'never count God out' (copied)

copied from Kristian Stanfill, worship leader from the Atlanta area, "Jesus Paid It All" and "Marvelous Light" are two excellent worship songs he has done...even though his blog isn't updated often I enjoy the read...

what is this place?!!?
August 16, 2008
About half way through our summer a friend of mine called me and left me this message, “kristian, never count God out.” he said some other stuff too, but these words leapt out at me and stuck deep in my soul. i couldn’t shake them. what was it about those words that kept chasing me down? i realize now the reason i couldn’t shake my friend’s warning was because i was in fact counting God out. the beauty of it all is that it was in those times, when i had counted God out, that He made Himself known the most. just when i thought all was lost and that we might as well pack it up and call it quits cause nothing good was going to come from all this, we got more than we ever dreamed of.
a lot of this summer felt like i was being blindfolded, thrown into the back of a car and driven to a remote location a long way from anybody or anything that was familiar. i was scared to death to be in this new place. a place where all comfortability and predictability went out the window. i didn’t know which way to walk or what to do. i felt alone. until i stopped pitching a fit and realized who i was with. i wasn’t alone and in fact i was with the One who loved and knew me the best. God was there, and He began inspiring me and leading me to new places that i could never have made it to on my own. i had a closer, more intimate relationship with God than ever before. He spoke…i listened. He led…i followed. it was that simple. it IS that simple.
this all didn’t happen because i’m sooooo spiritual or because i take 1000mg of holiness pills everyday. this happened because God knew i was becoming a complacent follower and i needed to be shaken a little. i was becoming a revelation 3:15-16 Christian…lukewarm and in need of nothing. my proud heart of stone needed breaking and my white knuckled grip on the world around me needed to be loosened. the truth is, my heart is still breaking and becoming tender. the process isn’t over yet. even tonight as i write this post my heart is troubled because so much of what i have depended on for so long is crumbling. the days of depending solely on my gifts as a musician and worship leader are coming to an end. Leading worship and living the Christian life is less about singing and going to vacation bible school and more about complete dependence on God. The next season of my life is on the horizon and it’s all about dependence. God is teaching me that in every part of life…Him. that’s it. i need nothing else. we need nothing else.
this is really all there is to say about this past summer. i had planned on going through and sharing some details about what went down and how God changed my life forever, but i’m not going to do that. Simply…this summer was the summer that God cut a gaping hole in my “bag of tricks” and one by one they fell out until i had nothing left to rely on but His Holy Spirit and the truth that i profess to live for. i feel exposed and naked, but in beautiful, intimate fellowship with my creator.

for you Okies I believe he led worship at Falls Creek one week this summer...

up to $1.69...

Saturday, Derrick and I ran from 101st & Delaware across the Jenks pedestrian bridge around by the Aquarium back through downtown Jenks...found 5 pennies...4 of them thanks to a detail shop dumping their vaccum near the street...

found a penny....

running coin change update, up to a $1.64....found a penny this morning in the parking lot at 96th & Garnet...failed to update that I had found 3 cents and another penny over the last couple of weeks...hope to keep adding to this number if my knee will behave....

Good! makes me think..

"what you draw people with is what you draw people to."

saw this comment on Twitter from @worshiptechie

'and then some'...

great message last weekend at church to wrap up our One Prayer series...

for me...
I want to think... 'and then some'
I want to be... 'and then some'
I want to do... 'and then some'
I want to love... 'and then some'
I want to encourage... 'and then some'
I want to pray... 'and then some'
I want to give... 'and then some'
I want my life to... 'and then some'

Jentezen Franklin's message and his one prayer to 'Make Us Powerful'

http://www.lifechurch.tv/message-archive/one-prayer/5

this has resonated with me and encouraged me the last few days...Blessings!

WOW! and WOW!

saw this guy at Catalyst last year...pretty funny, comes walking into Gwinnett Arena in Atlanta with a camel...anyway, he has just started blogging...he shares about BigStuf youth camps and about Jack from Kenya, Jack lost his arms and now he testifies to the faithfulness of our big God .... Jack was at BigStuf In Florida this past week and shared with the kids there and they, read 'Africa Hears About Jack' ...read through Lanny's posts about Jack and be sure to check out this comment (scroll down to the 3rd comment, well worth the read)...you can also check out HeyJackRadio...interesting, needless to say it BLESSED me....will take some time but good.....then Text "Jack" to 23000...

btw if you would like to go to Catalyst 2008...I am going and would load up the car and drive...any interest?...

Worship...

copied from Mark Batterson, he shares, "for what it's worth, here are my personal definitions of worship and evangelism."

"Worship is bragging about God to God. "

"Evangelism is bragging about God to others."

"I think evangelism is a simple extension of worship. Let's not stop bragging about God when we walk out of church!"

then Steve says, "I catch the evangelism definition but the worship definition puts it in a different light...good stuff!"

only kind words and encouragement...

WHAT IF we refused to participate in slandering and tearing down another person?
WHAT IF every church became a cheerleader of other churches and not critics?

these are a couple of thoughts from Perry Noble this morning that are excellent...

and by the way we get to hear Perry bring it this weekend at church for the 2nd week of One Prayer, Make Us Dangerous....it will be good

backslapping not backbiting...

copied/stolen from Mark Batterson today, from National Community Church in Wash DC who is participating in One Prayer.....I took out the church name and shortened this, but the point is the same, let's be about backslapping and not backbiting!

I think there are basically two kinds of people. People who are doing things and people who aren't doing things but they need something to do so they take potshots at people who are doing things.

Come on, folks. Let's be about the Father's business.

Can I be brutally honest? The psychological tendency to try to feel better about ourselves by pointing out what's wrong with someone else is immaturity at its worst. And no where is it more prevalent than the church or in believers.

Am I saying the church or someone is perfect? No. Neither am I. And neither are you. But instead of backbiting maybe we should try backslapping.

But I'm fiercely loyal to those who have made an investment in my life. So when someone is taking some shots on the chin, I want to be the guy on the other side saying thanks!

pray more ______ less

great post today over at Swerve...Craig shared how he was struggling to prepare his messages and the Lord laid upon his heart to pray more work less...ouch, pray more, I don't have time...yea right! good greek word for that, baloney!...for me, it may be "pray more do less" or "pray more tv (sports) less"...your thoughts?...

running coin update...& Tatur Estim8ur...

not finding any change...to be honest, no running in June, have not run in two weeks...according to the doc any running or exercising I do has to be non-impact...therefore, I have been running in the pool and I am not finding any change...duh!!!...hope to pick it back up the first of July with no pain in the knee...we'll see...I still find change when I am out and about but it does not count toward this total if I do not have my running shoes on...

dissappointed that I will miss the Tatur Estim8ur Sunday morning, was looking forward to running with and chasing my beautiful bride...this is an 8 mile run on an unknown course, including pavement, hills, trails (probably Turkey Mountain), and other unknowns...the winner is the one who is the closest to guessing their finishing time not the fastest...no watches, no timing devices, no one telling you your time...you simply give them your estimate in advance...Susie is of course still doing the run, it will be interesting and fun to see what it is and how she does......

pray for Peter!

please join me in praying for Peter Jessee who is currently paralyzed from the waist down, Kramer our youngest son played hockey with Peter for several years. About 3 weeks ago, Peter's parents, Bud and Janet stopped by the house...I visited with them as they were excited about a pending move a couple of blocks over and Peter was planning to attend the University of Oklahoma in the fall as he had just graduated from Broken Arrow High School...all seems well, then something like this...speaks to the fragility of life and our health that we take for granted...I will love on my family today!...evidently there are a very limited number of cases of non-traumatic Myelopathy making this even more difficult to treat...

the story below is from the Tulsa World, Thursday 6/5/08
Ex-BA kicker paralyzed: Peter Jessee, a placekicker for Broken Arrow the last three seasons and a Tulsa World All-State honorable mention selection in 2006, is currently a paraplegic, suffering from Surfers Myelopathy. On Wednesday, he was transported from Honolulu to Denver. He was admitted to Craig Hospital’s rehab center, where he is expected to spend the next 45-to- 60 days.

“He has no feeling from his bellybutton on down,” said Jessee’s father, Bud, on Wednesday. “His spirits are good. There’s a girl here from Long Beach who had this happen to her in Maui and she is walking again after being paralyzed from the teeth down. We are hoping that will happen for Peter. He has always been a competitor.”

Jessee’s ailment, which struck almost two weeks ago on a trip to Hawaii just after graduation, usually strikes first-time surfers. There was no blunt trauma involved. Blood flow can be cut off from the lower spinal cord by the way a surfer arches his back, stands up on the board and looks back over his shoulders.

“He had been taking lessons, we had a surfing instructor and were at a place where the waves weren’t very big,” Bud Jessee said. “When he finished surfing and began walking on the beach, he said that he was in tremendous pain. Forty-five minutes later, he couldn’t walk.

“This is a nightmare and we’re all waiting to wake up. We appreciate all the calls, text-messages and prayers. Peter told me he will walk again, even if it takes him 20 years.”
______________________________________________________

if you would like to send Peter a note and let him know you are praying for him you can do so through Facebook (Peter Jessee)...

Count me in!

I enjoy hockey, okay I love hockey...was watching the 5th game of the Stanley Cup Finals Monday night which went into overtime...Pittsburgh won in the 6th period....generally a game is only 3 periods but here was a game that was tied, lasted over 110 minutes, almost 2 complete games, 4 1/2 hours....these guys were dog tired...they kept going...one guy took a puck to the face, needed a few stitches to go along with his chipped teeth, but he kept playing with some gauze hanging out of his nose...another guy went head first into the end wall trying to make a play, ended up with back spasms but was back on the ice at the end of the game...another guy took a couple of bags of fluids during the long game because he was cramping but kept playing...then this guy took a stick to the face which resulted in a 2:00 high sticking penalty to Detroit giving Pitt a power play, a 1 man advantage and he is hoping he is bleeding because the penalty then becomes 4 minutes, which it did...Pittsburgh soon scored to win the game...crazy, all of these guys are nuts...playing hurt...why?...here is what the guy who was cramping said....

Orpik insisted there was no way he was staying off the ice when he cramped up."I think the biggest thing is you never want to feel like you are letting your teammates down, especially in a game like this," he said. "You just gotta battle through it. All the guys on both sides are going through the same things. It's just one of those things that you have to grind through. A lot of times, fatigue is more of a physiological thing than anything."

Is this the way I often feel? I may be tired, maybe I do not want to play in a game like this (deal with what is in front of me at the moment) but Jesus says to do all things for Him. I don't want to let my teammates down, I want go all out. For me, my teammates are my wife, my children, my parents, friends, Lifegroup, the folks I work with, etc. You get the picture! Sure I am to relax, refresh, refuel, and be ready! Sometimes I need to play hurt (when I don't want to) and be there (when I am tired) for my teammates so they can count on me. I am about 1/2 way through life at my age. I will be there! I want to finish strong! I want to finish well! Hebrews 12:1-3 says it well and through His strength I will not grow weary and lose heart! Count me in!

...want to be about Hugs!...

my brother posted today about being disrupted at times that irritate him...my mom then followed up with a comment saying, "don't get bent out of shape when you are disturbed by a little one", then she went on to say, "how Steven Curtis Chapman would like to be disrupted by his 5 year old girl Maria today" ...ouch...makes me stop and think, how I often find myself bothered or disrupted when my children call me or talk to me when I am busy...even when my 22 or 24 year old call me as they are away at school or when my other 4 children, even being 16 to 21 years old speak to me I need to not even consider it a disturbance but an opportunity...I need to be about giving out physical hugs and word hugs to each of them...Lord, do a work in my life today!...Lord, I know what to do but I don't do it! (I am an idiot!)...I am reminded of Philippians 2:5 today, "in my life I must think and act like Christ." Seeking to remember this verse continually! then to have and express a heart of gratefulness for my wonderful children and my beautiful wife! Hugs!

my 2 cents worth!...

running coin update!...found 2 pennies in the LaFortune Park parking lot last night near the pool after taking one lap around....puts us up to $1.59...

Proud dad!...senior and class of 2008!

Our youngest son and 5th child, Kramer will graduate from Jenks High School this evening! Hard to believe that a little over 18 years ago Kramer was born, it seems like such a short time ago but yet here we are today. Kramer, I am proud of you! When I think of Kramer these are a few words that come to mind; respectful, sharp, smart, frugal(very), skateboarder, sensitive, caring, kind, friend, son, creative, wise, forgetful (he says he forgets), diligent, gentle, determined, active, fearless, generous, confident, honest, secure, talented, thrifty, quick, and funny. Kramer, I believe in you and look forward to how the Lord will use you as you grow and mature. Have a great summer! love, dad

Running coin update....plus zero!

have not found anything in a little over 2 weeks...running a little less (darn knee!) but will find some coins shortly and add to the total.....have a great day!

One Prayer!

I am fired up about One Prayer!...thrilled to be a part of
Lifechurch.tv...partnering together with close to 800 churches and
over 500,000 believers throughout the world...praying that the church
will be united as One...that barriers will be lifted and broken down,
division would cease to exist in the hearts of believers and their
churches.... that others would recognize Jesus in us...that we would
step up within our communities, being real...loving and serving
others...join in...let's work together to engage in the awesomeness of
our Lord...

Happy Birthday Seth!

Seth, our oldest boy is 24 today...hard to belive that 24 years ago today at St Johns Hospital in Tulsa, Seth Douglas was born. Name after both of his grandfather's, Seth now lives in Oklahoma City and goes to hair design school in Edmond. He will finish school this summer and begin working at ??. I am confident that Seth will do well! At the age of 21 and 22 were Susie and I ready to be parents, not sure but here we are today. I remember talking to Susie on the phone when she was at the hospital with Seth and heard him crying in the background. I said please ask the Dr. when he will stop crying, his answer, when he is 18. Then we took him home to our apartment, he was a good little boy/baby but I do remenber him crying for quite a while one night and the only thing that would calm him was walking circles in our small kitchen as he looked at the light. The joys of parenting or of learning to parent. We are still learning.

We will leave here shortly for OKC and go see Seth. He will cut Susie's hair this afternoon, we will take him to dinner this evening and probably go shopping with/for him a bit. Looking forward to spending the time together.

Seth, I am proud of U! I believe in U! Have a wonderful day! Love, dad

Impressions....

If someone only met me one time, what kind of lasting impression would I leave them with? Would they recognize Christ in me? ouch!!

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

I am of course reminded of how impressionable my children are...even though they are now 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, and 24 they are still watching and noticing what there daddy does. What do they see? Phillipians 2:5 hits me good!