Fighting Fair (recap)

This past Sunday @ JTV was week 3 of our series, “I DO but sometimes I don’t”.  The topic was Fighting Fair and here are some of the notes and scriptures…

  • 2 Samuel 6:13-23 has the best marital fight in the Bible, it always gets nasty when you throw in-laws into the fight
  • Every couple fights, it’s how you fight that will determine the success of your marriage
  • The #1 thing couple fight about is money but in my short time doing marriage counseling I’ve seen plenty of throw-downs over kids, sex, TV, cleanness, in-laws, annoying habbits, work schedule.  But the worst is fighting over STUPID STUFF.  Please read 2 Timothy 2:23

Here are the 7 Steps to Fighting Fair

1) Pick your battles wisely

Don’t pick fights on birthdays or holidays.  Don’t pick every fight, only the ones that are important.  Don’t pick your battles when you’re tired, hungry or emotional.  Don’t fight before bed.

Ephesians 4:26-31

2) Focus on one issue at a time

Don’t bring a list.  One person can only work on one thing at a time, not five.

3) Don’t bring up the past

Some of us need to let go of, forgive , and heal from past hurts.  The Bible says that there is a root of bitterness that will destroy us.  Hebrews 12:14-15

4) Speak life not death

Proverbs 12:18

Ephesians 4:29

Proverbs 29:11

5) Use “I” statements not “you” statements

Example:  I feel lonely when you’re gone so much versus You never come home

6) Never use “never” and “always”

Nobody always does something or never does something

7) Be quick to apologize

When you can’t apologize and seek forgiveness it is because your heart is full of pride.  You can’t give in, back down, be wrong, you always have to be right – you’re prideful.

Matthew 5:23-24

It’s Time

It’s time to start blogging again.  You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t written an article since July.  That last article was about the official launch of JTV and alot has been going on since then and it’s time I start sharing it with you.

Here are some current and upcoming things I’m excited about…

  • Love the current series we’re doing about marriage, don’t miss this week as I hit the subject “Fighting Fair”
  • I’ve been doing alot of marriage counseling lately and really enjoy it (a couple of years ago, I hated doing any type of counseling because I didn’t think I had the patience for it).
  • TONIGHT is our Young Adults group.  It meets every other Monday night and so far has been an absolute blast.  There is nothing better than connecting with other believers on a more personal level.
  • HUGE APPLAUSE to our generous church this past Sunday.  If you missed it, we took up a special Children’s Offering to add and update some of the classrooms and equipment – AND YOU STEPPED UP BIG.  So glad to be apart of a Generous Church.
  • Also, THANKS so all of our wonderful volunteers.  Ever since our last volunteer meeting we have made some great improvements and our Sunday morning volunteerism has been better than ever.  You guys are awesome!
  • Just for future reference, I am currently working on a Sermon Series for February on the END TIMES and am super excited.  So tell all your friends, THE END OF THE WORLD, coming in February.  Don’t miss it!

Official Launch Day

Today is the official launch day of Jubilee Tri Valley Church. For the last 6 years this church has been a satellite campus of Jubilee Christian Center in San Jose but today all that changes. From this point forward, we will be completely dependent upon God and our great church body for direction and provision. We’re like the teenager leaving the house with the challenge to not just make it on our own but to build an exciting new future. This is definitely a good day and will be a memorial to us (The staff and I were just talking about having an annual Birthday Bash every year in July to count up the years and the testimonies of what God has done).

Last night I went out with Pastor Dick and a few leaders from the church to have a little celebration dinner. Pastor Dick was incredibly supportive and excited about our future. It’s fun to hear him talk about us because it takes him back to when he started JCC. You can see him reach back into his memory bank and pull up people and places and think about the past. It’s amazing to hear the trial and heartaches he went through in those early years but it seems like now he looks back at those days being some of the most fun. Last night he blessed us, encouraged us and then picked up the check (I also talked him into coming over in November to preach on a Sunday morning).

So Congratulations to JTV on the launch of a new adventure. Please be praying for us and we’ll see you on Sunday morning. God Bless!

Updated Pictures

A few weeks ago the JTV team went and did a little photo shoot with a friend of Pastor D’Andre’s.  The photo shoot went great and we all had alot of fun.  We just today updated our website pictures which you can check out under the ABOUT US portion of the website.  Here are a few of the pics that unfortunately DID NOT make the cut.  For your viewing pleasure…

Why don’t I feel God anymore?

This past Sunday, I had a short but great conversation with a young man in our church.  After service he asked me a question that I, and I think every follower of Christ has at some point asked, “Why don’t I feel God anymore?“

It seems that every person experiences this feeling at some point in their walk with Christ.  Many people have incredible moments in their lives when they first experience God and are swept away with His love and grace and their need for Him.  Following this experience is a season of fun, refreshment, excitement, newness – whatever you might call it.  But then something happens…  it’s as if the puppy love effect wears off and something changes.  When we pray, it doesn’t feel the same.  When we worship, there aren’t any more goose bumps.  When we read the Bible, the words aren’t leaping off the pages like they were before.  Why?

Here are 3 basics reasons this happens, then I’ll close on the most important issue we have to come to grips with.

1)  The Enemy Factor

There is no doubt that the moment you became a follower of Christ, you changed teams, you switched sides – and the enemy, Satan, is hacked off about it.  Before, when you were a non-believing heathen with no hope of heaven or purpose for your life, he didn’t care about you.  But all that has changed now and he would like to do nothing more than pulverize you (John 10:10).  One of the mis-perceptions of new believers is that now that you are a Christian, everything will get easier.  That’s not entirely true.  What is true is that there is a demonic force against you – challenging you, fighting you, pressuring you.  But the beauty of Christianity is not that you won’t go through anything bad anymore.  The beauty of Christianity is that no matter what you go through Christ will be with you, even when you can’t feel Him.

2)  The Sin Factor

The sin factor is real and works in a deadly cycle against you.  The cycle is simple:  Sin separates you from God.  Seperation from God makes it easier to sin.  That sin pushes you further from God.

The way to break that sin cycle in your life is to develop a lifestyle of repentance whereby you are confessing sin and moving your life in the opposite direction from it.  This is where life gets real practical.  Sometimes you have to change the company you keep, change the places you go and remove the ungodly influence in your life.

3)  The Parent Factor

This one might be the hardest to understand but I believe is still true.  God is always trying to help us grow and mature in Him.  Like any good parent, He doesn’t want us to settle for somthing less than our best.  Let me explain it like this…  When my son, Peyton, was learning to swim I would have him let go of the wall and swim toward me.  In his fear, he would always want me as close as possible and wouldn’t even let go if I got too far away.  But as soon as he would let go and begin to swim toward me, I would take a step back.  If he was still doing good, I would take another step back.  All to try and build his little muscles and even more build his confidence that he could do it while still staying close enough to cathch him when he neeed me.  Just remember that sometimes when you don’t feel His presence, it is a sign to you that you need to pursue Him all the more.

Closing:

Some of you are reading that quick list and are still wondering when you will feel that closeness with God.  Here is something that you must come to grips with.  God is not a God of feeling, He is a God of Faith.  There are going to be times in your life when all hell is breaking loose in your life and you just don’t know where God is.  That’s OK.  These are the times when you have to trust what He said and continue to follow.  Here are a couple of scriptures to store in your memory bank.

Joshua 1:9

Psalms 139:7-10

Controversy and Stress

This week we kicked off a brand new series entitled CONTROVERSY and in the opening message covered the issue of abortion.  After service, I ended up talking to a very sweet woman from our church and she said that she almost didn’t come because controversial subjects stress her out.  She did say that I did a great job of opening up the scriptures in a very clear but loving way.  At the time I thought that was funny that a person would get stressed out.  But here’s the deal – the more I got to thinking about the message and the next week to come, I started to get stressed.  I started wondering if I had bit off more than I could chew.  I began to wonder, why God put this on my heart?  Couldn’t I get something easier like… 5 Steps to Living in the Blessing or Walking in Victory?  How did I end up with abortion, gay marriage and relativism.  None the less, here we are.  If you missed this past week, go grab the podcast or you can pick up a free CD this Sunday.  Don’t miss this upcoming week as we continue to get CONTROVERSIAL.

Don’t Waste Your Life Video – Lecrae

Here is a music video based on John Piper’s new book “Don’t Waste Your Life”. I’m not even a big fan of rap music but loved this song. I dig the way Lacrae uses so much scripture in his lyrics. Enjoy.

Church Shopping

This past weekend, we kicked off a new series entitled “My Church”.  That afternoon, I was out with some friends and one of them bumped into someone that use to go to our church.  My friend asked how the family was doing and particularly how the mom had been?  And where they were going to church?  The response was interesting.  She said that her mom wasn’t going anywhere right now but that she was “church shopping”.

This phrase is only interesting because it reveals in us a certain mentality.  A consumer mentality.  Just recently I purchased a new vehicle.  So what did we do?  We looked for the vehicle that would give us the most bang for our buck.  We looked for the best deal.  We went where we got the best hook up.  We went with the car that best met our needs.  I was the consumer and I was in control.

Therein lies the problem with being a consumer for churches.  Church is never solely about meeting your needs, hooking you up or you being in control.  It’s actually the opposite.

  • Some of your needs can only be met by serving and caring for others
  • Jesus said that is was better to give than to receive – so the only bang is going to be giving your bucks to help others
  • Pastors are not there to sweeten the deal, they are there to confront you with truth that you may not like
  • Some times you’re there to be comforted and sometimes to be  challenged
  • You don’t go to church so that you can be in control, you go to church to be submitted under qualified, godly leadership

Church is in many ways the anti consumer model for those who are followers of Christ.  Jesus said more challenging things like…

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. – Matthew 16:24-25

Thrive pt 3

This past week was one of the most practical messages I have ever shared.  And the first on personal finances.  If you missed this last week, here are some of the thoughts I shared.  But whatever you do, do not miss this coming week as we look at Principles 3,4, and 5.  I promise this week will change your financial future.  See you then.

  • 90% of marriages that end in divorce before year 7 are money related
  • 80% of Americans are stressed because of today’s economy.
  • The Bible talks more about money than any other subject.  In the Bible, there are only 500 scriptures concerning prayer, less than 500 on faith.  Over 2,300 scriptures on money and possessions.
  • Jesus talks about money and possessions more than He does on Heaven and Hell combined.
  • Most of the scriptures in the Bible have more to do with management than with giving.

19″Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.    Matthew 6:19-21

  • You can’t stay a follower of Christ and not surrender your view and practice of personal finances

Finance Principle #1 – GET ON A BUDGET

  • If you worked for a company called YOU INC.  and you were the head of that corporation, would you fire you?

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 21:5

Finance Principle #2 – ACT YOUR WAGE

In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20

  • If you spend everything you make, the Bible says you are a fool.  You have to live below your means.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6

  • Don’t try to live like your parents when you start out in life.  It took them 30 years to get where they are at.
  • The first time Laney threw a temper tantrum was at the mall.  Do you know why?  She couldn’t get a pair of shoes she wanted.  We do the same thing, only in a slightly more sophisticated way – we just put it on a credit card. We correct this behavior in our children but repeat this behavior in a slightly more sophisticated way as adults.
  • God wants us to get in on His way of doing things so that He can bless us even more.

Thrive pt 2

What an awesome service this past Sunday.  The ending was the best part as we prayed for people who were dealing with sickness in their body.  I am believing God for some major miracles as I prayed for people with everything from back pain to diseases I’d never even hear of.  If you missed this past week, here are some of the notes.  Don’t forget, you can download or just listen to the messages for free at jubileetrivalley.org.

  • In Mark 4, the disciples experience the great white squall as a testing of their faith
  • Remember, some of these guys were experienced fisherman who had seen bad storms before, this one was so bad they thought they were going to die.
  • Side thought – the way you know whether or not you should be freaked out on an airplane – look at the flight attendants.  If they are freaking out, it’s time to pray.
  • Have you ever felt like Jesus was sleeping right in the middle of your crisis?
  • Have you ever been through a trial that Jesus led you into?
  • In verse 39, Jesus shows them a key to the kingdom.  He doesn’t talk about the storm, He talked to the storm.
  • Faith is released by…

(1) The size of the prayers we pray

(2) The actions we take

(3) The words we speak

  • The key to Thriving in adverse situations is to put God’s words in your mouth.

Here are some Bible Promises to keep on memory…
Fear – 2 Timothy 1:7
Guilt – 1 John 1:9
God’s Love – Romans 5:8
Provision – Philippians 4:19

DO NOT miss this week as we take a practical look at how to Thrive financially in a down economy.  You are not going to want to miss this one.  See you Sunday!