Really looking forward to delivering this message this Sunday to the church on volunteerism.

There is an interesting story about he Six Day War – Syria Occupied the Golan Heights that is situated up on a mountain that looks down over the sea of Galilee and the Syrians could just look down and pick the Israelis off with ease. up until the six day war ….

Israel is a nation of citizen soldiers. Every able-bodied man and woman must complete three years of full-time military service, after which time they become reservists serving one month a year in the military until age 50. In a country of only six million or so, it is an enormous drain on the economy each time a reservist is called up from the private sector to serve in the military. At the beginning of Israel’s military incursion into the West Bank two months ago, 20,000 reservists were called up. In the U.S., that is the equivalent of almost 1,100,000 being called. If a few hundred noncombatant volunteers can do the work of a few hundred reservists, the country has a lot to gain economically.

In the nation of Israel and in its history …they have an amazing track record of winning wars

In the time of war every villager is a volunteer…in a time of war ….every able bodied man up to the age of 55 is inlisted in Israel’s army.

Everyone is inlisted…everyone is involved …..They have a volunteer spirit.

We need to have the same mentality in the church …every member is a minister

Every body fights in the battle….every person is a passionate patriot!

This week we open up our food bank ministry to the community and tonight we introduce to our college group our servant evangelism strategy.

Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; – Psalm 110:3

Really looking forward to our two session seminar at Embry-Riddle University that starts next week.

We all ask ourselves these basic, but crucial questions. And the answers you’ve heard can change depending on who you ask. What things about life and the way the world works and our future can we actually know?

For two weeks we’re going to spend some time looking at how the Bible tackles some of these poignant and important questions. Can God’s story and God’s Word be trusted? Start asking questions and come test it out for yourself.

 The two sessions will be presented in two formats.

Week 1 – Questions about Humanity – Monday November 3, 7:00 P.M.

Week 2 – Questions about Divinity – Monday November 17th, 7:00 P.M.

I will be blogging along the way to let you know how this experiment works.

Here is an added photo of our panel people.

The night turned out great!

I love that scripture.

I think the key is the “with God” part.

That little preposition. “with” is the greek word παρά (para). It means to be beside, near or in close proximity.

This morning in my time of prayer it was like the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said the most important thing is not just the mission, but having a nearness to God in the mission.

Proximity is a place of nearness.

Whenever we take on a God – sized challenge, proximity to God is not optional.

With God all things are possible.

Really looking forward to this last message in the series “My Favorite Pair Of Genes“.

It interest me in seeing how our spiritual DNA is planned by God but yet developed by our surroundings and influences.

The spiritual family we grow up in really impacts the trajectory of our outlook and our outcome.

This weekend we are going to look at how God fits us in our spiritual family to develop us into his image.

The whole process is really miraculous if we will just let it happen and not short circut God’s plan.

So many people fight against fitting in God’s family and therefore ultimatly end up fighting against God’s plan for their lives.

I love being “fitly framed together ” Ephesians 2:21 (kjv)

Getting ready for another Wednesday night Bible study.

While I’m thinking about it, I added up all the Wednesday night services I have lead since starting in full time ministry in May of 1980.

If you subtract vacations I have lead 1436 Wednesday night services.

I have not missed one Wednesday night because of sickness over the past 28 years.

Wow, right up there with Brett Farve.

Ummmm, I wonder why we picked Wednesday nights?

Just a brief scan of today’s top headlines can give humanity a major headache.

Reading some of them this morning really makes me think we are living in the end times. but having a biblical world view takes some of the confusion out of the mix.

– North Korea bars U.N. inspectors from main nuclear reactor, plans to reactivate plant.

– school massacre in western Finland, eight women and two men were killed by the 22-year-old gunman.

– Wall Street in Free Fall. worse loses in years.

– Speaking before the United Nations Assembly, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the “American empire in the world is reaching the end of its road.”

– US Government is rushing through a $700 Billion package to stabilize the failing financial giants.

– “Israel Asks US for Arms, Air Corridor to Attack Iran”.

– “Iran 6 months away from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

Seems like there are millions of frustrated angry people on the globe today. I wonder if it because God has designed life to not work without him?

Nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes and famines in various places. These things are only the beginning of the birth pains.” Mark 13:8

Caleb and I took this picture just outside of Gunnison Colorado.

I love it because it reminds me of how Jesus sees us.

He calls us sheep.

If you were starting your own sports team and needed a mascot you might consider choosing the lions, tigers, eagles, or bears as they give us a sense of power and independence. I seriously doubt that anyone would consider their mascot to be a sheep. Sheep are not known for their agility, strength or independence.

Yet God has chosen the “sheep” to be the mascot of his people. Not lions, tigers, eagles, or bears, but sheep. Why? Because as God’s people we bear a remarkable resemblance to sheep. Isaiah says it best.

Isaiah 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way;

I have a cartoon that shows two sheep looking at a crowd of people and one of the sheep is saying, “All we like people have gone astray.” Unlike the bear, tiger or lion of strength we like sheep are inclined to be self-destructive. Our streak of wanting to be independent hurts us. Like a flock of sheep we need a shepherd. To live life without the Shepherd brings about our own demise.

Life Without the Shepherd:

– The Scattered Life . . .

Ezekiel 34:5 “So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered.

– The Be Eaten Life . . .

Ezekiel 34:8 “as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock”;

– The Troubled Life . . .

Zechariah 10:2 For the idols speak delusion; The diviners envision lies, And tell false dreams; They comfort in vain. Therefore the people wend their way like sheep; They are in trouble because there is no shepherd.

– The Wearied Life . . .

Matthew 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

Like sheep we are prone to wander way from the security of the Shepherd into a life of insecurity and hurtfulness.

David though he was a shepherd himself did not see himself in that light but rather that he is the sheep. We must begin to see ourselves as sheep in need of a shepherd, one who will provide, protect and prepare us for life now and everlasting.

Once you and I admit, “I need Him!” it is then the built in blessings of this shepherd led life begins to bring comfort and care to our hearts.

“The Lord is my shepherd” Psalm 23

Really enjoying this new series called “My favorite pair of Genes”.

Into week two so far and the series seems to fit really good.