Archive for March, 2009

31
Mar

Quick 2 Listen/ Slow 2 Speak/ Slow 2 Become Angry :)

By chuck 11 Comments
Categories: All Message

Good Morning Friends,

Guess what?? We’re going to be adding a few video clips from my recent teaching “30+ Thoughts on Effective Evangelism.” Look for these clips on this blog site over the next few days!

Today’s thought deals with the subject of self control and learning to ENTRUST our lives into the loving hands of God in all life’s circumstances. Too often, we take matters into our own hands and really make a mess of things! Maybe this blog will help… 

James 1:19-20 “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.”

Quick to listen… Slow to speak

  • Because things are not usually as they first appear… don’t speak from misinformation.
  • Listening is an act of respecting others… and a sure sign of wisdom.
  • Wise people use less words and last words.
  • Being the last person to speak positions you to be the most informed speaker.
  • When possible, always talk to God before responding to people.
  • When speaking in your own defense, don’t speak unless prompted by the Holy Spirit.
  • Even perfect words can be misinterpreted… many times; silence is more powerful than a mighty argument.
  • Silence gives God a chance to do the impossible.

Slow to become angry

  • Anger is a manifestation of fear.
  • Fear is an antonym for faith.
  • Anger is mans way of responding to adverse circumstances in his humanity.
  • Anger is not a God approved method for handling adverse circumstances.
  • Victory obtained through anger is not really a victory.
  • Anger manipulates people and circumstances… and never brings the kind of lasting victory God has for his children.

A person who is quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry… is a person who has learned to trust that God is bigger than people… and that life works out best when left in God’s hands. God loves, God is merciful, God is just… and God is ABLE to work ALL THINGS OUT FOR OUR GOOD AND HIS GLORY! 

Today’s blog is written from a lifetime of painful experience… it’s comes from the chronicles of this bloggers decades at the school of hard knocks! I pray it adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! We love you and we thank God for you… tootaloo!

30
Mar

Staying Clear of Self Absorption :):):)

By chuck 3 Comments
Categories: All Message

Good Morning Everyone!

I’m writing today’s blog from AMC where I’m waiting for a church member to breeze through a pretty significant back surgery! This is one of my favorite parts of ministry… just making someone’s day by walking through a scary moment by their side! Peggy Sabo lost her husband two years ago after 51 years of blessed matrimony! And to surprise her with a 6:15 am loving hug… it was just as much a blessing to me as it was to her!

Yesterday was beautiful for the most part. We had three people give their lives to Jesus at Destiny Family Center in the morning service, two people baptized with the Holy Spirit in the evening discipleship group, and an AMAZING time at the Evangelism Conference at White Hill Church of the Brethren. I taught ”30 Plus Thoughts on Effective Evangelism”… good times!!

My inspirational thought for today is this: Don’t miss an opportunity to BLESS others due to the curse of self absorption.

Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Too often, we become so absorbed with our own life challenges that we fail to recognize what’s going on in the hearts and lives of all the beautiful people in our space. When this happens, we miss divine opportunities to MAKE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE for desperate people!

In my own life, every time I push aside personal needs to BLESS someone else… my personal needs go from huge to tiny very fast! So then, in blessings others we are blessing ourselves… the result is always a double blessing!

Today and throughout this week… let’s spend far less time focusing on our own issues so that we can BLESS others! Just look around… do some focused listening… recognize the heartfelt needs of your peers… give out a few loving hugs… give away some of your precious time… and lift burdens everywhere you go! And that will make for a most outstanding LIFE!

We love you guys sincerely… hoping today’s blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! Chat later… tootalooo!

29
Mar

The Motions

By chuck 3 Comments
Categories: Message with Video

Good Morning Friends,

Here’s the video of a song that my wife is loving these days. It’s become the theme of this season of our lives… so, I thought to share it with you guys this morning. This is the best version I could find on youtube…

See you guys at Destiny Family Center… 10am TODAY! Have a most outstanding day!

28
Mar

Failure: The First Signs of a New Beginning!

By chuck 8 Comments
Categories: All Message

Happy Saturday Friends,

Renewal: Every decade or so, life stagnates… and the best thing for each of us is a trial so cataclysmic that should we survive, we will never be the same again!

Think about caterpillars becoming butterflies… or a snake shedding its old skin… or an eagle molting!

Isaiah 40:29-31

 29 He gives strength to the weary
       and increases the power of the weak.

 30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
       and young men stumble and fall;

 31 but those who hope in the LORD
       will renew… their… strength!
       They will soar on wings like eagles;
       they will run and not grow weary,
       they will walk and not be faint.

Old paradigms, old methods, old school talents, dated approaches… everything that once worked perfectly has to FAIL in a very big way… and while we do EVERYTHING in OUR POWER to keep yesterday alive… yesterday has to DIE… and yesterday has to be SHED OFF!

The greatest hindrance to RENEWAL is holding too tightly to a current glory! Old things have to pass away so that all things can become NEW! 

So then oftentimes, failure is not the end of us… it is the early signs of a NEW BEGINNING! Selah

Tomorrow is church at Destiny Family Center… come in person or watch it LIVE on the webcast! Hope to see you there! Have a super duper day everyone!!

27
Mar

Celebrating You Tube Video #1

By chuck 5 Comments
Categories: Announcement and Message with Video

Happy Friday Friends,

Thanks to Jonathan Woodard, Ryan Huffer, and Ben Doyle… we are now on youtube. Yeah I know, we should have done that a long long time ago… we’ve just been busy!

Let me give you a little background for the video snippet you’re about to watch.

First, the text: Matthew 16:13-19

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”

 14 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”

 15 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

 17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

A few observations about these verses:

  • Ok, so Jesus asked Peter, “Who do YOU say that I am?”
  • Peter did not hesitate…
  • Peter did not side with popular belief…
  • Peter SPOKE WITH DEEP CONVICTION saying, “YOU ARE THE MESSIAH, the Son of the living God!”
  • From the way Jesus responded to Peters answer, we must assume that Peter impressed Jesus!
  • Jesus replies, “YOU ARE BLESSED PETER… because your beliefs about me did not come to you only from what you heard other humans saying… no, no, no… you’ve been watching me closely Peter, you’ve been studying my every move… and you have a FIRST HAND REVELATION that my Father has given you about WHO I AM!” (paraphrase)
  • As a result of Peter’s unshakable deep conviction, Jesus tells him, “Peter, I am going to build my Kingdom with you… I am going to start my church with the revelation you are housing in your heart!” (paraphrase) 
  • And Jesus explains that spiritual authority has everything to do with who Jesus IS to each of us! “Because of this FIRST HAND REVEALTION you are housing in your heart Peter, I am giving YOU the KEYS of the Kingdom of Heaven!” (paraphrase)
  • So, the question remains, “Who do YOU say that Jesus is?” and “How firmly are you holding that belief?” Because if you’re living on someone else’s relationship with God, you will never be able to experience the Kingdom of God quite like Peter did.

With this brief background… watch the video and add your amazing comments! Oh, and have a most outstanding day everyone! We love you guys in a pretty HUGE way!

 

26
Mar

Keep Looking Up! :):):)

By chuck 3 Comments
Categories: All Message

Good Morning Everyone,

I hope you had a beautiful day yesterday. If not, keep your chin up and your THOUGHTS riveted on heavenly things.

Often times, whatever is happening in this earth takes up far too much of our attention. And on stormy weeks… no matter how much we look up, we just can’t see the SUN through the cloudy skies.

Colossians 3:1-3 “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God’s right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about the things down here on earth. For you died, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”

Six thoughts for today…

  • Think a whole lot about your NEW LIFE in Christ!
  • Set your SIGHTS on SPIRITUAL REALITIES!
  • Know that your savior sits in a place of HONOR and POWER!
  • Let heaven FILL YOUR THOUGHTS!
  • Don’t spend too much time analyzing things going on here in this physical world.
  • Don’t forget that you are a dead man walking… with nothing to guard and nothing to prove.

The SUN is always shining… and the God that started a good work in our lives will never stop working on us until that GOOD WORK is completed to perfection! Even though you may not be able to see through the cloudy skies with your physical eyes… and even though you will face times when every beautiful thing is absolutely BLOCKED from your gaze… God is ALWAYS THERE and he is ALWAYS WORKING!

Remember this: What’s happening IN you is FAR MORE SIGNIFICANT than what’s happening TO you. Many times, beautiful things come out of ugly places! 

I pray that today’s blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! We love you and we are praying for you like crazy animals! Have a super duper day…

25
Mar

Thank God For Gods Love!

By chuck 6 Comments
Categories: All Message

Happy Wednesday Friends!

Guess what?? This is your long lost pal Chuck… remember me? I’m so sorry for bailing out on you good people like that… just under quite a bit of pressure this past week and didn’t want to bring the pressure into your lives. So Jonathan Woodard blogged for me and did an amazing job in my absence! Thank you Jonathan… I sincerely ask the Lord to bless you for this help!

Ok so I’m feeling a little rusty this morning… hmmm, let’s see… what shall I write about?

Romans 8:35-39

35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below-indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Have you ever felt all alone before? Ever gone through times when you just couldn’t seem to figure out why all the tribulation? Ever felt as if even God had walked out and left you to the uncertain tides of chance and fate? So often life can get confusing… and no matter how hard we try to come up with adequate explanations, we are left scratching our heads.

In times like these, the devil comes like a little red bird on our shoulders… he whispers lies in our ears… he taunts us and tells us that God doesn’t like us anymore.

According to Isaiah 59:2, the only thing that drives a wedge between God and humans is SIN. And we have ALL sinned… so Jesus came into the earth, lived a perfect, sinless life… was crucified to satisfy the full penalty for our sins… and through his blood sacrifice we who were FAR AWAY have been BROUGHT NEAR to God! (Ephesians 2:13)

Live a LIFE of daily consecration to the Lord. Spend quality time with Him in prayer every morning. Like the prophet Daniel, make this part of your DAILY routine! Start out each day bowing before him: ask God to deal with you about your own sins, ask for his forgiveness and mercy, ask for the grace you need to live victoriously… and have the FAITH to believe that he LOVES YOU no matter how perfect or imperfect you are at this very moment.

And then, in times of LONLINESS Romans 8:35-39 sets us FREE! It is here in these verses that we learn just how much GOD LOVES US! We are his CHILDREN… and he is the BEST FATHER EVER! No matter what the voices are telling us… God is not like people. He is kind and patient, and forgiving and merciful, and willing to pay ANY PRICE to be NEAR TO US! He loves us more than we can ever love him! So let’s rest in this!

Thoughts about Romans 8:35-39

  • Can ANYTHING separate us from Christ’s love?
  • Does it mean that he no longer loves us if we have trouble… and all those other things?
  • NO! In fact, DESPITE all these things…OVERWHELMING VICTORY is ours through Christ, who LOVES US!
  • I am convinced that NOTHING can ever separate us from God’s love!
  • Not even all the powers of hell!
  • Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord!

So there it is friends… you are NOT ALONE today… God is with you and he has promised that he will never leave you or forsake you. Cling to this revelation today… and everyday, no matter what you face in this life. I pray todays blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! God bless you all!!

24
Mar

Guard yourself and your leaders in prayer and action

By admin 4 Comments
Categories: Guest Blogger

Written by Jonathan Woodard,  guest blogger for Pastor Chuck during temporary break.

Rarely do I have dreams. Don’t know why; guess I’m too busy sleeping. But this morning, I had a preposterous dream. In it, my wife asked about a sorceress standing in the distance, wanting to know if she could use the sorceress’ services. So I, being a helpful and guarding person, went up to the sorceress and first prefaced our conversation with a greeting, and then cautiously asked about what would be involved in my wife using her services.

“On a scale of 1-10, I’m an 11 in this not applying to me,” I told her, “but I was just wanting to know times, what occurs, etc.” She was offended at that statement, but still gave me a short pitch of her services, then leaving me with the phrase, “let this be a seed in your mind.” Well, I didn’t want anything in my mind from her, but somehow, she convinced me to demonstrate.

I let her lay her hand on my shoulder as she closed her eyes. Suddenly, my spirit reacted to the Holy Spirit battle inside me, and shot my hand in the air, and violently praised the Lord, swaying and thrashing back and forth, with her hand still on me. “Praise the Lord, glory to God in the highest, Holy is the Lord” I yelled.That went on for at least 20-30 seconds, but I don’t know because the dream ended.

Waking with the obvious thought that I’d never let someone working for the enemy like that lay their hands on me, I thought of the verse in Timothy about “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others. Keep yourselves pure.” I felt guilty even after the dream for letting myself allow the ends (simply getting information) to justify the means (allowing myself to closely interact with demons in a vulnerable position).

Several Wednesday nights ago,  Pastor Chuck individually and briefly prayed for each of us, then asked us to gather around him to pray for him, his family, his ministry, etc. During that, I had the distinct feeling that in the days ahead, there were going to arise a few mighty male body guards around Pastor Chuck, guarding him from the press of the enemy, kind of like David’s mighty men. This would be like intercessors, a band of brothers, holding him up in prayer. (I don’t mean to be sexist, and woman are more than welcome to do that too; I’m just reporting)

I’m feeling impressed that we need to very careful to guard ourselves and our leaders in prayer and action. Pastor Chuck may not be your pastor, but right now please apply this to your own situation personally and with your leaders.  Not only guard who lays hands on them and you, but also guard what we see and hear. “Lord, deliver us from evil. Help us to not be foolish in what we allow to get close to them. Help us to be wise and skillful armorbearers…”

22
Mar

The local WTC

By admin 1 Comment
Categories: Guest Blogger

Written by Jonathan Woodard,  guest blogger for Pastor Chuck during temporary break.

When you saw “World Trade Center” or stared at CNN 8 1/2 years ago, did the heroes in uniform remind you of your church, the Church, or Destiny?

Saving #11 of those rescued

In the movie “World Trade Center,” several things stood out:

The fireman chain that stood shoulder-to-shoulder for several hundred yards, passing a newly recovered victim to the EMS. —> Hundreds at Destiny working for the common cause of helping one freed by Christ.

The photos of victims missing —> The many yet to be saved, people we know, that we see daily.

The lack of organization in initial emergency response —> Who’s calling, visiting, writing, praying for the healing of the hurting or newly saved in our church?

The workers from out of state, handing out bratwursts —> The Baptist church choir who visited last Sunday. The Destiny team who visited DC.  Our District’s missionaries on the field now. The volunteers at Destiny who give hours each week.

21
Mar

County hub

By admin 2 Comments
Categories: Guest Blogger

This is written by Jonathan Woodard, as a guest blogger to give Pastor Chuck a much-needed break from his faithfully-written blogs.

I just noticed a website about our hometown. It said  Stuarts Draft is the hub of Augusta County. When they mapquested Stuarts Draft, the middle came up near our church.We’re on Rose Ave, near the star, on that site.

How are we as a congregation coming to the crossroads of our community to become a hub, where people frequent to find the life-giving, bondage-freeing, complacency-challenging, sin-convicting message of Christ?

Pray that we would be like Jesus, who had his eyes on the people all around them, to give them the Living Water that their souls desperately needed. He had just spoken with the Samaritan women. Though the disciples had their mind on food,  Jesus was ready to get some more people to restored relationship with God. Do we feel the hunger at the  hub of the harvest?

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