When things were simple... were they?

I remember being a child, not having a ridiculous amount of pressure on me to be who I am growing up to be. Goals were never unreachable, and I never got rejected from things such as jobs and such. Then I started to realize as I think about this... would I change a thing? Aren't things the way they're supposed to be?

The answer to changing anything would be "no." I've never thought twice about the things that have happened to shape me in this life. I feel as if everything has happened at the appropriate time, so that I'd depend on the love and mercy of God to get through the day. I've developed a small fellowship of Believers who have encouraged and helped me to look up when things aren't going my way. This is allowing me to see who actually cares, and who God has called to be a large part of my life.

Romans chapter 8:28-39 outlines our "destiny," if you will. God works all things for the good of those who love Him, and who've been called according to His purpose. We often forget that the Bible says more than one key verse.. It goes on to talk about Him knowing about being conformed to human's likeness, etc... We are MORE than conquerors of every hardship and famine; every danger and persecution..

I am forever challenged and broken by the fact that I don't live life as if nothing else matters but God. I cannot seriously sit here and tell you I believe the whole Bible. The reason I say that is not because I don't think it's true. It's because WHO LIVES IT OUT??? No one, to the full, would be that answer. We must believe as if God did what He said He did and is still alive and active in our hearts.

Please pray for my spiritual condition, because it's hard as mess to have a calling that God's given me for ministry. This truth is because sometimes, you have to let go of everything you have--even your own life--for the Gospel. I haven't been seeking Christ the way I should lately, and I need to pursue the One who first pursued me.

Love you guys

Michael

Do NOT read if easily offended by the Bible

So, Paul is writing to the church in Phillippi. One thing that I find interesting (I have the Greek New Testament with Strong's numbers) is that there is such strong language in chapter 3. One word that is in several translations is the Greek word skuvbalon. It is translated in English as "rubbish" or "garbage." PLEASE click that before you read on, because it's about to get super-real here.

The passage in this chapter that Paul talks about is about his life with Christ. Everything to Paul is considered loss when compared to knowing Christ, and "for whose sake [he] has lost all things." The next verse reads "I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."

Here's where you may have to censor this language here, because our stained glass windows and Christian rhetoric and censorship has prevented us from seeing the "hidden language" here.

Rubbish means "shit" when properly translated. Human defecation, dung, and in the most coarse form, shit. Look it up folks. Don't just believe me or be offended at my words, because they're not mine.

Without Christ, this is the life that Paul is describing that he had. This is the muck and mire that

we're pulled from before we know the love and hope of Jesus. Our life is garbage, dung, whatever you want to call it. Don't miss the meaning of this strong portrayal of our desperation for God's saving grace.

None of this language was a surprise to people in Jesus' time, because even Peter cursed when he denied Jesus. The ones closest to Jesus were some of (by our standards) the worst people to entrust the Gospel with. This being said, over 5,000+ came to Christ in a couple of days in the book of Acts as a result of PETER, one who denied Jesus, allowing the Spirit to work in him.

Before I get chastized for quoting the Bible that people think they believe, do your research. I don't think it's wise to censor the Bible for what it is.. Now, don't misinterpret me. I am not saying it's cool to use strong language without a purpose. If it glorifies Him and brings people to Him, do it. If not, check your heart.

Love you guys

MG

There are certain things we cannot ignore...

Some general facts that may be shocking to those not in ministry professions (randomly noted):

• there are still 6,418 COMPLETELY UNREACHED people groups on the planet Earth.
• within 5 years of graduation from seminary, those "called" to preach the Gospel leave the ministry.
• there are pastors and pastors' wives that are in ministry around the country, yet they are not at peace... And ready to leave their calling.
• Budgets are on the decline and the need for Jesus is on the rise.

These statements, when compared with the very first one, seem to be countering what Christians are essentially trying to accomplish. Our problems have become:

• We are relying far too heavily on ourselves to complete something that is IMPOSSIBLE without God.
• We are concentrating so much on keeping people in the church rather than reaching people outside of the church--Andy Stanley
  
• We are shying away from speaking the Truth of the Gospel, as it may offend people. THE GOSPEL IS NOT MEANT TO BE DILUTED! IT IS OFFENSIVE, BUT IT IS WHAT WE NEED TO HEAR AND BY WHICH TO BE TRANSFORMED!
• As a Christian church, we are engrossed in throwing money at problems, rather than using our God-given resources to solve the issue at hand.
• We pay people to go overseas on missions, when WE'RE NOT WILLING TO DO IT OURSELVES.

Folks, we're entering a delicate time in this world where people will accept anything they hear. People like Joel Osteen, etc., are watering down the Gospel of Truth and sending people to HELL for not knowing this Truth. PLEASE pray for the boldness and the strength for all of us to go outside of what we know. God will call you to places you never dreamed of. This is the only way that He can receive the glory, by when you follow His will.

I urge you brothers and sisters, do not take Scripture lightly. Be transformed and changed by it. It's not something where we can pick out passages we like and feel good about ourselves. We MUST take it to heart when we're instructed by something so powerful.

Love and peace,
MG

Southern Baptist Convention meeting-pastors' conference

Believe it or not, you wouldn't think that something like this would be so exciting. One thing I've learned is that God takes all of the garbage that you desire to keep away... For instance, I'm very sarcastic on multiple occasions. God is changing that because I am realizing that a lot of people are sensitive and can be hurt by words. By the way, the "sticks and stones" mess is garbage. Read James chapter 3. YES THE WHOLE CHAPTER!

Another thing that I've learned is that it's good to take advice from a variety of sources. I worked a prayer station at a trolley stop in Orlando the other day, and I was told that my lip ring made me look "like the world." I didn't know how to take it, as it was someone I'd been talking to for a while and had come to respect. In this case, I walked back to the hotel (about 2 miles or so) and reflected. What did God want out of this situation?

Here's where the "second guy" comes in: I was talking to a guy, namely Damon, at the Convention Center about this situation.. as I was battling with the thought of taking my lip ring out for registering messengers for the meeting. Out of respect, I did. Damon, however, said to me "but when the convention is over and you plant your church (God's church), I want you to put that lip ring back in and stretch your ears out. It doesn't matter what you look like. It's your heart."

Truth be told, both opinions could've been backed up by Scripture. However, God does not intend for His Word to break you down in a way that would cause you to feel bad about yourself. It's about being confident in who God has made you to be, and being willing to change things about you to mold to His likeness. We were created in His image, so we must take care as to not adapt His image into our hermeneutic (interpretation).

The essential lesson learned here is that there will be people OF GOD who will say things that could offend you. You don't necessarily have to take all of the criticism you hear, IF YOU'RE IN THE WILL OF GOD. If you're not, maybe you need to have your attention redirected.

Hopefully and prayerfully we will all find God's way for our lives.

Comment or email me (msgdob86@gmail.com) and we'll talk about our experiences!

Peace

adding to the previous post... very briefly

Some common problems that could be lessened greatly by seeking God and staying in His word (also, a group of Christian fellowship does miracles too):

Pornography addiction
Sexual addiction (without being married)
Gossip
Slander
Bitterness
Unrest

and many more...

These are just some examples of things that could easily entangle you if you're not super careful. Hebrews 12:1-3 reads

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

If these words don't encourage or touch you in some way, you need to check your heart situation!

Love and peace
MG

Forgotten God

This book by Francis Chan is phenomenal. For some reason, his writing style is so honest and genuine that it draws me to read further and actually study what I'm reading about.

The book is essentially about how we neglect the Holy Spirit in our churches and daily lives as if we can do things without guidance from the true Helper. Honestly, we can do things without God... but not very successfully. I know that I ran for a long time and knew that the Holy Spirit was breaking my heart for the things and people around me. I was running from salvation and from the One I needed to rescue me.

I will not say that once I allowed the Holy Spirit to fill me I was able to do everything with ease. On the contrary, things can get more difficult from time to time. However, I have seen that God makes things more clear the more you invest your time and effort in Him. The more you know about God, the more you know essentially what your task is. This sounds weird, but maybe you don't know what your life is supposed to be like. Maybe you don't have a huge set of goals to accomplish before death. The thing is, your general task is very clear: to carry out the Great Commission in the best way you know how; albeit through secular jobs, ministry roles, or being homeless, God can and will work through the gifts you've been given.

Back to the Holy Spirit.. We can do things (even church) without God, but no successfully.. I know I repeated myself from before, but this is true. It's also in Forgotten God. In a nutshell, Chan illustrates that with a charismatic speaker, great production equipment, and an awesome praise band, anyone would be entertained and/or kept inside of a church for a couple of hours. The main point is that they won't be eying God.. They will have been talking about the service, speaker, and the band.

When was the last time the church focused on the Holy Spirit, and moving as He guides us? How is it even possible to claim Christianity without acknowledging the existence and movement of the Holy Spirit?

A challenge I would like to extend to all of us is this: be sensitive to God's calling in your life. If it's ministry, drop all else and DO IT. If it's getting out of a job where you've broken bridges for ministry, LEAVE. God didn't give much direction to anyone in the Bible without them taking the step towards Him first.

For example, Abram was told to GO before he was told WHERE (Genesis 12:1-3). Through this obedience, he was blessed so much past what he could have seen when he was first asked to go. Peter didn't know exactly what was going to happen to him when he stepped out of the boat (Matthew 14:22-33). Peter sought the Lord and said "if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." He asked what the Lord wanted of him, and did it.

If you have any doubts about God's call for you, press into Him. Ask Him what it is, holding nothing back. You may be afraid of what He has called you to do, but you should not be afraid to be bold and do it. Be bold family, and be what God is calling you to be.

Peace
M

Healing

Some of us have a skewed view of healing. As a matter of fact, many of us believe that healing is complete rejuvenation and/or being "fixed" by God. If you notice in the New Testament, many were healed in different ways by Jesus; through touching his cloak, just having faith in him, etc. These ailments have ranged all the way from leprosy to blindness, what-have-you.

One thing we've failed to realize is that God is God. He heals in His time and in His special way. Jesus waited until Lazarus was dead on purpose, that His glory would be shown through the event of healing. For example, Zac Smith, a former staffer for NewSpring, passed away on May 16. He had a form of cancer that once was "healed," but came back and killed him. Zac, through having cancer, developed a stronger relationship with his family and ultimately God. His life was fulfilled, and God had accomplished what He wanted to through Zac.

After Zac had learned and done all that God had for him, He took him away. THAT is healing. His body was no longer in pain or suffering, but now moved on to be with the Lord.

The question I have for us is, "what in your life needs healing? On top of that, what does this healing ultimately look like? Is it what YOU want, or are you able to see what the Lord wants for you?

I pray that as we all grow in the faith, God would use us and heal us the way HE sees fit. Not our will, but His.

Love and peace guys!

Michael

something I've figured out that is pretty common knowledge

Everyone has junk.. whether we admit it or not, we all have things we're afraid of or ashamed of. This could be something simple, like our parents; or something more complicated, like OCD or something that bugs us that we cannot get over. What we ultimately need is to trust in God to heal or progress those things into something useful.

On top of trusting God, we need to trust each other. There's always someone who has experienced what you have on some level or another.

This is what I'll leave tonight with: find someone you trust and who trusts you and invest.. Your LIFE.

Be good folks
Good night
MG

Purity... looking back

This may be a touchy subject for those who are too scared to admit that they have problems with this.. On the other hand, I am going to dive right in.

Purity is something I've struggled with from day one. This started when I was in middle school, realizing that girls were becoming desirable to me. The fact was, I wasn't exactly the most desirable person myself. I didn't prepare myself to be ready for the most beautiful girl in the world to come into my life, so she didn't. Things like these situations led to me feeling inadequate, so I resorted to bad decisions judgmentally. This mainly included dating people that weren't right for me, etc.

I knew what purity was, God's desire for my purity, but I wasn't fully convinced. I lived life as if I would go with whatever came up in a situation. In 9th grade, I started drinking and such, so my judgment decreased even further. After a few kiss-less relationships, I wondered what it'd be like to experience something more than a friendship with hugs, in essence. This led to compromise: not necessarily of sexual proportions, but of the fact that I was settling for mediocre or something that wasn't right for me.

When I started college, judgment was at an even worse downfall. I was popping pills, smoking marijuana, and drinking. Around this time, I was pretty aware of my attractiveness and who would go after someone like me. The problem was that these weren't exactly the right girls. They were willing to sacrifice their purity for anyone and anything. In February 2005, this all changed for me. I truly repented and was saved from that point on. I withdrew from my harmful friendships, quit drugs and smoking, and was able to follow God with more strength and vitality than ever.

This isn't where the story ends, folks.. I still struggle with earthly desires. I'm still imperfect.. And it's still a work in progress.

The best advice I can give you (guy or girl) is to wait until you know exactly what you're doing to get involved with someone of the opposite sex. Not just sexually, but emotionally and mentally as well. Don't mess around when it's not what God wants for you. Just think of the "leftovers" that your spouse will be receiving after you've done all that you have.


Sorry for the length of this post, but I thought I'd be real with you guys. I feel no need to hide behind a cloak of sin-safety. On the contrary, James 5:16 says for me to confess my sins to you so that you can pray for me.

Please pray that I'll maintain chastity and purity from here on out. It would mean a ton in order for God to carry out the ministry He's called me to.


Thanks
MG