Archive for January, 2009

31
Jan

B Inspired :)

By chuck 4 Comments
Categories: Announcement and Message with Video

Happy Saturday Everyone!

Isn’t that video INSPIRATIONAL! This guy Cody Jacobs posted it on his facebook and it rocked me so much I had to pass it on to my loving bloggers!

It’s superbowl weekend guys and gals… wooot wooot wooot! We’re watching it on the BIG SCREEN at Destiny Family Center… party starts at 5:30pm. Pick up the details in this weeks edition of the Destiny Times.

About 8 years ago, we we’re staying in St. Louis, preaching a 60 day extended revival at Word of Life Church. The amazing Christian people we were staying with owned a few banks and gave my son Coree and I very sweet tickets to a St. Louis Rams game. Kurt Warner was quarter back… and that was a year they ended up going to the Superbowl! At St. Louis Family Church we were able to meet Kurt Warner, Ernie Conwell, Isaac Bruce and a few other players who were authentic Christians. Most impressive was Kurt Warner and his wife… amazing people! Their love for God, for each other, and their children… and their compassion for hurting people is as real as it gets!

I few years ago… Kurt Warner was in a career slump and the whole sporting community turned on him. Kurt was kicked to the curb… traded off to the Giants and then to the Cardinals. Nobody really thought they would hear much from this washed up quarterback again… until NOW! Who would have believed that the “Arizona Cardinals” would be going to the super bowl this year? And leading in the QB position: Kurt Warner! Whatever happens at this 2009 superbowl… I am happy that Kurt Warner didn’t let us send him out to graze when he still had another super bowl in him! 

The moral to the story is this: We will all experience quite a few slumps in our lifetime. We must never let a few pathetic seasons and a drop in fan confidence force us to an early grave!

Psalms 37:23-24 KJV “23The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. 24Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.”   

For more on comebacks… check out my Wednesday blog, “Winning From Behind- Against All Odds!”

There is so much inspiration in sports! And I am inspired with Kurt Warner’s comeback story! Check out the Kurt Warner First Things First Website when you get the time… it’s a beautiful thing! I hope you guys have a perfect Saturday… come to Destiny Family Center tomorrow morning at 10am… oh yes, tomorrow is SUNDAY! Chat with you guys throughout the day… odeos for now!

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30
Jan

Vision: Entire High School Turns To God

By chuck 7 Comments
Categories: Announcement and Message with Video

TGIF Everyone!

The weekend is HERE… and I hope you have some really fun plans! Relax, experience something NEW, and come to church @ Destiny Family Center on Sunday @ 10am!

Our youth group is going to Richmond this weekend for Acquire the Fire… check out these two promotional videos… the first one is for Pittsburg (it’s kind of boring aimed at parents), and the second is for New York City (much more passionate aimed at teenagers and IDENTICALLY mirrors our vision for 2009)… I couldn’t find one for Richmond.

It looks like the ATF theme for this year is “Here Comes Trouble!” And it is my earnest prayer that God would start up the FIRE OF REVOLUTION in the hearts of our emerging generations through this tour!

About ten years ago, I had a vision of ENTIRE SCHOOLS BEING taken over by Gods Spirit! I saw a helicopter cam recording high school campuses as teenagers were outside their buildings on their knees turning their lives over to Jesus! In the vision, I heard the reporter saying, “This spiritual phenomenon started up today during lunch when a teenager stood to pray over everyone’s lunch… and what began as a blessing over the food has turned into a high school revolution… classes have been suspended for the rest of the day and EVERY student is being swept into this historical event.” In the vision I knew that I was watching a national news station and this event was inspiring the entire nation!

Every year, I attend the “See You At The Pole“ events and I pray for this vision to happen in my lifetime! I pray for God to inspire our young to be brave with their faith… and for a NEW COUNTERCULTER REVOLUTION to begin!

Please pray for this Richmond Acquire the Fire event, for our teens, and for all teenagers in our land…

Have a SUPER FRIDAY! Chat with you throughout the day…

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29
Jan

It’s Storytime Everyone!

By chuck 7 Comments
Categories: All Message

supermanHappy Thursday Everyone!

If you’ve been reading the comments to my recent blogs, you will know about a teenager named Hettie. Every once in a while someone comes along and BLOWS ME AWAY with their story. Hettie has that kind of story!

It all began with a tiny little Hettie… and I knew this Hettie when she was a tiny little girl… she grew up in a beautiful home… was taught to love Jesus and people… was told over and over how special she was and how God had something very special for her life… Hettie was perfectly on her way to a perfectly beautiful life.  

And then came hardship… and after a few years of significant family trouble… Hettie was left in the wake of a ferocious divorce… forced to leave her beautiful house… left without a beautiful home. Over the next few year, Hettie descended into the depths of living hell… doing things she vowed to never do… going places she vowed to never go… becoming a person she had vowed to NEVER be. Hettie lost her way… and mostly all the onlookers lost their hope that Hettie would ever rise again.  

And then came happiness… and just about the time when all hope was GONE… like a super hero swooping down out of nowhere, God flew down to Hettie’s rescue! The story of Hettie’s BEFORE and AFTER is so far fetched… people will wonder if she’s making it up! Yet, this is her story… an inspiration to me and so many others!

And next comes hope and future… and as god told his prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the PLANS I HAVE FOR YOU… plans to prosper you and not harm you… plans to give you a HOPE, a FUTURE, and an EXPECTED END!” I am on the EDGE OF MY SEAT about what is next for Hettie… praying for her day and night… knowing that there is something special about this young lady… hopeful that God, who has begun this MIRACLE RESTORATION is going to finish what he has begun! Hettie has a gigantic gift of influence… and Hettie is a pristine communicator.

And today comes STORYTIME… and Hettie is telling her story at Riverheads High School, in front of her peers… the story must be told… it’s burning in Hettie like a fire… this morning at 8:45am Hettie will make her case for Christ… she will describe her amazing before and after… and I WILL BE THERE TO HEAR IT LIVE!

The Apostle Paul told his story to King Agrippa in AD60… told about how badly he was persecuting the church and killing Christians… told about how Jesus SWOOPED DOWN and KNOCKED HIM OFF HIS HORSE… Paul told Agrippa what Jesus said to him…

“The voice answered, ‘I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down like an animal. But now, up on your feet-I have a job for you. I’ve handpicked you to be a servant and witness to what’s happened today, and to what I am going to show you. 17-18“‘I’m sending you off to open the eyes of the outsiders so they can see the difference between dark and light, and choose light, see the difference between Satan and God, and choose God. I’m sending you off to present my offer of sins forgiven, and a place in the family, inviting them into the company of those who begin real living by believing in me.’ 19-20“What could I do, King Agrippa? I couldn’t just walk away from a vision like that! I became an obedient believer on the spot. I started preaching this life-change-this radical turn to God and everything it meant in everyday life-right there in Damascus, went on to Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside, and from there to the whole world.”

Have a very fun day you guys… think about your own personal story… how long has it been since you told your beautiful story? In a world overrunning with bad news… we should tell our story a hundred times a month! Oh the people out there, just waiting for storytime… longing for someone to sit down beside them and tell how it started… on to where it all fell apart… on to the mighty rescue… and on to HOPE AND A BEAUTIFUL FUTURE! Dear bloggers, please tell your story to someone today…

Chat with you guys and gals throughout the day… love you guys!

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28
Jan

Winning From Behind- Against All Odds!

By chuck 10 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

never-give-up_jpg_640Good Morning Everyone,

Bad day turns into bad week… but its not over YET. Today, I want to encourage anyone that’s ever been against all odds! I think you’re gonna LOVE IT… 

There is always a solution… always a way out of anything that threatens our survival. No matter how dark and dreary life may appear at times as circumstances rapidly deteriorate from BAD to WORSE to IMPOSSIBLE… there is ALWAYS a secret doorway well within the scope of our reach… in EVERY game, there is ALWAYS that one LUCKY play that has the power to put a struggling team back in the game. Momentum CAN shift in your favor one more time. As long as you keep on playing the game!

History proves this a million times. Comebacks are so intriguing! They give us a tangible basis for NEW faith. They suggest that we too can still come from behind and WIN OUR GAME! 

In this life, there will be many many times that each of us will find ourselves down for the count… AND counted down by every spectator. Every once in a while, even our trusty fans will start heading to the parking garage with heads hung in defeat… hoping to get a head start on the stadium traffic. And there we will be left all alone, wondering if there is ANY POSSIBLE WAY THAT WE CAN TURN THIS SLAUGHTER INTO A RESURRECTION! Can we leverage these historical odds and turn them into a historical win!   

The real challenge of every comeback is this: We must never stop scanning our scenario for solutions that most definitely exist!

When Jesus walked up to the tomb of his dead friend Lazarus, all the family was there weeping. They let Jesus know how upset they were that he didn’t get there soon enough. Jesus told them that Lazarus would live again… announcing that He was the resurrection and the life, and whoever believes in him, though he were dead, yet shall he live again! He asked for the tomb to be opened… and he called Lazarus back from the dead. From this, we can know for our own lives and our own life circumstances… that, “It’s NEVER over even WHEN it’s over!”  

So don’t accept defeat as long as there is still time on your clock! Keep your head up and your feet moving… and God will show you A WAY WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY! If you look again… and again… and again… you will most certainly find a way to TURN THIS MESS AROUND! Get up champ… you’ve been knocked down, but not knocked out YET! Get up and fight like there’s no tomorrow… stand for the things worth standing for… don’t get weary in well doing… for you SHALL reap victory in due season if your FAINT NOT!  

“We will never back down, never give in and never accept anything less than complete victory.” –President George W. Bush

“Let’s turn this slaughter into a resurrection!” –Chuck Balsamo 

Hope this helps you guys the next time you’re against all odds! Have a super day… chat with you later!

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27
Jan

Transparency…

By chuck 11 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

bad_dayGood Tuesday Friends,

Had a very discouraging day yesterday and I’m in my office this morning hoping to pray myself out of the slump it’s attempting to create. I figured the SNOW would lift me some… and it is… only slightly so far. I love snow… and I thank God for sending it TODAY. I just don’t know if a few inches and a bunch of ice of going to be enough… a foot maybe!

This is the challenge with writing a DAILY blog… I’m human. And I must say that there are some days I don’t feel like writing. There are some days I struggle for a very long time to push aside my own challenges so I can write something that will CHEER YOU GUYS ON. This is definitely one of those days!

So instead of greeting you with, “HAPPY TUESDAY EVERYONE” I started with, ”Good Tuesday Friends” ending with a comma instead of an explanation point. 

Please don’t send me a bunch of sympathy comments… that’s not my intention here. I just thought that I would discuss the subject of transparency while I could take advantage of my disadvantage! You never know when I will sink this low again… so hey, lets talk about being human today.

Transparency is defined as: free from pretense or deceit ; easily detected or seen through.

There is so much pressure in today’s society to APPEAR perfect all the time. We all want so badly to be strong and mighty every time we leave the house. We’ve been taught that people must never SEE us in our pajamas… never SEE us with messy hair… never SEE us have a single weak moment. 

Whereas, I agree that we should always take our problems to God… and never become a “needy” person who sucks our peers dry as they spend all their energy lifting us up all the time. I also believe that it is healthy for people to know that we are HUMAN… and we crash every once in a while… that we cry real hard every once in a while. Its healthy for people to know that we are not perfect… and its healthy for them to watch God bring us through challenges to victory.

I wish that more humans would live free from pretense and deceit. That more of us were more easily detected and seen through. Then our world would not feel intimidated by our front of perfection… they would not be turned off by the fakeness they likely see though anyway. But they would SEE into our hearts and watch our SAVIOR make all things beautiful! 

2 Corinthians 3:2b “Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you.” And so it shall be with us… our lives becoming open letters for everyone to read and RECOGNIZE GODS GOOD WORK IN US! 

Have a super day everyone… we are all overcomers because of Christ working in us! Chat with you later…

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26
Jan

Stories From The Streets Of Washington DC…

By chuck 3 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

img_0861img_0864img_0855img_0872img_0866

Good Monday Everyone!

I’m in my family room listing to a Kent Henry Worship Instrumental… feeling pretty overwhelmed with God’s love right now. How can I explain moments like these in human language? Every once in a while, the reality of God sweeps through my heart and mind… my eyes water, a tear slowly make its way down my cheek, chills pop all over my body… and I sit in that moment wishing it would last forever!

Like the alignment of sun, moon, and earth that brings us the rarity of an eclipse… these spiritual moments occur through the rare alignment of certain spiritual occurrences. And when they all come together at one special moment… their rarity is felt and appreciated for some time!

I suppose for me today… the components of my experience are very obvious! It begins with the Washington DC Outreach. This year, even more than previous years… I really experienced the enormity of what took place! There are so many hurting, lonely people in our earth. And while so many well to do humans point the finger down at these bleeding ones, God compels us to come to their aid! God cares about each one of them… not desiring to lecture them about the series of wrong turns they made that led them down into the gutter… He possesses us with his compassion and sends us to kneel down beside them… He gives us a message to speak… He asks us to read them a love letter… And we go with his love and his tears. He embraces them with MY ARMS… and I can feel HIM IN ME making his appeal through MY HEART.

This year, we took a team of 35+ into the frigid streets of our nation’s capitol. All day long, we gave HOPE to the HOPELESS. Even more than the message we gave them was the message we asked them to tell us. We gave them our ears… we listened to them like they mattered… and they FELT OUR LOVE FOR THEM! Their tears and ours flowed like rivers all day long.

On man “Alfrado” explained how he came to America from Elsalvador… it took him 3 months to get here, dreaming that this would be a place of new life for him. And there he was sleeping on park benches and eating food from the trash containers. Alfrado said that some nights, it’s so cold he is scared to fall asleep… that he may freeze to death and not wake up.

Another lady “Pricilla” said that she just got released from prison a year ago after being stabbed in her spine during a prison brawl. She grabbed me and made a puddle on my shoulder as she wept about how scary it is living on the streets at night! She talked about being raped and beaten over and over… and told me that she is not built for this kind of life!

Then there was “HANK”… the happiest homeless man on the face of the earth. We all left Hank wondering if we had met an angel! Just like Hank, so many of these destitute men and women gave us back so much more that we gave to them!

Throughout this day, we distributed hundreds of sandwiches, care packages, sweaters, sweatshirts, blankets, and everything else we could get into their hands. More than these… we gave them Jesus… and they took him happily into their hearts! Every single person on our team stepped out with a fearless kind of faith… they shared their personal life stories, prayed like seasoned ministers, and gave LOVE as if God himself was right there in physical manifestation!

Special thanks to Evangelist Gerald & Phyllis Mayhan for being our homeless outreach GUIDES… for their passion, their humor, and their love!

Beyond the DC Outreach, God is warming my heart today with the nearness I feel with my wife and kids, the accuracy I feel in the message I have been preaching at DFC, and the awesomeness of Gods Word stored up in my heart after reading the bible cover to cover in 66 days! All of these things have come together this morning to BLESS ME with a very SPIRITUAL MOMENT. To God be the glory for all of this… and for filling my life with his amazing love! I pray that he will work in all of us more and more… and more and more! That we will RISE AND SHINE in 2009… that we will love living the life of a beautiful people in a CITY ON A HILL… SHINING for the entire world to see!

Check out the DFC webcast archive from yesterday morning to watch more on the DC Outreach… and to catch the rest of that amazing service! Chat with you guys later on…

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25
Jan

A Secret To Fruitfulness and Prosperity :)

By chuck 2 Comments
Categories: All Message

img_0824Happy Sunday Friends!

I’ve very sorry for the delayed posting of yesterdays blog… I forgot to hit the PUBLISH button!

I pray you’re having a great weekend… don’t forget to catch Destiny Family Center LIVE on the 10am webcast today! The DC Homeless Outreach was AMAZING! I’ll blog about it tomorrow morning.

My simple thought for today is this: All life begins when we FALL IN LOVE with the Word of God!

Isaiah 55:8-13 says…

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
      ”And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
      so my ways are higher than your ways
      and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. 
 10 “The rain and snow come down from the heavens
      and stay on the ground to water the earth.
   They cause the grain to grow,
      producing seed for the farmer
      and bread for the hungry.
 11 It is the same with MY WORD.
      I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
   It will accomplish all I want it to,
      and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
 12 You will live in joy and peace.
      The mountains and hills will burst into song,
      and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
 13 Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
      Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
   These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
      they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

Notice how God explains that his thoughts and his ways are HIGHER than our thought and our ways. He says, “As the rain and snow comes down from heavens… so it is with MY WORD… it ALWAYS PRODUCES FRUIT… it will PROSPER EVERWHERE I send it!”

I am living evidence… abundantly validating the authenticity of these verses! My life was divided into a BEFORE and AFTER on February 17th 1991 @ 10:45pm… when I gave my life to Jesus and committed my heart to his Word! Clearly, God sent his Word to me… that Word is PRODUCING TREMENDOUS FRUIT… and that WORD IS PROSPERING IN THE THING THAT IT WAS SENT!

Come to Destiny Family Center this morning, starting at 10am… the WORD of God will come down from the heavens like the rain and snow… it will produce fruit… and prosper in the people it is sent! Don’t forget… every service is LIVE@DFC!

Love you guys… we’ll chat later!

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24
Jan

Video: Now Is The Time… For Us To Shine

By chuck 2 Comments
Categories: Announcement

Happy Saturday Everyone!

I’m walking the streets of Washington DC today feeding the homeless, preaching the Sunday morning service at DFC,and instructing “New Testament Survey” classes at Life Christian University all Sunday afternoon. So I’m not going to be able to give you guys my normal bloggage blessings!

Check out the DFC LIVE webcast tomorrow morning… starts at 10am! Browse through this weeks blogs… there’s some very good bloggage in the archives just longing to be read again! Don’t forget… I love happy comments!

I found this video Friday morning! It goes so well with our theme of the year. Hope you enjoy it! 

I’m hoping to comment on your comments Sunday afternoon between classes. Have a blessed weekend!!

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23
Jan

Bigger Challenge, Better Training, and Braver Accountability :)

By chuck 8 Comments
Categories: All Message

peak-fitnessHappy Friday Everyone!

Another weekend is almost here! I hope you all have amazing plans. This would be a great weekend to experience something NEW. So, be creative, get off the couch… and do something you haven’t don’t before! Take a random drive to some town you’ve never been to before, have lunch and then come home. Go to a nursing home and spend a few minutes with a lonely old lady. The idea here is to break the monotony of boring routines… trust me, you’ll love it!

If you’re really looking for adventure, join us for the Washington DC Homeless Outreach. We’re leaving at 5am from Destiny Family Center, should return at 8pm. Call my office for more details. Oh, and if you’re interested in donating to this outreach… we will LOVE YOU FOREVER. Just call my office @540-337-2216 and we’ll process your donation over the phone. Please pray that tomorrows DC Outreach is the BEST ONE EVER! We’re pretty energized around here… counting down the hours! :)

I wanted to share with you guys, the 2009 Destiny Family Center Leadership Mission Statement: “This is the year of building a professional and dependable teamwork leadership through bigger challenge, better training, and braver accountability!”

Notice a few key words in this statement: professional, dependable, teamwork… challenges, training, and accountability! Them are 6 lively words… as some folks say it here in these parts! (LOL) I’m passing this on to all my blog pals so that you also can benefit from our motivating leadership statement.

Bigger Challenges: This is a year of discovering, accepting, and carrying out bold (achievable) challenges that keep us far more dependant on God!

Better Training: This is the year of mastering ministry skills through lead meetings, training sessions, one on mentorship, and self assessment!

Braver Accountability: This is the year of doing what we say we’re going to do, when we say we’re going to do it… better than we say we’re going to do it!

Read over this mission statement 7-10 times today and think about how it applies to your own life? Is this your year for BIGGER CHALLENGES, BETTER TRAINING, AND BRAVER ACCOUNTABILITY? Are you ready to break away from the boredom of simple routine and take on a selfless challenge that bounces you out of bed in the mornings? Are you willing to be the student this year… are you highly committed to the aggressive development of your talents… are you eager to turn your natural abilities into refined SKILLS? How about ACCOUNTABILITY… is this your year of NO MORE EXCUSES? I certainly hope so! It can be… and it will be… as long as you keep reading my blogs everyday!! I’m here to help… so love me for it!

Pray for the success of our Outreach… have another amazing Friday… leave a bunch of exciting comments today… chat with you guys later!

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22
Jan

My Son Replies To My Text :)

By chuck 5 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

skittles-louisiana-2003Happy Thursday Friends!

If you have kids… if you have teenage kids… then you know how difficult it can be when they start desiring friends and movies, and bowling, and football games, and going to concerts… WITHOUT YOU. Fortunately, my family has remained VERY CLOSE through these teenage years… and we still spend lots of quality time together. But as a parent it’s never quite enough for me. I LOVE MY KIDS and when I am off work, there is nothing and no humans that I would rather be with then Coree, Heaven, and of course my wife Emily! :)

Heaven is far more expressive then Coree… when she comes through the doors, it’s like a mob of 1000 walked in with her… hyper activity gone wild! Heaven texts me about random things in her life… she calls me a few times day… she plops down beside me in the family room and talks about everything happening in her world… and I LOVE EVERY MINUTE OF IT.

Coree is more quite than Heaven. Oh yes, he has his hyper moments… and he’s the comedian of our family, always making us belly laugh about something! But he’s not a words guy like I am. He only calls when he has a question or a request… never texts me about random things… doesn’t even return the texts I send to him. Every week, I send Coree texts about how great of a son he is… and how proud of him I am… or about how I am praying for him… and never get anything back… NOTHING. Just SILENCE… UNTIL this TUESDAY!!!! :)

The glorious moment began on Monday night, we all went to watch a friend from church play basketball… and Coree took a date… real nice girl! Of course he asked to drive my car because he was conveniently low on gas. At the game, Kaylyn had a bag of Skittles… I LOVE Skittles! So on Tuesday morning I got in my car and guess what Kaylyn had left in my drink holder? Half a bag of Skittles!! So I texted Coree and said, “Tell Kaylyn thanks for the Skittles!” Of course he knows that Emily and I are in training for a few marathons this year and Emily smacks my fingers when I touch candy! So this was a BIG DEAL!

About 20 seconds after the text… guess what! My glorious INCOMING TEXT sound went off on the phone… COULD IT BE? Did I just receive a REPLY FROM MY BELOVED SON? Yes!! Coree replied to my message… and he said, “LOL!” Just three letters… but it’s a start! :)

I called Emily and told her COREE JUST TEXTED ME… she asked what he said… and I told her… “LOL!” (Laugh Out Loud for all you text illiterate folks) It was such a moment of warmth… the sun shined on my gloomy day… my frown turned into a SMILE… I wet my pants- just kidding! LOL… LOL! This is now one of my favorite phrases… every time I see it for the rest of my life I will remember that REPLY FROM COREE!

Why am I wasting your day with this very personal story? Because I had a spiritual thought about this that I wanted to pass on to you guys. If I get this excited about my sons reply… just a simple “LOL”… how much excitement must God receive whenever we REPLY TO HIM. I think about all the times throughout each day he must be texting us… hoping for a LOL. How many times he does something beautiful for us… he answers a request… and then he watches and waits for his INCOMING TEXT sound to go off.

Let’s respond to Him far more than we do most of the time… talk to God about the random things going on in our worlds… look up a few times a day and say something that will MAKE GODS DAY!

Hope you enjoyed this message… I love you guys and I just finished praying for you. Have a most outstanding Thursday!

Oh, I almost forgot: We’re going on the Washington DC Homeless Outreach on Saturday. If you’re interested in making a donation towards this outreach, please call my office today or tomorrow @540-337-2216 (9-5pm). Your contribution will make a tremendous difference in the lives of so many people! Thanks a bunch!!

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