Archive for May, 2009

31
May

Asking For Gods Courage

By chuck 2 Comments
Categories: All Message

Happy Sunday Friends!

I heard this new song from Tim Hughes, “Give us Your Courage”… it’s a great song with a revival spirit. I pray that you guys wake up with great courage today! 

What a great idea! To pray for God’s courage… that He would impart to us HIS fearlessness… that we too may approach this day as God approaches every day! Oh that we could rise from our beds this morning with a God kind of faith… the kind that advances on nothing more than a vision! 

Let everything we do be powered with SPIRITUAL CONFIDENCE! Let us proceed without hesitation and be mighty without false humility. I pray for the spiritual FEELING of massive victory on each of you, my dear friends! Rise up with grace and peace and strength and wisdom… and unprecedented JOY! Be happy and SMILE BIG… all day long!  

Bring the world your very best THIS DAY and THIS WEEK! Now is the time for you and I to live in VICTORY. There is no time left for whimpering in dark rooms and wallowing around in yesterdays disappointments… this is the time to SHINE! 

So PRAY FOR GODS COURAGE TODAY! He never backs down… never gets scared… never submits to the fear tactics of his enemies! He is ALWAYS MIGHTY… and so are his children! 

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as BOLD as a lion.

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and COURAGEOUS. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Have a super day everyone… enjoy the song… leave your comments… bless yourself with a visit to Destiny Family Center @ 10am… in person or LIVE on the internet. Good day friends!

30
May

Overcoming the Night 2 Shine Each New Day!

By chuck 5 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Saturday People!

I had a most enjoyable evening with my daughter and then my son, as Emily had her first ladies night in forever. She had fun and we had fun… a blessed night for sure! I love my family!

Heaven and I were supposed to go to the softball game…game got rained out… ate at McDonalds (Budget food), went to pets n pals and played with the “coolest dog EVEEEER”, went to the dollar store to buy something Heaven “absolutely needed”, met Coree and Kady back at the house and watched the end of “She’s all That”, stopped by BP and said hi to Cole, played the claw machine and won Heaven a green elephant on the first try, went and got ice cream- was very tasty, met up with Emily there, came back home, watched CSI Miami and then Criminal Intent- was very scary (wished we hadn’t watched it), ran into the bedroom and put my feet under the covers before a monster got me, rebuked the spirit of fear and went to sleep in peace! LOL

I have that SPIRITUAL FEELING again this morning… the one I blogged about yesterday… an exuberant anticipation of some GIGANTIC BLESSING! I can almost TASTE it you guys… this thing is BIG… and it’s almost HERE!

Really, the night is always the darkest just before the BREAK OF DAY! Any minute now… THE SON IS GOING TO CUT THROUGH THE GROSS DARKNESS and BAM, a NEW DAY WILL MOST CERTAINLY DAWN! So darkness: back up… shut up… get out… go away! This night is just about over… it’s a new day! 

Proverbs 4:18 The path of the righteous is like the FIRST GLEAM of dawn, shining EVER BRIGHTER till the full light of day.

Isn’t that a beautiful verse of scripture? It explains the progression of our lives as we overcome the night to SHINE EACH NEW DAY!

No matter how dark and scary our NIGHT TIMES may be… we are just like the FIRST GLEAM OF DAWN… shinning brighter and brighter and BRIGHTER… until we are like the brightness at HIGH NOON… without a single shadow… LIGHTING UP THE EARTH with the glory of Lord -- beaming from every part of our lives.  

Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise, SHINE, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but THE LORD RISES UPON YOU and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 

I’m praying with great faith over you guys this morning… asking God to give you each a CLEAR ANTICIPATION of certain success! This is your time to SHINE… it’s a new day and you were made to LIGHT IT UP!

On a side note: Have you ever noticed how each NEW DAY begins at MID-NIGHT? Interesting…   

Have an amazing weekend… see you tomorrow morning at Destiny Family Center TEN O’CLOCK!

29
May

That Spiritual ‘Feeling’ of Hope!

By chuck 8 Comments
Categories: All Message

It’s Friday Everyone!

A beautiful morning… perhaps a SIGN of the BEST WEEKEND EVER! It feels ultra good in the spiritual realm today… I’ve just got this FEELING that something really good is going on that I don’t yet know about! Maybe I feel like this because it’s IN THE MAIL and ON ITS WAY INTO MY LIFE!

Do you ever get that FEELING that something good is trying to HAPPEN for you! When these sensations rise, they should be taken seriously… because I believe they are Gods way of JUMP STARTING our FAITH! 

Faith is the KEY that unlocks the DOOR to all the GOOD THINGS God has prepared for us. And since we’re not able to UNLOCK a door that we don’t know about… God GIVES US HOPE… he imparts to us a FEELING… and something RISES in us with the potential of CHANGING EVERYTHING!

Just to think that this time tomorrow… everything CAN be DIFFERENT! Just to think that God is ABLE to do a 24 hour miracle… that this mountain you face today CAN be GONE TOMORROW! Just to think like this… CHANGES EVERYTHING! 

2 Kings 7:1-2 Elisha replied, “Listen to this message from the Lord! This is what the Lord says: BY THIS TIME TOMORROW in the markets of Samaria, five quarts of choice flour will cost only one piece of silver, and ten quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver.” The officer assisting the king said to the man of God, “That couldn’t happen even if the Lord opened the windows of heaven!” But Elisha replied, “You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!”

You have to be ABLE TO SEE IT… ABLE TO FEEL IT… ABLE TO HOPE FOR IT… in ORDER TO TASTE IT!

So… the next time you get that FEELING… go with it! Celebrate like you just won the MEGA MILLION JACKPOT! Consider that God may be ANNOUNCING a 24 hour miracle… and all he needs from you is the BELIEF that he CAN DO IT! 

Don’t be like the cynical officer in the 2 Kings story… don’t allow yourself to be emotionally dominated by the reality of your circumstances! God does miracles of epic proportions… you don’t have to know where they are coming from… just that God does have WINDOWS in HEAVEN and he has promised to OPEN THEM UP OVER YOUR LIFE! 

For me… I HAVE THIS FEELING THAT SOMETHING IS ON ITS WAY… and I’m going with that… I’m believing in a God that says NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HE THAT BELIEVES!

How about you my dear friends? Are you all out of hope and sporting around a grouchy spirit of unbelief these days? Let it go… ask God to give you that SPIRITUAL FEELING… that BURST OF HOPE… that special something HE provides so that we can ATTACH our FAITH to his amazing promises.

I pray todays blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives. Please leave your comments… and don’t forget church at Destiny Family Center this Sunday 10am!

28
May

Service With A Smile Please =)

By chuck 9 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Thursday Good People!

I have to tell you how impressed I was with our worship team last night! Since we are forming a whole new team and some of our key players are out of town this week… the challenges are pretty big. That, combined with my CRAZY schedule for the past THREE MONTHS made the challenge of last nights worship OFF THE CHARTS.

You see… since we had a visiting worship team covering Sunday, and my mind is slightly overworked with the task of revitalization, I forgot to let our guys know that they were covering Wednesday nights. This is an embarrassing confession… a real admittance of poor leadership, I know. (looking down at the floor)

So I called Ryan ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON and asked if he and Danae, and Josh and Brittany, and Robby, and Greg could pull off a worship set for the next night! What I was impressed about is this: There was not ONE complaint form any of these guys and gals. Just a willingness to lay their lives and their talents at the feet of this ministry, at a moments notice… and give their best for the glory of God!   

Humble service without grumbling or complaining… this is a BEAUTIFUL RARETY in todays grouchy society. From my observations, any time we plan to ask for help these days, we have to make sure the task is ULTRA convenient before most people are WILLING to commit. Todays leader has to spend several hours prettying up a work task to make it “appealing” before he even thinks about turning it over to a helper.

Most of todays workers and volunteers seem to want easy jobs and perfect working conditions. This social dilemma creates a TREMENDOUS opportunity for the man or woman that doesn’t mind tackling dirty jobs that come with an inconvenient LAST MINUTES NOTICE… and accomplish those jobs with a GREAT BIG SMILE and A BUNCH OF HEART! 

Philippians 2:14 Do everything WITHOUT COMPLAINING or arguing,

1 Peter 4:9 Offer hospitality to one another WITHOUT GRUMBLING.

Colossians 2:23-34 Whatever you do, work at it with ALL YOUR HEART, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are SERVING.

There is nothing worse than giving away a task, only to endure a big old pile of complaining and half hearted execution. Ask most leaders and they will tell you they would rather do the job themselves than delegate it to a grumbler. 

Over time, we all settle into levels of honor and success and we lose that WILLINGNESS to SERVE with a BEAUTIFUL HEART! We develop egos and we get used to delegating the less desirable tasks to others. We become accustomed to having things our way… and no longer WILLING to get dirty for the sake of a great cause.

Let’s watch out for this in our own lives dear friends! May you and I be KNOWN IN OUR CIRCLES as the SERVANTS OF ALL… the people who complain the least… and give our all… at a moments notice when a moments notice is all we’re given! 

I pray that todays blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! Please send us your comments… we love to read them all!

27
May

Never Give Up – Never Give Up – Never!

By chuck 4 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Wednesday Friends!

Sorry to be so serious lately… nothing funny to report… everyone seems so somber these days… so focused… and edgy… ggrrrrrr. So, today… my goal is to find something HILARIOUS for a coming blog! Be very careful… because I am WATCHING you closely! One slip up in front of me… and I’m telling the world about it! LOL

Yesterday, Coree and I wrote a 13 page report in about 3 and a half hours! I cannot tell you guys how much fun it was for me to be working with my son like that. He seemed to be slightly awed with my Jedi writing skills… seemed to LOVE the experience… and seemed pretty interested in writing. Not that he’s going to go out and write a book tomorrow.

I guess I need to finish MY book first, right? Thats good because I’m something like 4 pages away from sending it to the publisher! I cant believe how long this book has taken to write… three years and counting. The problem is that every time I finish another chapter, I go back and re-read everything already written… and I end not liking it anymore… so I spend DAYS and WEEKS re-writing and re-writing until the book has been written 20 times or more! Agggghhhhh…  

Thats ok… because all the hard work is going to bring a MIGHTY RESULT as people are impacted all over the world with the finished product! And I have been receiving a beautiful EDUCATION through this very LONG and tedious journey! Please pray that God will help me wrap this project up and get it out to the people who need it most! 

Are you working on something that seems to be taking MUCH longer than you first projected? Hold on to your dreams! Don’t drop out of your race because of the obstacles and delays. The bigger the project, the more it will be met with opposition. Don’t become discouraged over how long it’s taking to get where you’re hoping to go. It will happen when it is SUPPOSED to happen… trust God in this. 

Galatians 6:9  So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At JUST THE RIGHT TIME we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

I pray todays blog encourages you to KEEP LOOKING UP, KEEP MOVING FORWARD, and KEEP ON BRINGING YOUR BEST. Never give up… never give in… never stop… no matter what… never throw away your dreams… for they will LIVE at JUST THE RIGHT TIME… IF WE DON’T GIVE UP! 

Hope to see you at Destiny Family Center tonight… 7pm! Have a super day everyone!

26
May

Imagining Our Departure =)

By chuck 4 Comments
Categories: All Message

Good Tuesday Everyone! 

I woke up this morning thinking about what it’s going to be like in that exact moment I cross over the threshold of time and eternity. Have you ever thought about this… I mean, really thought about this?

It’s pretty wild to IMAGINE how it will go down. Not how we will die or when we will die… but how a person actually exits this earth to enter into heaven.

I laid there in my bed… closed my eyes and ears in order to block off two of the physical senses God gave me for maintaining contact with this physical world. There in the darkness and in the quiet, I became increasingly attuned to the REAL ME… the SPIRIT PERSON inside of this curly headed pod everyone calls Chuck.   

With our five physical senses, we have access to this PHYSICAL world. Sometimes, these physical senses distract humans from accessing their spiritual self. This is why people usually close their eyes when kissing… to shut off the sight sense in order to heighten the feel sense, or to access the REAL PERSON inside of the physical body. 

As we leave this earth, we will peel off this human pod much like a butterfly breaks out of her cacoon. In that exact moment… our access to this physical world will slowly fade away… our senses will be turned off… and our human SPIRIT will step right out of its physical house and into eternity without missing a beat! 

2 Corinthians 5:6-9  So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as WE LIVE IN THESE BODIES we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. (we are supposed to live like this) Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be AWAY from these earthly bodies, FOR THEN we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though OUTWARDLY we are wasting away, yet INWARDLY we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is SEEN, but on what is UNSEEN. For what is seen is TEMPORARY, but what is unseen is ETERNAL.

There is more to life than meets eye… or the ear… or the nose… or the taste… or the feel. This earth is the environment for the human body. The human body is the medium through which the HUMAN SPIRIT has expression in this physical earth. And these are both temporary… they will not last forever. 

Life here on earth is temporal. Become more spiritual… more attuned to the REAL YOU… more aware of God. Walk with God… know him… love him… serve him… and enjoy him! Then in that day, when you shall cross over… it shall be no strange experience when the physical senses shall slowly fade away… and you are left with nothing except the REAL YOU… to break out into what is next! And what a glorious day this shall be for us all!

Pretty DEEP blog today huh? I hope it adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! We love you all… praying that your day is most outstanding!

25
May

Lifting Up The Down Trodden

By chuck 2 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Memorial Day!

We spent a good part of our weekend reconnecting with some old friends. For us, this was more fun than anything else we could have done!

About seven years ago, these friends rescued a family of Sudanese slaves and brought them to America for freedom! They spent time teaching this family how to speak good english and how to manage money… and how to love and worship God. The results of this rescue are absolutely astonishing! 

During our visit with these old friends, we had the pleasure of spending quality time with two of the Sudanese children. Emily was pretty moved about this… and commented several times about what these kids must have experienced in Sudan. She kept mentioning how special it is to see them living a BEAUTIFUL life with a good church family. 

Here in America, we take so many of our freedoms for granted, never really able to comprehend what life is like in many other parts of the world. Thank God for Lion of Judah Ministries and the compassion that drove them to RESCUE a family of 21st century slaves. There is no way to fathom how things would have gone for this Sudanese family if they had been left in their oppression.

We too have the ability to FREE the oppressed. Even here in America, there are so many people in so many forms of oppression. All it requires is a sacrificial HEART… the willingness to take whatever blessings we HAVE and leverage them for the release of the oppressed. This can mean cutting back on our own extravagances so that we can GIVE extravagantly to our churches. It can also mean lending our time, talents, and spiritual giftings to LIFT UP THE DOWNTRODDEN people we run into every day!

Each of us have SOMETHING that we can leverage to LIFT UP THE DOWNTRODDEN. We are far more blessed than we believe… far more able than we know… far more destined to HELP than we may ever realize.

Today… on the day we remember those who have GIVEN THEIR ALL for the FREEDOM we now enjoy… may you and I choose to become FAR MORE SACRIFICIAL with our own lives. May we RISK OUR ALL to REACH DOWN and FREE THE OPPRESSED people in our circles and throughout this world!

John 15:12-13 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

2 Corinthians 8:9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.

Galatians 5:13-14  For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself. 

Remember, it is more blessed to give than it is to recieve… this is the surest path to true fulfillment. Have a super day everyone! 

24
May

Lay It All Down

By chuck 2 Comments
Categories: Message with Video

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Memorial Day is tomorrow… it’s got me thinking about sacrifice this morning. I’m so grateful to all the men and women who gave their ALL so that I can live here peacefully with my beautiful family, in this beautiful home… with this nice computer… and my wireless internet… and blog about whatever I am led to articulate.

Even though there are so many things I would love to change about this country, we are still America the Beautiful… and I never want to take that for granted. Every time I meditate on the sacrifices of our servicemen and women, I feel compelled to go farther… to do more… and give everything… to LAY MY LIFE DOWN for the cause of FREEDOM.  

John 15:12-13 This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is NO GREATER LOVE than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

Considering the sacrifices of those who have gone before us… we should look at our personal commitment to this great country, our fellow man, and our amazing God. The Apostle Paul said this, “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” --Acts 20:24

We must never make life about ourselves… and we must never retreat from duty because of the intensity of a battle. Let us USE our lives and SPEND THEM up while we are here. And when we are departing, we will look back without regret, knowing that we fought a good fight, finished our course, and kept the faith… leaving the incoming generations the same inheritance of freedom we received from our sacrificial forefathers! 

Have a super day everyone… think sacrifice… think service… think GRATITUDE… think about Jesus dying for your ultimate freedom… and think about how YOU are planning to USE WHAT you’ve got for FINISHING THE WORK ASSIGNED YOU BY THE LORD JESUS… the work of telling others the good news about the wonderful grace of God.

23
May

The Gentle Whisper in Our Cluttered Hearts

By chuck 7 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Saturday Friends!

Blogging on the patio this morning… what a day! Last night we went to Coree’s senior dinner at the Joshua Wilton House in Harrisonburg VA. Free meal on the school… I suppose we paid for it through tuition… still a VERY nice touch! The company was amazing… food was too. 

Today, we have friends coming from Lion of Judah Ministries in Blackstone, VA… they are leading worship at Destiny Family Center tomorrow morning… CAN’T WAIT! You should drive to the Shenandoah Valley for the weekend… there is still time… great place to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend!

Yesterday morning, I went to console a family that lost their 47 year old daughter in the night. It was unexpected and very painful for these folks. The exciting part of the story is that Lisa came to Destiny Family Center about two months ago and gave her heart to Jesus… and she was SO IMPACTED from that experience. Thank God Lisa didn’t leave this earth THREE months ago. God prepared her heart… and he REACHED her… just like he is working to reach so many others before they also depart this temporal physical world.

God has so many ways of reaching people… 

“What a Father we have… making us homesick in many undetectable ways! He’s the gentle whisper in our cluttered hearts during those fleeting moments when we are brought to silence. Faintly, we can hear him drawing us to open our dusty Bibles! He’s the nagging coworker inviting us to church every Sunday! He’s that mysterious “feeling” deep in our bellies, telling us there has to be a better way! Yes, God is speaking to us all day long… just waiting for us to respond to him. Waiting for us to run out of other options and finally come to the realization that real life begins with him.” –Chapter 4 of my book

Today… we will meet people God has been working on… people he is right now preparing for eternity… one month before their departure, they will intersect with one of us! 

Have a fun day everyone… I will chat with you later and HOPEFULLY SEE YOU TOMORROW! Do something fun with your Saturday… something beautiful!

22
May

Show Me Your Feet! (lol) =)

By chuck 10 Comments
Categories: Journal & Message

Happy Friday Bloggies! 

About three years ago, I called a buddy of mine on his cell phone to say hello. This guy is the toughest, meanest, roughest, macho-est guy I know. I’ve been to watch him tear people up in the boxing ring several times. He’s spent quite a bit of time in police cars and jails for putting other people in the hospital. He grew up on lots of crack, and a reputation for being the baddest dude in town. Six years ago, I had the privilege of leading him to Jesus at Destiny Family Center… and we became very good friends right away.  

It was a Saturday if I remember correctly…

  • I called this new bro of mine and he answered, “hey man whatsup?” 
  • I said, “hey, what are you up to?” 
  • He stuttered for a few seconds and reluctantly confessed, “Not a whole lot… just in the Harrisonburg Mall… I’m getting a pedicure.” 
  • Obviously, I started LAUGHING PRETTY HYSTERICALLY at this point… and I said, “A ped-i-cure??? You’re getting a PEDICURE! Ha-ha… you sissy boy!” 
  • And I continued, “Is your wife with you? Are you guys getting some couples thing?” 
  • He said, “Noooo??”
  • I asked, “Ohhh did someone give you a gift certificate?” 
  • He tried to buck up with some confidence at this point and fired back, “NO… I came here by myself and I’m paying for this WITH MY OWN MONEY because I LOVE PEDICURES!”
  • After he told me I should try one sometime… and I sassed him a little longer… we ended the call and went about our day… me trying to get this pampered image of my boxing buddy out of my head! LOL

Romans 10:13-17 …for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE who bring good news!”

How beautiful are THE FEET OF THOSE… WHO BRING GOOD NEWS! Isn’t that a strange but FUN way of honoring Gods messengers… to say that we have BEAUTIFUL FEET? I personally love my own feet. Emily makes fun of them, saying that I have ELF’S toes because they CURL up… but I like my toes EMILY… you will not make me insecure! LOL 

Maybe when we get to heaven… all the people who made the BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IN THIS LIFETIME will have the most BEAUTIFUL FEET for all ETERNITY! Maybe we’re all gonna be walking around BAREFOOTED in heaven… and people will be like, “woe dude, NICE FEET!” 

From these verses in Romans 10, I feel the fire of evangelism being stoked inside my heart most aggressively! For me, this is the chief goal of my life… to BRING GOOD NEWS to as many people as I can before leaving earth. This is the mission of the church and it is the chiefest calling of every Christian… to freely give away this amazing salvation that we have freely received. 

So, in a non fetish kind of way, I want to know… HOW ARE YOUR FEET DOING THESE DAYS? Are they BEAUTIFUL because they are carrying the GREATEST NEWS in all the universe to the people who need it most? Or… DO YOU NEED TO SCHEDULE YOURSELF FOR A PEDICURE? Come on… don’t let that reputation of yours keep you from having beautiful feet! If my boxer friend can handle the abuse he took from me that day at the nail salon… you and I can SHINE CONFIDENTLY FOR JESUS CHRIST… UNASHAMED OF THIS GOOD NEWS! 

Romans 1:16 For I am NOT ASHAMED of this Good News about Christ. It is the POWER OF GOD AT WORK, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

Nice blog today… that’ll get us going in the right direction! Get on your HAPPY FEET EVERYONE… spread the good news all weekend long! Oh… don’t forget Destiny Family Center, Sunday morning 10am! Chat with you guys and gals later on…

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