Happy Sunday!

I love praying on my patio in the dark! The colored lighting is so beautiful, the fish swimming so gracefully, a chorus of bugs singing in the distance… thumper, pickle and their frog pals jumping every few minutes… a gentle breeze, an inner warmth… the feeling of HOPE and momentum and triumph… a great desire to bless people at church this morning, a curiosity over who may come today… this is a summer Sunday morning for the Pastor of Destiny Family Center!

I spent some time spreading the news of my friend Aswan Norths new itunes release. Please make sure you read yesterdays blog if you missed that announcement… and head over to itunes for the 99 cent purchase of “Trinity”. You’ll thank me for sure!

Today is the last Sunday of the seventh year for Destiny Family Center. In the Bible, the number 7 represents completion… SEVEN marks the END of a cycle… EIGHT speaks of NEW BEGINNINGS. This day is dedicated to CELEBRATE THE COMPLETION OF OUR FIRST CYCLE! I’m leading our people to RECOGNIZE PROGRESS… and CELEBRATE this checkpoint! These may be two services you don’t want to miss!

As I look back over the past seven years… not much has gone as I had initially anticipated. There are so many things I would change if I could… maybe not. You see, I’m learning that with Gods GRACE, everything we do is as PERFECT as it needs to be in the moment we do it! This of course depends on us giving life our best shot… and when our best shot isn’t good enough… Gods grace makes up the difference!

As I mentioned in a recent blog post… we need to “Stop Over Critiquing Ourselves” and start appreciating the God who CARRIES US! If everything depended upon our perfection… every purpose would fail. Whereas we should AIM for perfection and seek to live as obedient to God as we know how at this point in our lives… we have to CELEBRATE a God that GIVES US SUCCESS!

Today, I am grateful for all the blessings I see when looking back over my shoulder! God has been SO GOOD TO ME in SO MANY WAYS! Even though I’m not what I HOPE to be someday… I’m sure not what I used to be… and that is a very good thing! Today, I’m going to celebrate the God who kept his promise to NEVER LEAVE ME NOR FORSAKE ME… the God who told me, NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME WOULD PROSPER… the God who promised that ALL THINGS would work together for my GOOD… the God who keeps on saying in my heart, “the best is still to come!”

When I look back… I can SEE God one thousand times or more… he was right there ever hour of every day, working his plan… a plan that is very hard to figure out until AFTER it is completed. I trust him… I REALLY, REALLY trust him… even when I cannot comprehend his wild and unconventional means of getting me into my future.

Isaiah 55:6-13 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. 8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are MY WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 12 You will go out in JOY and be led forth in PEACE; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.”

Maybe in your own life… you feel like every recent step is another step AWAY from your dreams. Celebrate your obvious progress as we do the same at Destiny Family Center today… CELEBRATE with APPRECIATION (for the God of your past) and ANTICIPATION (for the God of your FUTURE)! Celebration: it’s a demonstration of your FAITH!

I hope todays blog adds tremendous value to your amazing lives! We love you and we’re praying for you EVERY day! God bless you all!