Hey Friends,

This week starts the second half of the year. For many that is not a big deal, other than the year is flying by! For the other half it is a big deal because you should be halfway through your Personal Growth Plan for 2010! This is a milestone for most of us. I’ll bet if most of us were honest, we might be just a little behind our plan. Are you? Did you realize the year was halfway over?

I have to be honest with you; I am a little behind. The faster the year goes, the farther behind I get. My first mistake this year was not looking at my plan often enough. If you are not inspecting your plan, you probably shouldn’t expect to complete it. That’s where I got busted.

I have been writing, so that usually puts me behind in my reading. I’m right where I need to be in Bible reading, but with other books – not so good. How about you? Have you pulled out your plan lately? Where are you with your Bible reading and study?

I also have to admit this is where I blew it last year. Now, I am going to review my plan weekly or daily until I catch up. Personal growth is not something that can be done in a day. It is the journey of a lifetime. Disciples are not made in a day, but they are made daily! I love the discipline of Daniel. He prayed three times a day. He stayed close to the Lord because of his daily disciplines. How are yours?

This is just a friendly reminder that this past weekend was half-time. You got a day off and had some great fun. Now it is time to get down to business. Pull out the plan you did last December and get back into the race.

Just a thought,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

I love the quote that says: “private victories precede public victories!” Let me put it another way; the things done privately will give us the results we want publicly.

What am I talking about? We almost all want a supernatural ministry. We want to be used by God and we want to carry the anointing of God. That is what is seen and manifested publicly. Before that will be experienced by a leader, it must be lived out in our prayer closet.

So, let me ask you, how is your closet time? The devil will do anything to keep you out of your prayer and devotional times. He knows our power source is our time with the Lord. It was the same for Jesus while He walked among us. He often stole away for times with His heavenly Father. God is our source.

Let me ask you again, how is your prayer time? Red hot or cool? Are you walking in passion or passing? Red hot sermons are developed in the hot oven of our devotions. It’s amazing that some pastors want to lead people on fire when they are not too hot themselves. If you have a polar bear in the pulpit then you will have ice cubes in the pews.

What about your fasting? It’s another thing done in relative obscurity that produces power that is seen by all. How often do you fast? To what degree are you seeking the presence of the Lord?

How about being filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit? It is critical in our leadership and yet a private pursuit. So, are you pursuing? If you are filled with God people will know it.

I could list several other disciplines that are done in private and yet their fruit is seen in public. Most everyone wants the public showing without private sowing. It does not work that way.

Let me challenge you to seek The Savior and His presence and you will be a more powerful and efficient leader. Prayer is not a pastime but prime time.

Just a thought,

Pastor Chris

Hey Friends,

If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you KNOW that I am the chief fan of the spiritual disciplines. I love them and God has used them in my life so many times to draw me closer to Him. With that said, if you are not careful you can allow your devotion and disciplines to be a drudgery or duty instead of a delight.

Most of us enjoy eating food and if someone prepares our favorite dish we get excited! There are several dishes that will cause my mouth to water. I want my spirit to be hungry for the things of God – to be ravishingly hungry for the Word and for fellowship with the King of heaven. There is no way that rote, religion, and ritual impress God. Passion, zeal, and desire impress Him. People seeking Him with their whole heart move Him. Placing Him as the priority and loving Him more than anything else moves Him.

Do your disciplines draw God? Are you coming at Christ with a driving passion and a prayer life that gains the ear of heaven? I think that is the kind of heart the Lord listens to, don’t you? Now, like food, you have to eat and we must be in the disciplines – but let’s love it!

As leaders, let’s love the Lord to the level others can follow. Don’t allow the delight of your devotion to become a duty. How sad that would be. Don’t let your devotion miss the mark, which is the heart of God.

If you were to rate the heat of your heart in your devotion and disciplines, what would it be? On a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being cold and 10 being red hot, how would you rate?

1——–2——–3——–4——–5——–6——–7——–8——–9———10

Time to crank up the heat!

Love you and I mean it.

Pastor Chris