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.