I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
Isaiah 6:8
Do you hear the voice of the Lord calling you to respond? He is speaking even now calling us to obey, calling us to say, “Yes” to Him regardless of what He is asking.

This is a month of change! It will be the end of winter and the beginning of spring! Not only will there be a changing in the weather but there will be a changing in our hearts. As we’ve learned to trust God more this past year He is calling us to new places, to do new things!

You already sense it, a call to pray more, a call to get out of your comfort zone, a call to be bolder and to share what God has been doing in your midst. Now is the time! Today is the day! Let us move forward with confidence knowing that God is with us wherever we go! Move past your fears, step across the chicken line and step out in faith!

Isaiah 1:19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;” The Message translation says, “If you’ll willingly obey, you’ll feast like kings.” What is God saying? I believe He is calling us to boldly declare what we believe by our actions. He is calling us to welcome change and more than anything: BE WILLING!

As I think of all that He has done for me, how he took my sins on the cross, how he forgave my sin and freed me from the power of it I cannot help but be willing. I want to shout it from the rooftops what He’s done for me! So let me ask, “Are you with me?”

What will you answer God? I hope you’re answer will be, “Here I am, Send me.”

I’m praying for you friends,

~John

Not only should we start slow (see last blog) but we should also “End slow.” It’s not only in the morning that God wants to cover you with His love, it’s in the evening too.

It’s at night when some of the most real conversations take place between husbands and wives, and children and parents and that is something that God wants to share with you and your children as well.

Scripture states in Isaiah 26:9 “My soul yearns for you in the night;” David also declares in Psalm 63:6, “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.” There is so much that happens in just one day: problems, decisions one may regret, questions, concerns, worries oftomorrow and more. If we just turn on the TV and crash we miss out on a great opportunity for reflection, peace, answers, comfort and counsel from our God.

Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call upon the Lord and He will answer you and show you great and unsearchable things that you do not know.” The Holy Spirit is not only our Helper, but also our Counselor. Have you ever had a great conversation with a friend and afterwards you felt like you had clarity and peace that you didn’t have before your conversation. This is the kind of experience the Father wants you to experience with Him at night where you give Him your cares, worries, fears, disappointments, questions and frustrations and in exchange He gives you His peace.

You’ll sleep better, wake up more refreshed and have greater joy in your heart all because you decided to “End slow.”

Get off Facebook, close your email, turn off the TV and end slow…

Blessings,

~John

I encourage you to start slow this morning…

One reason for our absence of joy, peace, & purpose in our day is because often times we hit the floor running from the moment we wake up and get out of bed.  The first thing we hear is the voice of others whether it be TV, radio, Facebook, classmates, coworkers, family, or friends.  Although those voices may at times be pleasant there is only one voice that is filled with life.

In John 6:63 Jesus said, “My words are life.”

Proverbs 4:22 says, “My words are life to those who find them.”

Only God’s word contains life!

God is the author of joy, he has a patent on peace, and he ordains purpose, if we want to experience these in our day we should start our day out slow.  Remove some of the distractions in the morning, even if its just for ten minutes.

I’m convinced that Jesus got away early in the morning so God could breathe into Him purpose and destiny.  If you want to have a truly inspired day, start slow by spending time with God.  The word “inspired” actually means “God breathed,” when we spend time with God in prayer and in His Word, He breathes into us and inspires us to love on purpose and to live for Him!  I encourage you to try it for a few days in a row and see how it effects your day.  After its proven to work for you, introduce this into your children’s lives.  Remove distractions for them and give them just a little time each morning to start slow with God.  The reward is immeasurable and it tends to have a ripple effect.

I’m praying for you friends,

-John

Do you ever get so tired & weary that you just want to give up? Do you feel overwhelmed as if you have more on your plate than you can handle? Do you spend all your time taking care of the needs of others & have no time for yourself? Do you find yourself arguing with your children whether toddlers or teenagers & you are just wore out?

If you are always last than no one is getting your best!

I can’t think of a busier man than God’s son Jesus. Think about it: once he started his ministry, loving people, healing people, changing peoples lives, people from all over sought him out. But there was one thing that Jesus (our example) always did & that was get alone to be with his father. If even Jesus had to do this regularly I believe we too must do it regularly.

Getting away (even if its for ten minutes) has a powerful effect. It often brings much needed peace, refreshing, encouragement, revitalization & focus. Getting away to have time for ourselves actually makes us better parents, better spouses, better people. So, no matter how busy you may be make time to get away. You & everyone in your inner circle will be blessed by it.

Praying for you,

~John

#BeEncouraged #LoveOnPurpose

It’s amazing to me what God can do with well…nothing!

It started in creation when God formed the beauty of creation from nothing but it did not stop there! In Isaiah God gives beauty for ashes, but what does that mean? It means he takes the nothingness of our lives and in exchange makes something beautiful from it!

So whether you feel like your life has amounted to nothing or you simply have nothing at all, you are in a perfect place! Bring your nothing to God and watch Him do something amazing with it!

Nothing in our hands is nothing, but nothing in God’s hands becomes something beautiful!

Not only can you give God your nothingness, you can give Him your everything! Give Him your stress, worries, burdens, pride, sin, broken relationships, hurt, pain, trouble, hopelessness, struggle, shame, give it all! Not just the bad, give Him the good too: your hopes, dreams, prayers, gifts, talents, and resources. Because not only does he take the nothingness and make something beautiful, He takes the bad and exchanges it with good and He takes the good and makes it great!

Like King David said, “He makes me great.” Psalm 18:35

That’s just who God is and what He does! So no matter what you have remember to give it to Him today and watch Him make something beautiful from it!