.change

Isn't it amazing how people change? In my life, I've seen considerable change for the better. From the moment I gave my life to Christ when I was 8 years old in Children's Church those many years ago, to where I am now, great change has occurred. Sure, there have been moments of relapse to where I was saying and doing things that weren't the things you'd imagine a Christian would say or do. But I've learned that those things are the old me. And as a result of being a son of God, the old me is dead and gone...and every day that I don't reinforce that death is an opportunity for the old me to zombiefy!

As I've changed, my view of God has changed. And as my view of God has changed, I've changed even more. God is a loving Father who cares immensely for His children. He doesn't use sickness or disease to teach us something any more than an earthly father would discipline his child by breaking his leg. He doesn't dismiss us from the family if we make a single mistake or even if we go our own way and spend all we have on horrible decisions and regretful mistakes. See the father's response when the Prodigal Son came running home. He didn't shun the son, but rather welcomed him with open arms, the family signet and a kickin' party! How could we picture God in an opposite manner? If Karis were to ever run away from home (which she will not!), I would not only want her to come back, I'd go searching for her until I found her. This IS the God we serve! Jesus said, "I came to seek and save the lost." (Luke 19:10)

Not only have I changed, but my future has changed as a result. And the good news? Yours can too. Perhaps your view of God needs a little shifting. Maybe you could stand some change in your Viewmaster. Click the orange handle and get a change of scenery. The heart of the Father towards His children is unconditional love, unlimited grace and unending provision. Once you see Him that way, the way you see yourself will change as well.

.better than a bird

.impact

At Good News Church we have decided to have 4 weeks of Impact meetings along with Wild n Wacky Week for kids and daytime outreaches. To date, we have prayed with 2029 people to be saved. We've passed out countless bottles of water, encouraged many people who were already saved, and have seen hundreds of instant miracles in the services AND on the streets.

Our students have stepped up like never before and we are excited about partnering with God to reach our city with the gospel. I had the opportunity to pray with a woman who had lung cancer and had a lung removed surgically. Since the operation she had experienced severe pain in her back constantly. I told her family members who had requested prayer for her that they were about to witness a miracle before I laid hands on her and prayed. With mouths agape and eyes wide open, they were astonished when I prayed for her and the pain left immediately. Even the woman herself had a surprised look on her face. Ha!

Jesus said in Mark 16 that one of the signs that follow believers is that they would lay hands on the sick and they would recover...one translation (CEV) says they will also heal sick people by placing their hands on them. We've seen this scripture backed up by the power of God time and time again this week as we've acted on it with boldness and expectation.

Go, therefore, and do likewise!

.plumbing & jesus

Over the years I've had to do quite a few plumbing projects around my house...replacing faucets, diverter valves, and even the floaty ball thing that's in the back of your toilet. After getting my hands dirty and feeling the thrill of victory upon a job well done, I can still declare with authority that I am NOT a plumber. I merely dabble in plumbing when the need arises.


Here's a thought: Don't most Christians identify with Christ the way I identify with plumbing? Perhaps we dabble in the great commission of preaching the gospel with signs following. Maybe we offer to pray for a mere percentage of the folks who complain about physical symptoms of sickness or disease. On a rare occasion, we might share a kind word to someone in need of encouragement.


I don't call myself a plumber. I do call myself a Christian. In essence, I am Christ to my world. Jesus said this in John 14:12 "Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do...and even greater works!" Let's stop dabbling and start doing!

.a culture of miracles

We've had an awesome beginning to 2010 here at Good News Church! Pastor Matt shared with us how God told him it would be a monumental year and we have really latched on to it. One of my volunteers gave me a book to read way before last summer. I promised I would, then stuck it in a drawer until it made its way to the very bottom. As part of this monumental year, I made a goal to read 30 books. When asking via facebook for some book suggestions, this volunteer brought up the book she had loaned me. So I read it. In a few short days, I devoured "They Told Me Their Stories" by Tommy Welchel. It sparked something in me that would set ablaze my entire philosophy of ministry.

God spoke to my heart and told me that we should create a culture of miracles here in our youth ministry. After all, what is youth ministry? Ministry to youth or youth DOING ministry? I prefer the latter. So, we're committed to having a culture of miracles here and we ARE having it! As a matter of fact, at every O2 service we've had this year, there have been miracles...instant healings, salvations and students filled with the Spirit. Last month, a student was healed of Crohn's disease, among others who were healed of all kinds of ailments.

The early church was built on a platform of miracles through sharing the gospel, so why shouldn't today's church be built that way as well?

.it's been a while

How long has it been since your last post? For me, over four months! Wow!

I personally subscribe to a particular blogger that updates his post every single day. It's not long, but it's potent. It's not time-consuming to read, but I imagine the thoughts contained took a little while to pen. What if we all took a little time each day to reflect on the things that we've learned that could help someone else? What if we shared those ideas with others and actually helped them? What if we stopped focusing on ourselves so much and looked outward to influence a generation? Maybe there's one thought you could share today that would impact someone for a long time to come. Be a fork in the road and force those you encounter to make a decision on where their lives are headed.

.something to work with

We just finished our eleventh IMPACT service at Good News Church tonight. We've spent 6 days on the streets offering to pray for people & sharing the gospel with them. We've had services every night since Sunday, July 12. All in all we've had 953 people saved through the ministry at the church in just a week and a half!

It's so true that if you just give God something to work with, He'll use you and it will blow your mind what He can do in and through you. Here's the breakdown of people being saved:

Impact Services - 26
Wild n Wacky Kids Services - 45
Blast Kids Camp - 7
Individuals praying with others - 12 (that have been reported to us)
Outreach on the streets - 863

We've seen God do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think and He's not finished with us yet!