Happy Wednesday!

It’s my birthday eve! Tomorrow is my birthday! The only two things I really want are an Iphone 4G and a Sony 60″ BRAVIA LX900 Series 3D HDTV. LOL, I am just kidding Emily!

Really, I already have everything I want! Love, from the most beautiful family and friends on earth… and especially from God.

Today, I want to thank God for how good he is to us.

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening…” (Psalm 92:1-2)

“You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done. O Lord, what great works you do! And how deep are your thoughts. Only a simpleton would not know, and only a fool would not understand this…” (Psalm 92:4-6)

“But you have made me as strong as a wild bull. How refreshed I am by your power!” (Psalm 92:10)

This is how I feel today. Thankful for everything God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in my life! I am a much better person than I was when He first touched my life in 1991. If I thanked Him one thousand times each day, this would still not adequately express the gratitude in my heart for Him!

Even in all of my short comings and despite all of the circumstances I wish I could turn around, God’s love is always felt… He is always near! He loves us and cares for us… even when we cannot figure out why He leads us like He sometimes does… He is always wise. In the end, His plans always prove to be the perfect plans.

Prayer: Everything you do, you do it because you love me! How privileged I am to know your name, to call you my God and friend. I’m overwhelmed this morning… wow, the tears gather and they flow. You are so beautiful to me!

Read the lyrics to this amazing song and then watch it… To Know Your Name, Hillsong United

The precious blood of Jesus Christ redeems
Forgiven I’m alive restored set free
Your majesty resides inside of me
Forever I believe
Forever I believe
Arrested by Your truth and righteousness
Your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness
Convicted by Your spirit led by Your word
Your love will never fail
Your love will never fail

[chorus]
I know You gave
The word Your only Son for us
To know Your name
To live within the Saviour’s love
He took my place
Knowing He’d be crucified
And You loved
You loved a people undeserving

I just finished praying for you all… hoping you really feel it today! With much love…

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

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Happy Tuesday!

If you read yesterdays blog, then you know about the passing of my dear friend, Pastor Glenden Berg. Yesterday afternoon, I was contacted by Carolyn Berg (Glenden’s wife) about doing the service… and I proudly accepted her invitation. Please pray for me, that I will perfectly memorialize the life of this special man. The funeral service is on Thursday, July 1, at 1pm… at the Moorefield WVA Church of God. For more info, you can go to the Shaffer Funeral Home website.

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Todays Inspirational Message

Will You Be The Doctor?

Luke 5:27-32

Later, as Jesus left the town, he saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him.

So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.

Later, Levi held a banquet in his home with Jesus as the guest of honor.

Many of Levi’s fellow tax collectors and other guests also ate with them.

But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”

Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

As a Jewish tax collector, Levi was considered the scum of the earth. He was employed by the Roman government to collect taxes from his own people… and as a perk of this heartless job, Jewish tax collectors were allowed to collect more than Rome required and keep the extra for themselves. These tax collectors were betrayers and thieves of their own people. They were hated by pretty much everyone.

So, it isn’t surprising that everyone reacted as they did when Jesus invited this low life to follow him (especially as one of his infamous 12 disciples). Levi left everything to accept this invitation from Jesus… a sign that he recognized his need for change and he was finished with his sinful life. The banquet Matthew held in Jesus honor is further evidence of my claim.

Matthew was a grateful man! He was obviously transformed by love and mercy he was shown! At the banquet, Matthew hosted his fellow tax collectors and other guests… a crowd of people who were utterly despised by the teachers of the religious law.

So, the religious leaders complained bitterly to Jesus saying, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?”

And Jesus shocked them with His perfect reply, just as He still shocks so many people in todays society. Jesus said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

How true this is! And yet, for some reason, we still try to spend our lives as far away from sick people as we can get. This fallen world is crying for a doctor, the sick people are everywhere.

Today, I’m praying for the 21st century Christian Church… that we will catch a heart for the sickest people (a heart just like Jesus had for them)… that we will run to the lowliest places of our world… that we will invite the scum of the earth to our special banquets… that we will lay our lives down, to heal them, just like Jesus modeled this for us.

No wonder we call Jesus, the Great Physician! This He is!

“Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell; I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell.” -CT Studd

I pray you all a most triumphant day! With much love…

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

The Donate Link, Facebook, Twitter, Make me a Legend, Destiny Family Center, You Tube

Happy Monday!

Thank you Destiny Family Center, for that beautiful birthday party! There are two things I cherish in life: giving love (especially when it is appreciated), and receiving love (especially when it’s heartfelt). Life isn’t always perfect. In fact, it seldom is. But when we learn to focus on our exchanges of love, life always feels perfect.

Our whole universe can be falling to pieces… “but as long as we have each other, it’ll be ok.” Have you ever used that phrase before? I have, many times. And I’ve found it to be true! Life is so much more than what we make it sometimes.

Luke 12:22-23 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.”

I thank God for this past weekend. On Friday night, Emily and I hosted (with the help of a few friends) a high school and college graduates party on our patio… a great exchange of love! On Saturday, I mostly relaxed with my family… another great exchange of love! Then on Sunday, we had a beautiful morning church service where 3 people gave their lives to Jesus. Then we baptized 10 people after the service! Then my birthday party at the Waynesboro park… several great exchanges of love!

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Goodbye For Now: Pastor Glenden Berg

A perfect weekend, until 8pm last night. I received news that one of my all time best friends passed away on vacation. Pastor Glenden Berg (top left in the photo) of Moorefield Church of God… one of the first Pastors to let me preach in his church when I first started preaching… he was one of the kindest fellows I’ve ever met! He and his wife Carolyn always made us feel like champions! I can’t believe he’s gone.

Pastor Glenden Berg was a master exchanger of love! He loved everyone! He was such a good husband to Carolyn, such a good father to his children, such a good friend to every Pastor in his community. A very rare and precious man!

When we first met Pastor Berg and we introduced him to our daughter, Heaven, he put his arm around her and said, “This is the closest to heaven I’ve ever been!” lol What’s funny about this story is that he said this to Heaven every time we visited Moorefield! Well, it’s not true anymore, old friend. You are there today… in that city you always had on your mind! You ran a faithful race all the way across the finish… and now, you are receiving your reward!

I can’t imagine how many people will be there with him in heaven someday, how many people who are already there because of his lifetime of sacrifice! Pastor Berg was 100% in love with Jesus, there is no doubting that. He was also 100% dedicated to his high calling… and just like his heavenly Father, “For Pastor Berg so loved the world… that he gave up everything to reach as many as he could reach with the message of salvation.”

In the words of his son: Glen, “Today Heaven rejoices because a hero came home. He has always been my hero and I know that my Dad is in the embrace of God. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. The verse that comes to my mind is ‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith.’”

In the words of my friend and Pastor Bergs friend: Pastor Chris Whetzel, “Heartbroken over the passing of Pastor Glenden Berg. He was definitely one of God’s great generals. Love him deeply and will miss him more than I care to think about right now.” The big deal about this testimony is that Pastor Chris is a fellow Pastor in Pastor Bergs same community. This is one small example of the kind of love and admiration Pastor Berg had among his peers!

I can only hope that one day, I will also be missed as much as this great man will be missed… by an entire community and by thousands more throughout the whole world!

Please pray for Carolyn and the rest of the family. Please pray for the people of Moorefield Church of God. Please pray for a funeral that will honor the life of my great friend! God bless you all.

Here is a song that makes me think about Pastor Glenden Berg: With Everything, Hillsong United. Pastor Berg, you taught me to live for Christ with everything!

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

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Happy Sunday!

Wooosh, I’m tired this morning. Big urge to sleep another few hours, but I’m going to push through this… and have a phenomenal day!

Here’s a great wake up worship song! Read the lyrics first… this is exactly how I feel about Jesus today!

So In Love With You! (Planet Shakers)

God I’ve found in You
Everything I was searching for
And You’ve given me
What I needed and so much more

So I’m giving every part of me to You
Won’t You take my life I’m living it for You

Jesus I’ll live for You
In everything I do
And when You call my name
I just can’t help but sing Your praises

I’ll give You all my praise
I’ll serve You all my days
Gonna let the whole world know
Jesus I am so in love with You

Every day it’s You I live for
Gonna serve You all my days
Every step I take You’re with me

Jesus You’re the only way

Ok, now I’m feeling better! Actually, now I’m starting to feel a little HYPER! This is Sunday! In four hours, I’ll be in the Destiny Family Center sanctuary with all of my great church friends… and we’ll be worshiping God with all our hearts! Something Spiritual is going to happen this morning… something epic! How do I know this? Because it always does, every Sunday morning at DFC! Thank you God for such a happy and passionate church! I cannot wait for ten o’clock!!!!

Psalm 139:14-18

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

Have a most triumphant day everyone! I just finished praying for you all! With much love…

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

The Donate Link, Facebook, Twitter, Make me a Legend, Destiny Family Center, You Tube

Happy Saturday!

Had some fresh fruit for breakfast, just finished a nice 6 mile run/walk… my first day all year with absolutely nothing scheduled! I do still have to spend a few hours putting the finishing touches on tomorrows sermon: Favored-Leverage Your Influence! (this message is already epic!) Besides that, I’m planning to relax all day long! (photo of our new Foxfire Lilly and the fish!)

Yes, you read that correctly. I’m going to rest my mind, spend some quality time with my amazing wife… life is good! My only problem is that I may have forgotten how to rest. I’m looking around the patio thinking about several little jobs that need my attention. I think about people I would like to visit and encourage. I still have 20 voice mails to return from this week. Yet, if I do not rest, my brain will pop.

Tomorrow, is my birthday party after church at the Waynesboro Park. We have the huge pavilion in the towering forest of oaks, beside the legacy garden… a river, playground, and pool! Can you feel my excitement?

That’s it for today… remember, I’m relaxing! Love you all…

Dream Big, Live Bold, and Make the Difference!

Chuck

The Donate Link, Facebook, Twitter, Make me a Legend, Destiny Family Center, You Tube