thank you Michael.....

my pastor brother Michael Harrison of www.thecommunityfellowship.org in Collinsville, VA sends out a deaily e-devotion...last week he shared in his daily e-devotion a word that blessed me.....he is often asked by others to pray for them and he seeks out opportunities to pray for others ....he shared that he has begun praying for them right there on the spot whether it is on the phone or in their presence...I witnessed this first hand at Catalyst with him, he prayed for someone on the phone and for a fellow pastor friend that he saw there.....it is easy to say I will pray for you but how often do I/we get busy or sidetracked by something else that comes up in front of me/us....thanks Michael for sharing and bringing to my attention the opportunity to immediately pray for others or someone when they ask at that moment.....last night it came to me in the form of a text message, Steve, "pray for me"....because of Michael I sent a note back asking the Lord to take care of my brother right then.....

I need to be a better listener.....

9 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

1 Samuel 3:9 (New International Version)

(from The Message) 8-9 God called again, "Samuel!"—the third time! Yet again Samuel got up and went to Eli, "Yes? I heard you call me. Here I am."
That's when it dawned on Eli that God was calling the boy. So Eli directed Samuel, "Go back and lie down. If the voice calls again, say, 'Speak, God. I'm your servant, ready to listen.'" Samuel returned to his bed.

"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or hanged."

~ President Abraham Lincoln

Swingers.....

Cool to look out back and see Rachel and Cooper both swinging
together.....fairly often we will hear one of the kids ask one of
their siblings, "do you want to go swing"...the big swing set was a
nice investment as it has provided another method for them to enjoy
spending time together...neat to see a 20 and 21 year old out there
together...

nothing......

...nothing you do in the Lord's service is ever useless..... from Luke Whitmire (see below)

http://www.lukesfoodforthought.blogspot.com/ Luke
http://www.ronstale.blogspot.com/ Ron
http://undergroundokc.blogspot.com/ Chandy

3 young adults that are doing ministry (loving, sharing, being, living, talking, doing, giving, encouraging, etc.) in downtown OKC....right in the middle of what would be considered a bad area to say it nicely...crime, prostitution, drugs, poverty, etc. ....it is hard for me to read about these folks and not be broken....these 3 (along with others) are doing it...the truth is 'real ministry is messy'...but I think that is where Jesus would be....Lord 'disturb me' to be more like you...

God wants you to....

"God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go!" from Mark Batterson

Post from email

Blessed to be a blessing....think of others first.....

good word here!!!!!! from oobe

www.oobe.com our corporate goal
Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward others, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. - COLOSSIANS 4:5-6

This is it!

In my life I must think and act like Christ. Phil. 2:5

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. Phil 2:5 (The Message)

Run through the rain....

Rain Washed Author Unknown

A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.
We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.
The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, "Mom, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mom asked.
"Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.
"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mom replied.
This young child waited about another minute and repeated, "Mom, let's run through the rain."
"We'll get soaked if we do," Mom said.
"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm.
"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"
"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"
The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.
"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mom said.
Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.
And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.
Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories... So, don't forget to make time and take opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.
I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.

'faith is the willingness to look foolish'

I love hearing the creation story of organizations so I asked Gary about the genesis of IJM. Gary Haugen, Founder and President of the International Justice Mission was working at the Department of Justice where he was exposed to high doses of injustice and he felt like he needed to do something about it so he started IJM. He said he had no idea it would become what it is. In fact, he told me he had to picture the endeavor failing and going home to live with his parents and be ok with that. I found that fascinating. And it resonated with me. Gary said he had to come to terms with the potential downside: personal humiliation. I honestly think the willingness to fail is at the heart of faith. Faith is the willingness to look foolish. copied from mark Batterson at www.evotional.com

Invest in others.....

"It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching."
St. Francis of Assisi

I heard Andy Stanley say, "invest then invite." If you intentionally and genuinely invest in others they will want to follow you. A leader genuinely cares about and invests in those he/she leads.

Lion Chasers Manifesto

Read it. Post it. Live it.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.