Happy Tuesday!

Proverbs 18:12 “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor.”

Is it really this simple?

Is pride really wrecking the lofty, while humility raises the lowly?

Are we really going up or down based upon the condition of our heart?

That’s what I personally believe.

In my own life, whenever pride takes over my heart, it always end with a crash! Whenever I am broken (usually by painful circumstances), then it’s never long before everything turns around for me!

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. -James 4:6

Think about this… GOD opposes proud people, He stands in their way. And GOD gives grace to the humble, He raises them by giving them extra loving care and divine advantages.

I had a beautiful phone conversation this morning with a very dear friend.

This friend of mine… he’s been through so much pain and hardship over the past several years. His newfound humility inspires me more than he can know.

We discussed the following verse:

Luke 20:18 “Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”

The stone Luke is talking about is Jesus Christ. He promises that whosoever falls on that stone will be broken… a sign of humbling ones self before God. Have you ever fallen on that rock before? The journey is never fun, but to be laying on that rock broken to pieces is one of the greatest sensations in all the universe!

Luke also talks about another kind of person, the one on whom the rock shall fall. This happens to the people who choose not to fall on the rock. In the opportune moment when they should be humbling themselves before God, they avoid Him. Therefore, the time comes when the rock they were supposed to fall upon, eventually falls upon them. And instead of being broken, this person is crushed to powder.

It is a good thing, to have a heart that feels!

You may not have the perfect world you wanted to have at this point of your life… but if you feel today, if you’re laying on the rock (Christ) as a broken person… you are laying at the greatest place in the universe! It is here that God will pick you up. It is here that you will know God more than you’ve ever been able to know Him before.

And that is the greatest treasure!

I’m praying especially for all of my broken friends this morning. That God will wrap His loving arms around you and wipe up your many tears. Keep a close guard on the condition of your heart… fall on the rock and be broken… seek humility. Then, wait for God to lift you up!

Here is a great song for this moment. Kim Walker, All I Need Is You.

Have a great day everyone. 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 Sunday!

Yesterdays wedding with Matthew Clayton & Cynthia Johnson was so unbelievable!

Today, I’m doing another wedding at 1pm today with Justin Godbey & Deborah Marshal.

Last night I received a happy text from Jake Driver, announcing his engagement to Lindsi Hedrick.

Love is in the air! It’s a wedding boom! Who’s NEXT? [smiling]

Oh-Oh!

Just in case you missed the past few days of blogging, you have to catch up:

• Pure Honesty Is A Beautiful Thing!
• Pure Honesty Is A Beautiful Thing! P2

Especially read through the comments. These are definitely two of my all time favorites. Powerful content and conversation. Life changing!

Today @ Destiny Family Center, I’m preaching the fourth and final part in my sermon series: The Forgotten Power Of Expectancy! Can’t WAIT to 10am! This is going to be one of the greatest Sundays of all time!

I guess thats all for today… just a few fun announcements. If you have the time, you really should browse through the past seven blogs (especially the last two) and please add your brilliant, heartfelt comments!

Here’s a great worship music video: Light Of Salvation, Desperation Band.

I just finished praying for you all. Make this 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 Saturday!

Todays blog is my reply to a brilliant comment from yesterdays blog, posted by my dear Indonesian friend Esslythe Harsanto. If you have the time, you should re-familiarize yourself with that blog, “Pure Honesty Is A Beautiful Thing,” and read Esslythe’s comment.

Here in America, we normally do the same thing. In-house ministers don’t normally receive payment for ministering at their home church.

We do customarily pay salaries to certain key “full time” ministry leaders, such as the Lead Pastor, Lead Worship Pastor, Administrative Personnel, Youth and Children’s Pastors, and other full time ministry leaders depending upon the size of the church community.

For me, the key to what you’re saying is that it is permissible for ministers to receive payment for ministry related activities, as long as he or she is never doing ministry “for hire”.

As you know, the American economy was hit very hard last year.

I know of a church that went through a very difficult time when a group of people left in hostility to start another church. During that time, the Lead Pastor and his wife forfeited almost one half of their salary and benefits in order to navigate their church through those rough waters. The sacrifice was so painful, this Pastor almost lost his house to bank foreclosure.

During this time, he started to question God, “Why are you not providing for me.”

And God replied, “Dear child, do you remember when you first entered into full time ministry and you begged Me to send you? Do you remember telling Me, ‘Please God, I will do ministry for free, I will even pay You for the privilege of ministering to Your special people… I will sacrifice everything if you will just say the word! Please call me out of the boat and I will walk on the water!’”

God continued, “Ever since the day you went into full time ministry, I have provided all of your needs. You have been very blessed for your service in my Kingdom… even though you promised to work for nothing and you promised you would even pay Me for the ‘privilege’ of ministering to My special people.”

Finally, God’s words had a profound effect on this discouraged pastor when He said, “And now today, you are being called to keep that promise you made to Me. I am testing you at this time… to see if you really meant what you promised. Do you still have that same heart, today? Are you still serving in my Kingdom for the right reasons? Are you still willing to ‘sacrifice everything’ for the PRIVILEGE of SERVING my special people? Or has the ministry become your career? Have you become a hireling just that fast?”

Thankfully, this minister understood what the Lord was explaining to him… and he recommitted his life to the PURE SERVICE of his high calling!

God loves to reward His children for their service in His Kingdom. There are so many scriptures in the Old and New Testaments where God commands His people to financially reward those who serve in ministry. Here is one of them…

1 Timothy 5:17-18 NLT, “Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”

Yet, we that serve in ministry must always maintain the purity of our real reason for being in ministry. Jesus is our model. He is the ultimate Shepherd. Jesus created an example that we should always follow.

In John 10:11-15, Jesus taught about this to His closest disciples on the night he was betrayed. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep. A hired hand will run when he sees a wolf coming. He will abandon the sheep because they don’t belong to him and he isn’t their shepherd. And so the wolf attacks them and scatters the flock. The hired hand runs away because he’s working only for the money and doesn’t really care about the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. So I sacrifice my life for the sheep.”

Dear Essly, you and your people have a true Shepherds heart today, because you have a beautiful Pastor who has taught you very well. Guard you hearts always… so that even when the time comes that you are financially rewarded for your service, you will never become like the hired help.

I long to visit my dear friends in Indonesia. You people inspire me everyday! God willing, the time will come… and what a day that will be!

To everyone else who serves in God’s Kingdom… always do what you do because you genuinely love God and the people you are serving. Never for any kind of reward. Always guard your heart against the selfish spirit of this age. Study the life and teachings of Jesus Christ… and aim to be more and more like Him in every way!

Here’s a great song for this moment: Perfect Love, Hillsong.

I just finished praying for you all. Make this 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 Friday!

Does it ever seem to you like many people in todays world are so entirely self-focused, trapped in a mode of taking instead of giving… usually wanting instead of caring?

Please don’t label me a cynic here. I’m very good at overlooking the obvious flaws of all my friends and acquaintances. I give plenty of mercy, because I always need plenty of mercy myself.

I’m just saying that oftentimes, we really have to wonder about the hidden selfish motives behind the everyday words and actions of almost everyone we interact with.

Ok, please don’t go getting all paranoid on me. I’m not suggesting you run out to lock your car doors or install a new security system. I’m not trying to create a panic induced hurricane of jealousy… not trying to get everyone looking over their shoulders for the next knife in the back.

I’m establishing contrast, between impure motives and pure honesty, so that we can “see the light” and stop leveraging the whole world for our own selfish ambitions… and know what its like to have a heart. A heart that really cares more about others than self.

Pure honesty is a beautiful thing!

I think this is what Paul was talking about in Romans 12:9-10 “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”

This whole blog was inspired by a recent conversation with Paul McIntire. Paul is one of the editors I interviewed to help edit the final 10 chapters of Make Me A Legend. Just in case you didn’t know, we’ve been searching for another editor to join our team for about 6 weeks. We’re really trying to find the right fit. It’s been a very challenging venture.

Each editor was very kind and professional, of course. I enjoyed my interaction with each of them. Paul really stood above the crowd. Unlike a few of the other prospective editors who really wanted the job, Paul demonstrated a unique degree of honesty! He did not waste his words flattering me about how he felt like my book was going to be the next shot heard around the world (although, he was very encouraging). He did not waste his words trying to persuade me to choose him. Instead, Paul McIntire said the following:

A commercial publisher, should they accept your work, would push your manuscript through their own editorial staff before typesetting commenced. If you eventually decide to self-publish, most such businesses insist on a complete editorial pass through one of their recommended editorial freelancers (I regularly serve in that capacity for at least one well-known client).

If you wouldn’t mind some advice from a brother in Christ, it sounds like you should have your available copyediting imported into “final” Word files by your copyeditor and then use that draft to begin submitting your book to prospective agents and publishing houses. Once a decision is made (about the way book manufacturing will proceed), you would then have access to editorial services that would address your manuscript from start to finish for final preparation.

It’s not in my nature to talk myself out of revenue (my branch of the McIntire clan is Scottish!), but I hope you find this response helpful as you go forward. Please contact me again if you need more information.

Then after reading Paul’s email, he and I had a 30 minute phone conversation about what to do next… and I finally have a clear, exciting, fast, and achievable strategy! I even asked Paul if I could send him a check for the consultation and his reply was something like, “It’s my pleasure to help other Christian’s get their message out.”

Pure honesty really is a beautiful thing!

Now, think about your own life. How much of what you’re doing for other people is being done in pure honesty? You see, Paul McIntire didn’t even have the promise of friendship in his service to me. There was absolutely no prospect of gain in Paul’s selfless and loving actions… only service to some random aspiring writer.

Think of how much more beautiful our world would be, if you and I found someone to serve every single day of our lives (just like Paul served me today). Think of how special this would make us feel deep in our hearts.

Now, take a look around… pay close attention to all the people coming through your space over the next few days. An opportunity will present itself. Take it!

That’s my blog for today. 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