecting anything in return. They get excited by the small things that many times are overlooked! They don’t know a stranger and are so accepting of others!

Oh to be a kid again! Wouldn’t it be nice?

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 (NIV)

I have to admit, this is hard … sometimes it’s really hard. As I look back on the last two years of my life there have been times I have questioned my faith, questioned my God, questioned my calling, and questioned my effectiveness. You see when things get tough we panic and think something is wrong, therefore we begin asking the “What’s wrong questions?” Questions like:

• What did I do to deserve this?
• God, why aren’t you taking care of this?
• Did I listen to the wrong voice?
• Did I make the wrong choice?
• God, where are you?

Have you ever asked yourself any of these questions? 

I have asked these questions and many others.  But here is what I have learned, and trust me … I am still learning, when a situation arises, I need to ask these question, but I also need to decide who I am going to trust.  I can either turn to God and trust Him, or turn away from God and not trust Him.  I can either worry and live in fear, or I can worship and live in faith. But ultimately, the choice is ours.

I understand that when bad things happen, we are at a loss and begin asking some major questions! I can’t tell you how many times I have had a teenager ask me, “If God is a loving God, why do bad things happen to good people, even Godly people?” That’s a great question and I answer with John 10:10, where Jesus says,

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 (NLT)

We must remember, that we have an enemy.  He is determined to steal, kill, and destroy anything good that God wants to do in our life.  He want’s to steal our joy, so we don’t talk about God’s blessings, He want’s to steal our peace so we question our faith, our God, and our effectiveness, so we don’t talk about God’s faithfulness.  He wants to destroy our confidence, our influence, and our testimony for Christ so it kill’s our ability to be impact others for God’s Kingdom.  Basically he is out to make our life hell on Earth.

So, the next time a problem arises, ask the right questions, seek the Lord, and trust that He isn’t absent.  Turn the Worry into Worship, the Fear into Faith and let God do the impossible.  Pray Ephesians 3:20 which says,

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

You never know …  your greatest challenge, greatest obstacle, or greatest question, could be the very thing that God uses to show His greatest impact through you.  It could be Gods Refining Fire, that is burning away the impurities from your own life so He can maximize your influence for His Kingdom. Be Faithful!

Today, Let’s seek the Lord, Trust Him, and turn our Fear into Faith and our Worry into Worship! Let’s press through the tuff time and stay faithful to the Lord!

Tonight, Stephanie and I are hosting a group of students that have been meeting together for the last 11 weeks on Sunday Night and doing a daily study from a work book called Max Q.  I know, the title is riveting!  But when you understand what Max Q is, the title makes sense!  11 weeks ago we had an open call to any student that was willing to take on this challenge and be a student of influence.  Here is what we introduced to them 11 weeks ago:

MAX Q
Becoming a Student of Influence
Week 1 – Introduction

Christ is the strongest, grandest, most attractive personality ever to grace the earth. But a careless messenger with the wrong approach can reduce all this magnificence to the level of boredom. ~Jim Rayburn

The real problem of lost teenage America is not a lack of evangelism but a lack of substance in the Christian students who live, study, and play among them. ~ MAX Q

As we begin this journey together our desire is that your Character would be stretched, encouraged, and challenged.  At Fusion, we believe we begin to develop students of influence only as we choose to put our focus on the character of our students rather than the charisma of our environments.  The breadth and power of our students’ influence on their unbelieving friends are directly proportional to the depth of the content of their character.  And the effectiveness of our ministries in influencing the unbelieving student culture is absolutely dependent upon the character of our core students.  Our goal in this process is that each of you would take the steps to become what we call core students.

Why Max Q?  Max Q is a term used in the space-shuttle program at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.  You see, roughly one minute after launch, a space shuttle must withstand a condition of extreme force called “maximum dynamic pressure” – “Max Q” for short.  This is the critical point in flight from an aerodynamics perspective.  It’s when the most stress is placed on the vehicle.  It happens just after the shuttle goes supersonic, at an altitude of 25,000 to 35,000 feet (5 -7 miles up).  Mission success demands that all systems on the space shuttle perform at the highest level.  When designed properly, prepared carefully, and executed perfectly, the shuttle and its crew safely reach orbital velocity of 17,600 miles per hour at about 8½ minutes after launch.

Our role in your development is difficult, yet so significant.  We (your leaders) must create  ministry environments that develop students who can withstand intense pressure.  Students who can be light in dark places. Students who will not waver from their faith while they passionately pursue relationships with their lost peers.  Students who know how to gain influence and earn the privilege to lead.  That’s our desire as a ministry and the question we ask you before we go any further is this . . . Are you willing to be that type of student?

If the answer is yes, here’s where we have to start.

1. It has to start with us your leaders!  Our leaders must make a commitment to model, lead, challenge, encourage, correct, and hold you accountable to the things of Christ so you can be the person of influence God is calling you to be.
2. It starts with you! You have to be willing to be stretched, lead, challenged, encouraged, corrected, and held accountable to the things of Christ. It is going to take some work, there will be times it may be hard, to be honest, they may be times that you want to quit or disagree with the process … but I promise in the end, God will use this process to teach you what it means to be faithful, what it means to be a person of Character, what it means to be a person of influence, and what it means to be a person that is used by God.

The students that are coming over tonight desire to be used by God.  They are a work in progress and some of them will move on to mentor the next group of students that will take Max Q in the spring.  Some will retake Max Q because of their lack of doing the daily study or missing too many sessions.  Regardless, tonight marks a starting point for our ministry to begin developing student leaders.  In the Spring, I will offer this to our adult leadership team. We will meet at the same time as the students.  Josh Harris who has been shadowing me in these last 11 weeks and will lead the next class of students through the material while I lead the adults through the materiel.  (by the way, I think every adult should go through the class, these principles aren’t just for students, they are for anyone that wants to be influential.)

I am so proud of the students that took this serious, didn’t give up, and are seeking ways to be an influence in the arena of life that God has placed them.  I am excited to see what God does through them and He uses them to advance His Kingdom!

For the last couple of weeks we have been letting, (should say begging) Josiah to pray and thank God for our meal each night as we sit together as a family.  Typically Jackson is already way ahead of us and has to stop eating to pray.  This past week as we were waiting for Josiah to make it to the table Jackson said “we pray” and put his hands together and started praying.  The only thing I could understand was Amen at the end! Ever since then, now when we sit down to eat, both boys pray.  Jackson prays in tongues and Joe prays in English, but God know what both of them are saying, and Stephanie and I delight that the boys are eager to talk with God! What a blessing!!!

Here some family fun for Black Friday! Christmas will be here before you know it!!

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1 (NLT)

Well here it is, in less than 5 hours Stephanie and I will have eaten our first home made (our home, by us) turkey and shared a meal together as a family with my Dad joining us.  This year is different for us in many ways. Typically we are in MO seeing my side of the family and then traveling to see Stephs side of the family.  It typically includes a lot of food, a visit to the farm for a tractor rides, and yes, the forced family picture that no-one really wants to take.  But this year we are home in Texas because we will travel to MO in December for Stephs brothers College Graduation.

But being away from the norm or tradition sometimes helps put life in perspective.  We have all heard it said that we take things for-granted.  Many times we don’t realize what we have until it’s gone or we miss out on something we are use to doing.  So today, make sure you tell the people closes to you how thankful you are for them.  As they say in the UFC be first, don’t wait for someone else to say something before you.

Today, let’s not just eat a bunch of food and gather as family and friends without letting the people in our lives know how thankful we are for them.  They may never know how you really feel, and you may never have the opportunity to share how special they are to you again.  So be thankful!

“He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.”John 3:30 (NLT)

It’s not about me! It never has been about me and it never will be about me.

I have to be honest, this is something that is easy for me to read, and even say, but in the depths of my heart, I am still very selfish! It’s easy for me to say, “It wasn’t me!” or “It wasn’t my fault!” when things go bad, but when things go good, something changes.  All of a sudden I want the recognition, the praise, the hi fives, and what ever-else you want to give me … I want it all.

But this word surrender is so deep, honestly way to deep to write about in a blog, but if God is stirring on the inside of me, there has to be an act of surrender that happens also, and it has to happen in these 4 areas for sure:

• A SURRENDERED HEART!
  

This is the first step.  Without a surrendered heart you will remain focused on yourself and miss out on the things that have Eternal value.  If you have never trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior, you have never really surrendered your heart.  A surrendered heart breaks for the things that break the heart of God, and stirs within us the desire to be transformed and used by God for His Kingdom.

• A SURRENDERED WILL!

This is the outward expression of a surrendered heart.  This is where our actions meet up with our beliefs and our words.  I believe this is what James is going after when he says,

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” James 1:22 (NLT)

Jesus knew this well also.  We see this in the garden when he is talking with God asking if there is any other way to redeem man from sin.  Look at what he prays,

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Luke 22:42 (NLT)

A surrendered will is where follow-through happens.  It’s what allows others to see Christ in us.

• A SURRENDERED PLAN!

It’s easy for us to claim this verse in Jeremiah,

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”’ Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

We like this verse because it makes us feel good to know that we have a purpose.  But it says that God knows the plan for us … what if His plan is different than the plan we thought it would be?  What if his plan is different than the plan we have seen in some of our mentors? This is where I have to remember, that God made me to be me, not a carbon copy of someone else.  Therefore, God’s plan for me may be different than the plan He has for someone else.

Please don’t hear what I am not saying, I feel many times we do something, believe something, and act a certain way based on what we have seen and learned from someone else.  We look at what God is doing in them, how he is using them, and think to ourselves, I have to believe, say, or do, this or that, to have God use me effectively. Don’t get me wrong,  you need Mentors and Godly role models, but remember, God uses these people to help point you to what HE wants to do in you, and through you, not for you to be a mini me of them.  God’s plan may be radically different than the plan that he has/had for the influences in your life. This doesn’t mean that there is a conflict or contradiction. It simply means that God has used someone to influence and encourage you to be who God created you to be and now its time to step up and surrender to the plan God has for YOU!  God may be doing something different in you, don’t be afraid of that, but seek the Lord in that.  Remember what He says in Isaiah,

“For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?” Isaiah 43:19 (NLT)

• A SURRENDERED LIFE!

This is the ultimate goal, that every aspect of our life is surrendered to God.  I believe we live out Romans 12 1-2 when we surrender to these 4 areas.  Let this be our goal today,

“And so, dear brothers and sisters,^[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.^{[b] 2} Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)

Today, who will you surrender to?  The fact is you will surrender to something or someone.  For me, I am working on these 4 things, will you join me?

“Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.”
Psalm 46:10 (NLT)

Let’s face it, life is busy.  But I will never forget the words my Youth Pastor told me when I was 18 and giving him the excuse that I was too busy to read my Bible and spend time with God.  He simply looked me in the eye and said, “If you are too busy for God then you are too busy.” Ouch, I’ll never forget that statement.

Let’s be honest, it’s not that we are to busy, it’s simply we haven’t made that time with God a priority.  I still find this a challenge today.  The older I get the more demands on my time I seem to have.  If I don’t prioritize my time with God, sadly it will be overlooked.  But that’s true for you also.

Here is the Bottom Line, if we are going to get to know God, be transformed by His love, and impact others for His kingdom, we are going to have to begin to prioritize time with Him to listen, pray, and meditate on Him.

Here is what it looks like for me in the morning, a cup of coffee (i am getting older), my Bible with 2 highlighters, my laptop and headphones for music.  This has been my routine for sometime now.  It has become a priority and a habit.  However,  it doesn’t stop in the morning.  All day long I listen for God’s voice.  Sometimes it’s loud and obvious and other times it’s a whisper.  But I am learning to listen with my heart, ears and eyes.  I have come to the understanding that God is speaking, but sadly, many times I don’t hear Him because I’m not really listening.

If God is going to use us as an influence, we have to learn to be still so we can hear Him.  We have to prioritize this time with God because if we don’t, our time will be taken by other things.  These could even be good things, but our time with God is where we get strength, clarity, and confidence.  Jesus knew this well! Many times he left crowds and sent disciples ahead so he could spend time with God.  He knew His time was short, He was busy and always had a crowd, but He knew His greatest impact would only come out of his time of fellowship with God.

We see this in a big way in his last hours. Jesus could have spent time with others, He could have held a healing service, or taught large groups of people.  But in His last hours as a free man, Jesus spent time with God praying and listening.

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” Matthew 26:36 (NLT)

You see God was preparing Him for his greatest impact, his greatest rejection, and his greatest beating which ultimately lead to His greatest act of kindness and greatest miracle … His Death and Resurrection.

Jesus knew how important it was to spend time with God!  He knew that without this time his impact and influence could be jeopardized.  He knew how to listen with his ears, eyes, and heart and set an example for us to follow. The question is, do we hear God when He is trying to speak to us?  Have we prioritized our time with Him so we can hear and recognize His voice when He speaks? Do we really believe that it makes a difference?

Today, let’s ask God to give us ears to hear, eyes to see, and a heart that is open and soft for the things He wants to say.

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

Have you ever had this feeling that God was about to blow you away?  I’m not talking about striking you down or writing you off.  I’m talking about blowing you away by something He does in you, around you, and possibly even through you.  Has it happened before?  Could it happen again?

Every time I see this verse I am blown away by Gods ability to use a person like me to advance His Kingdom. I mean, he knows all my failures, the things I wrestle with, and despite all these things, he uses me.  This in itself is a miracle.  However, I believe it is the desire of Gods heart to move through his people and do what we think is impossible.

Luckily for me I have had some great people in my life that have challenged me, loved me, encouraged me, and held me accountable.  God has used these people in huge ways.  But just like God has used these people in my life, He wants to use me in another persons life.  This is where the stirring begins to happen.

Being aware that the creator of the universe, loves me, has a purpose for me, and  desires to use me, is the stating point for you and I to see God do the impossible.  It’s the starting point to see Him do infinitely more than we might ask or think.  Have you come to this awareness?  If so, how are you responding?

I feel that God is on the verge of doing something big in my life, I have no idea what that might be, I just know that He is stirring my heart and my thoughts.  Yes there are times it’s scary.  Sometimes it’s going to be scary because I (we) have to rely on His voice, His power, His wisdom, and His provision.  Peter was scared to step out of the boat, but when he did, he walked on water. Here’s the lesson, if I (we) want to see God sized results, it must not be about me (us) it has to be about Him, and I (we) must keep my (our) eyes on Jesus.

Over the next couple of days I want to break down some of my thoughts and desires on what God is stirring on the inside of me.  If it can be an encouragement to you, great!  But to be honest, this may be more for me than for you, but you are welcome to join me in this journey … who knows, maybe God is stirring you in the same way He is stirring me.  If that’s the case lets take serious this verse and ask God to prepare us for to be blown away by what He Chooses to do!

Today, lets ask God to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.