Monday, December 3, 2018

Mighty Power In Prayer

There is a mighty power in prayer, don’t underestimate it and don’t underutilize it or you’ll end up overwhelmed and overworked and without answers! Billy Graham once said, “Heaven is full of answers to prayer for which no one ever bothered to ask.” It’s true that we often take advantage of the privilege of prayer and the blessings it brings. We get too busy, we forget, we even refuse to seek God or we do so casually, rather than with bold conviction. Yet, there is no excuse for not conversing often with God. “Prayer is more than a wish,” Billy Graham has said. “It is the voice of faith directed at God.” 
“Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” ‭‭-James‬ ‭5:13-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Friday, September 28, 2018

Hope for Single Parents & Blended Families

This is what I consider a guest blog, I've followed the teachings and books of Chip Ingram for years now, he is such a sharp guy with an amazing heart for the Christian family. Chip Ingram is the teaching pastor and president of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry. A pastor for over thirty years, Chip has a unique ability to communicate truth and challenge people to live out their faith. The information below is stuff that all families could strive to do, but it is especially valuable for Single Parents and Blended Families. Take a few minutes to read the personal wisdom he offers below.

If you’re a single parent or a parent in a blended family, you represent the majority of families in America. Now, only one out of four families is what we’d call a “traditional family” – a mom and dad with the same biological children. In addition, over forty percent of all babies in the U.S. are born to single-parent moms.
As a pastor, I meet a lot of single parents and parents of blended families. And what I’ve found is that many of them are experiencing absolute brokenness, whether it’s because of their actions or someone else’s poor decisions.

Lots of single moms or dads fight just to get through the day. They struggle with being the sole provider for their kids, and they don’t always have the emotional support or strength they need to do it.
Parents in a blended family have other unique challenges. At some point, many of them realize just how tough it is to connect and bond with children who aren’t their own biological children. They also deal with the reality that their children complicate their relationship with their spouse.
Sound familiar?
So what’s a single parent to do? And how do parents of blended families find hope and healing?
First, know that if you’re a single parent or if you’re in a blended family, God’s Word to you is: for nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:37 ESV) Single and blended families aren’t God’s ideal, and they’re often very challenging, but God wants to redeem your situation! 
His grace is sufficient for you to overcome any and every obstacle if you surrender fully and wholly unto Him. 
My own family is a blended family. When I met my wife, Theresa, she was a single parent of two little twin boys and abandoned by her ex-husband. I married her when her boys were four years old, and I became an instant parent.
Those early years were particularly turbulent. We had to deal with a lot of baggage from our past and a lot of unrealistic expectations. Both Theresa and I have learned a lot over the years.
Here are five specific ways that we’ve learned how to cope as both a single parent or a parent in a blended family:
  1. Make God your number one priority. I can’t emphasize that enough. It’s key. No matter what, spend time with God. Make His Word, make His people, and your heart the number one priority.
  2. If you’re a single parent, get connected with a strong, godly, same-gender support group for encouragement and accountability. You have to get connected. Don’t go it alone. If you do, you will not do it well, you’ll make very bad decisions in your moments of weakness, and loneliness, and exhaustion. You need other people who love God to say, “Let’s do this God’s way together.”
  3. If you’re a parent in a blended family, make your marriage a priority and seek counseling from a mutually trusted, biblical, and wise counselor. It’s very important to see someone that you both choose and agree to help you. You’ll need to work through expectations, which are usually way off.
  4. Accept this season of your life and set realistic expectations for you and your children. The goal is not to make everything in your life perfect, nice, and easy. That’s just not possible. Single parents, accept that this is a tough season and that you need God’s grace and His love. If you’re in a blended family, accept that it takes time to establish a deep connection with your adopted kids.
  5. Remember that God can make up for what you can’t give your kids or your adopted kids. He can do what you can’t do. I’ve known kids coming out of single and blended homes, and I’ve seen God work in amazing ways. Some of these kids have turned out to be the best, most godly, amazing kids I’ve ever met.
For more tips on how to be a godly parent, check out Chip’s series, House or Home: Parenting Edition: God’s Blueprint for Biblical Parenting.

Chip Ingram

Chip Ingram is the teaching pastor and president of Living on the Edge, an international teaching and discipleship ministry. A pastor for over thirty years, Chip has a unique ability to communicate truth and challenge people to live out their faith. He is the author of many books, including "The Real God," "Culture Shock" and "The Real Heaven." Chip and his wife, Theresa, have four grown children and eleven grandchildren and live in California.

Friday, September 14, 2018

Evangel Temple Hires as Associate Pastor

Evangel Temple welcomes new associate pastor, children’s center 
Evangel Temple Assembly of God, 1201 Towson Ave. in Fort Smith, welcomes its new associate pastor, the Rev. Ryan Rose. Rose and his wife, Tiffany, have previously served on staff at Butterfield Assembly of God and at Calvary Assembly of God.
Children’s Center dedication will be 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Evangel Temple. 
Visit ExcitingET.com, call (479) 782-9121 for find Evangel Temple on Facebook for information.

Thursday, September 13, 2018

Thursday, September 6, 2018

God's Word Never Fails

These two photos showed up in my “memories” on Facebook today, this was from one of our trips to my parents house after Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on our little island, this page, Genesis 1, was sitting on the floor just outside of what was my bedroom at their house, just a powerful reminder and example of how God’s Word never fails, no matter the storm you’re going through or have gone through, God the creator is still working on your behalf! His Word never fails! 

“so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:11‬ ‭ESV‬‬  

His Word will accomplish what He sends it out to do and it will succeed, trust Him in this principle and rely on the Word, its the only road map for life that is never wrong!

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Gratitude Changes Everything

Read this in my devotional today based out of the text in Exodus 17:1-7, "The key to overcoming a complaining attitude is identifying and choosing to be content with all that God has done for us. It begins by counting all of the blessings that we enjoy in Christ Jesus, and responding with thanksgiving and praise." 

Key Verse - "So the people complained to Moses, “Give us water to drink.” “Why are you complaining to me?” Moses replied to them. “Why are you testing the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water and grumbled against Moses.” (Exodus 17:2-3a CSB)" 

Choose to trust God with what he's provided you and where He is taking you. It is not all about us, we need to move away from a life of selfish into a life of selfLESS. Thank you Lord for all that you have blessed us with, yesterday, today, and moving forward. Help us to see what you are calling us to and the opportunities you are providing us with to lead others to you. Amen.

Thursday, August 23, 2018

A Leader's Trust

Accepting the Responsibility of a Leader's Trust 

This was a great read from my leadership devotional that I wanted to share today, please take the time to read this an apply it to the way you lead. 

"And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord." (2 Chronicles 20:3-4)


A leader can delegate anything except responsibility. Leaders simply cannot give it away. They can model it; they can teach it; they can share it. But in the words of Harry Truman, the buck stops with the leader.

When Jehoshaphat became king of Judah, he assumed a trust. He was to lead the people and manage the nation's resources. One of his greatest challenges came when an army from three countries laid plans to attack Judah. Jehoshaphat faced the same options we all face in a crisis: give up, back up, or stand up. At such times we find out the quality of our leadership:
  1. Dropouts: leaders who give up and fail to take responsibility.
  2. Cop-outs: leaders who make excuses for why they aren't responsible.
  3. Hold-outs: leaders who waiver too long to take responsibility.
  4. All-outs: leaders who own the responsibility and take action - like Jehoshaphat.

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Ordinary Acts of Obedience

This is a devotional I read about 4 years ago in Steven Furtick's book, "Sun Stand Still" and it has stuck with me, so I'm sharing it with you today. 
When you strip the biblical miracles of their spectacular special effects, a common plot point emerges: extraordinary moves of God begin with ordinary acts of obedience. Consider Moses’'s first encounter with God. 

Moses is tending the family sheep out in the nondescript countryside. He happens to notice a bush that’'s caught fire. He walks over to take a look

... 

Up to this point, it’'s not exactly a riveting scene, is it? 

 In reality, the illustrious burning-bush encounter that seemed so captivating in Sunday school is really... quite... ordinary. Moses is performing menial manual labor, working for his father-in-law. It'’s dusty. The sheep stink. Does it get any more mundane? 

 Almost all encounters with God begin that way. You may be living under the illusion that when God ignites great things in your life, He’'ll announce it with a big bang. He might. It’'s more likely that He won’'t. So stop waiting around for the big bang. Pay attention to the subtle clues and the still, small voice. Maybe you’'ll hear it this very day. 

 What we call a miracle is really just the right combination of your ordinary ingredients and God'’s extraordinary expertise. When God'’s super collides with your natural, sparks will fly. 

 God may call you to serve as an unknown youth pastor of fifteen kids in a moldy basement for a youth room and with an Atari for entertainment. Ordinary. But He may also be providing you an opportunity to pour your life into one of those teenagers who will go on to preach the gospel in a thousand places you'’ll never go. 

 Extraordinary. 

 God may lead you to stay at home with your young children, forfeiting a second income. Ordinary. But along with diapers, dishes, and naps, you receive the gift of time - —to model discipline, instill values, and speak life into your kids. They could grow up to be Joshua's in their own generation. Extraordinary. 

 If God is calling you to make a big difference today, He is likely to start in a small way - —a bush that only you will notice. Will you remove your shoes, draw close, and receive your assignment? Will you give the Lord permission to ignite your ordinary? If you will, before long your faith will start carrying you to a higher level than you ever thought you could reach. 

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Want to throw some rocks...

Christians, Jesus didn't die on the cross so that we could use Him as a means to bully and look down on others who don't know or share our beliefs. He came so that we might tell others about his Amazing Love, Compassion, Grace, Forgiveness and Eternal Life. 

When you talk about your faith, if you aren't telling others about the Love and Compassion of Christ, and showing them what that looks like, what are you really doing, and what do you honestly expect from them?

Condemnation and finger pointing will get you nowhere, expecting spiritual conviction and righteousness in someone that doesn't even have a relationship with Jesus yet is foolish. Jesus said in John 8:7, "...Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone..." 

It is not our job to judge and condemn unbelievers, but to show them the love of Christ, to be authentic and do our best to tell them who Jesus is and about His love for them.

Friday, June 22, 2018

What To Do In The Face Of Adversity

I’m often asked by friends and acquaintances how they should respond when facing adversity, one of the first things I want to encourage folks not to do, is to declare, “all is lost” or “this is the worst possible thing that could happen to me” - because it’s not and it isn’t. Don’t compare your hurts and pains to others, your pain is your pain, I’m not arguing that, but it doesn’t mean to throw in the towel and give up, the book of James, especially the 1st chapter is somewhere you should spend a great deal of time in study and meditation, 

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” 
- James‬ ‭1:2-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When we go through difficult times, trust in the Lord and allow your faith to grow and strengthen. God is not going to abandon you, God is not going to forsake you, don’t convince yourself that Jesus died for everyone else, that’s a lie, he died for you, and if had been for only you, he still would’ve gone to the cross. Whatever you are facing, whatever you are going through, let steadfastness have it’s full effect and you’ll lack for nothing. 

 May God bless you and strengthen you as you navigate the challenging waters of adversity.

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Achievement Over Affirmation

Choose Achievement Over Affirmation 
(Leadership Blog)

Often times we get caught up getting caught up with people and what they are doing, if we just keep our eyes on Jesus we will get to where we are supposed to go. - June 6, 2018

"Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." 
- 2 Timothy 4:3 (NIV)
If you want to make an impact during your lifetime, you have to trade the praise you could receive from others for the things of value that you can accomplish.

A friend once explained something to me that illustrates this concept very well. He told me that as people catch crabs, they'll toss the crustaceans into a basket. If you have only one crab in the basket you need a lid to keep it from crawling out, but if you've got two or more, you don't. When there are several crabs, they will drag one another down so that none of them can get away.

A lot of unsuccessful people act the same way. They'll do things to keep others from getting ahead. But the good news is that if you observe someone trying to do that, you don't have to buy into their belief system. You can get out and stay out of the basket by refusing to be a crab.

 From "Your Road Map for Success"

Monday, April 2, 2018

Awake: The Call to a Renewed Life

I hope to utilize my blog for the next few weeks to serve as the "Hub" for our small group study, "Awake". Below you'll find a link to take a survey that will help us gain perspective in our spiritual walk and where we might need to grow and focus. 
Click HERE to take the survey!

 I've included some information from this series author, Pastor Ronnie Floyd - 
What These Six Weeks Will Look Like  - Don’t sleep through your spiritual life. Wake up! Nothing refreshes like a good’s night’s sleep. And who doesn’t enjoy the occasional afternoon nap? But when we are spiritually asleep, it is dangerous. It’s time to wake up! It’s time for our churches to wake up! 

 Since our greatest need is to experience spiritual renewal from God, this study will help anyone do just that. Please consider taking your people through this study. This is what they will experience each session: 

Session 1: Return to God 
Session 2: Return to Your First Love 
Session 3: Return to Prayer 
Session 4: Return to God’s Word 
Session 5: Return to Unity 
Session 6: Return to the Task 

 Join Me in This Journey and Movement When people have turned back to God throughout history, He has done extraordinary things and sparked great movements. Wouldn’t you like to see God do so again? Join me on the journey of asking God to bring about the next great movement of renewal and turning the nations back to Him.

If you'd like to subscribe to the blog while participating in this study, just follow the link below and enter your email address, you'll be notified anytime I post something for the class, don't worry, no SPAM, I promise!
Click HERE to Subscribe!

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Thoughts: Florida School Shooting

For Christians, this shooting is not another time for you to get hyped up on the gun control debate, this is not about politics. Let the politicians do what they do, Christians, this is a TRAGIC and SAD reminder of where we have once again failed. 

In the lives of young people like Nikolas Cruz, described as a weird, creepy, a loner, once again, where was the church, where were we? He was a troubled kid, his adoptive father had died, single adoptive mother left two raise him, expelled from school, on his own, and where is the church, where are those who are showing him and his family Love, Compassion, Service, Forgiveness, Prayer, Gentleness, Commitment, Patience, Guidance, Humility, where has the church been all this time? 

If we want to get hyped up about something as believers, let's get hyped up about answering our calling to go to the outcasts, the samaritans, the loners, the people that NOBODY else is reaching. You want to make a difference? Start in your own community and allow God to utilize you and have an impact on someone in a dark place, someone struggling with great hurt and pain, be a friend to somebody that has nobody and watch what the Lord will do in that person as well as you. 

If you think I sound stupid or passive, look up the name Nicky Cruz (similar, but not the shooter in Florida,) he was the leader of a New York City gang, he slapped David Wilkerson in the face on more than one occasion when he told him about Jesus, ultimately through the dedication and compassion of Wilkerson, Cruz came to know the Lord, attended Bible College, became an evangelist, converted gang members to Christ, served as the Director of Teen Challenge and continues to reach thousands of people for Christ! Do not discount the impact you can have on a life, get hyped about reaching those who others consider unreachable. 

“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” 
- Matthew 9:37-38

Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Blessings After the Struggle

I know each of us go through difficult and trying times, tragedy, frustration, anger, confusion and much more, these circumstances though should not get us down, cling to these verses from Romans 5

“3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
-Romans 5:3-5 (ESV)

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

He's Been God A Long Time

Did you know that God has been God a lot longer than we’ve been “know it alls” - sometimes I forget that He really does know it all, and that there isn’t a place I’m headed that he isn’t already there waiting on me. Trust the Lord with each and every decision in your life and He will take care of it and you. 

8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”
- Revelation 1:8 (NIV)

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Paranormal Statistics: Did You Know...

Reviewing my notes for week #3 of our study on spiritual warfare on Wednesday nights at Calvary, “The Dark Side.” This week we are diving into the paranormal, Dabbling with evil is destructive, seeking direction from God brings life. 

 You probably didn’t know that in America, 71% claim to have had a paranormal experience, 34% believe in ghosts, 56% believe ghosts are spirits of the dead, 37% believe houses can be haunted and 55% believe psychics have real power! Don’t miss out on tonight’s lesson as we dig in to these phenomenons and thought processes. Hope to see you soon, free meal at 6:30, brig the family and enjoy a great night of fellowship and teaching at Calvary Assembly of God.

Monday, January 29, 2018

Evil Exists in Our World Today...

Don’t be ignorant of the things going on in this world, evil is a real thing, and this is just one of many examples in our area alone.
Police: Fayetteville Couple Starved Handcuffed Child As Punishment

The article goes on to say how the boy was forced to sleep on a trash bag while handcuffed to a table, he was skin and bones, only fed 3 nights a week and the mom threatened to cut him and leave him out in the cold. This is a quote from the staff at his school, "They said his eyes and cheeks were sunken and his skin tone changed. Staff also noticed the boy was eating from trashcans and hoarding and stealing food from other students."

Lord raise this child up and restore his health, body and spirit. 
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” 
- Ephesians 6:12

Police: Fayetteville Couple Starved, Handcuffed Child As Punishment http://via.kfsm.com/pVmb0

Thursday, January 25, 2018

Enjoying Week #2 of the Dark Side

Enjoyed a great time in our small group study, #TheDarkSide last night at Calvary, this was during our short video segment and then we went right back into our study of Mark Chapter 9 and how Jesus does some pretty incredible stuff! Come join us sometime, Wednesday’s st 7:00 pm, free pre-service meal starts at 6:30 each week, would love to have you!
Learn more about our church at our website www.CalvaryFortSmith.com

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Starting a New Study: The Dark Side

Looking forward to starting my new small group series at Calvary Assembly of God tonight, feel free to join me if you can make it! We will be diving right into, "The Dark Side." Evil is no illusion, and while it can certainly hangout in the hearts of people, the worst kinds of evil is most clearly seen in the one who seeks to inspire it: Satan. Whenever we engage in spiritual battle, whether our struggle is with demons, the paranormal, or fear, we need to pray and express our faith in the One with all the power. Only prayer moves us from relying on our own strengths (which are actually weaknesses) and trusting the all-powerful God. He provides us with spiritual armor and a battle plan because He desires to set us free. God has the power to do so, and Satan has already been defeated.

 Here are some of the topics we will be discussing in the coming weeks and some scriptural backdrop for each; Satan (Revelation 12:7-12), Demons (Mark 9:17-29), The Paranormal (Deuteronomy 18:9-18), Fear Not! (1 John 4:1-6), Battle Armor (Ephesians 6:10-20) and Battle Plan (Matthew 4:1-10) among others.

Feel free to join us for our pre-service meal tonight at 6:30 p.m. - Chili Dogs or Frito Chili pies along with all the trimmings, hope to see you there! Please feel free to hop onto our website if you'd like to know more about Calvary at www.CalvaryFortSmith.com

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Easier Said Than Done...

I know this is very much one of those, “Easier said than done” kind of a things, but put this Word in your heart and allow God to take “Easier said than done” and turn it into, “Done because He said it!”

““In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:26-27‬ ‭NIV‬‬
http://bible.com/111/eph.4.26-27.niv