It's Time For a Change!

The new president of the USA has been sworn in and we are now going to see how things are done! I don't dislike our new President, however I am skeptical about his prowess to bring about all of the changes he promised. In fact I did not vote for Obama because of his stand on many moral issues. But the fact remains that our government is a big ship to turn and it can take up to two terms to get it going in the direction you want it to.

Alas I heard the bad news! Just Tuesday of this week I heard on a talk radio station that this current president...less than 1 month into his first term....is "a one term president"! He has to be disappointed! Don't you think! I know I would be if I had just invested the last 2 years of my life in gaining the office of POTUS. Only to discover that they will only let you have it for 1 term.

As we all know that there is no way for them to predict that President Obama will be in for only 1 term. He might find the cure for cancer and then he will be a sure thing for KOTUS (King of The United States of America). We would all be thrilled with that now wouldn't we?

My point in this rant is simply this. How fickle the favor of people in our day and time. Pity the person who basis their choice on the opinion of the masses alone.

All I know is that the God that I serve is not fickle! His love for me is boundless and unsearchable. Just think about all of the mistakes that we have made...not once or even twice...sometimes over and over and over again. Yet every time we return to Him in prayer, He receives us with love and restoration. I think that this verse says it all!


Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of all [that gives] light, in [the shining of] Whom there can be no variation [rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [as in an eclipse].
AMP



God never changes His opinion of us! You can count on that!



That's what's on my mind.



JS

A Shout-Out To Generation Now!

It is 8:25 am on Sunday morning and I am sitting at my desk preparing for today's services but I'm having trouble staying focused. I'm sitting here thinking about Revivalution Youth Ministries. That happens to be the name of our youth ministries here at First Church. Two things come to mind about this unique group of young people. 1. They know how important it is to have the Spirit of God flowing freely in a service. Whether it is a Friday night service or a Tuesday night service they want the anointed presence of God in the building. 2. They know what it takes to have a sustained spiritual harvest. We commonly refer to it as "revival". This morning at 7:30 am they were already gathering in the prayer room to prepare to go out and wake-up their bus routes so we can get the first Sunday School session started at 9am. Now without seeming nepotistic I am directly affected by this phenomenon by the fact that my son Seth (15) is amongst that group. It is primarily made up of young people 13-21 with a few more mature team captains to lead the way. So here is my thought: what a great group of young people, at their respective ages to have their hearts and heads in the right place is a great testimony to Generation Now! No they are not perfect and they still have problems with life and other things. But, considering where they are at this stage and where many of us were at this same age...I think I need to say something about them today.

That's what's on my mind!

JS

It's A New Year!

It seems at this point that I'm not a very good blogger. I haven't written anything for almost a month now and if I wasn't making a concerted effort it could be several more weeks before I wrote anything else. Every year seems to start the same way for me...busy! It has been very hectic around here since the Christmas holiday season. But come mid-January I think things are settling down and I can start enjoying some consistency in my schedule.

So the new year is off and running and many adjustments are being made, along with the addition of some new things this year looks to be a great year. I am challenged and excited about what lies before us in 2009.

With the economic uncertainties coupled with the world-wide political climate I am sure that this year will hold some new challenges for us all. However, I am also excited about this coming year. With all of the before mentioned issues I feel that this is the greatest atmosphere for a nation-wide Spiritual awakening. What a great time to be Apostolic! Invest yourself in the only stable thing around us...the Kingdom of God! I recommend three things that each of us do on a daily basis to make the most of the opportunity before us.

Pray! Make an effort to seek God.

Study the Bible! Establish yourself in the Word of God.

Reach upward! Start striving to know God intimately.

Php 3:10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope] Amplified Bible

One more thing before I sign off. I recommend everyone read this blog by my good friend Pastor B.J. Wilmoth. It will help you start the new year on the right foundation.

http://pastorbjwilmoth.blogspot.com/2008/12/remembering-who-i-am.html


That's what is on my mind!


JS

Memories of Christmas...in my garage!

It's that time of the year again. The time for fattening food, relatives, travel and overspending. Commonly known as The Christmas Season! Well let me sound off on a few things relating to this season. Let's talk gifts. Just a few weeks ago I embarked on the grand task of cleaning out my garage. That is only what a few very "different" people look forward to once every few months. I know a guy whos wife cleans out their garage with a rented dumpster every year...not really she just throws everything away. If we weren't supposed to have all of that junk God would not have created garages for us. But, back to my topic...my garage being cleaned out. In my quest for order and sanity I rediscovered an old christmas gift circa 1988. Trust me the gift in discussion was something "out of this world" in 1988! So awesome that it has ended up in my garage forgotten and so "out of fashion" twenty years later. Well that brings me to the thought of gifts...if you can give one that is great, but if for some reason you are not able to...that is just fine. As you can see from my cleaning project that no matter the value of the gift you give or receive it will be forgotten sooner or later. However, I had forgotten the gift even existed but regardless of the condition of or the popularity of the gift I still remember vividly "who" gave the gift to me.

My mother!

Even though I had forgotten about her awesome gift from Christmas 1988, I have never forgot how much she means to me and my family. So I think that the important lesson to learn about christmas is to make the memories last because the gifts will not.
So as each of us approach the last few weeks of 2008 and we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Allow me to remind you to take some time to make some lasting memories with your family and friends. They are the only thing that will last the test of time. To be honest you never regret good memories...but you can regret buying a Haliburton briefcase that would throw out the shoulder of a young man let alone the shoulder of this middle-aged man. Well come to think of it back in 1988 I was a young man! Now that is a reality check memory!

Skip the briefcase and stick to the memories they last longer and are never forgotten in the garage!

That's what's on my mind.

JS

Being Thankful!

This is a portion of things that I'm thankful for.
But, before I get into that I want you to know that my thankfulness like many other folks is not limited to a few days in November. I do attempt to be thankful year round however this time of year brings about a renewed thankfulness. So allow me to share with whomever reads this my reasons for my gratitude.

1.God-Everything good and perfect comes from Him.

2. Tasha-Without her I would not have the children that I'm blessed to have. She is the iron that sharpens my life and refines my perspective.

3. My Parents-Every year of my life brings about a new respect for what they endeavored to place into my character (all of the bad stuff is my fault and not theirs).

4. My "older" Sister...not bigger...just older (inside joke) and my Brother-in-law Bryan Holston along with my nephews.

5. Jordan my youngest nephew and one of the best all around 18 year olds I know. He follows advice even when he doesn't agree.

6. My Calling-I could be doing many things but none of them would ever bring me the satisfaction nor challenge of doing what God has called me to do. Nothing else has the eternal impact that working for God has and I would not trade that for anything in this world.

7. Good friends.

8. First Church Family.

9. My health.

10. Gods provision-In times like these I am very grateful for what God has provided for my family and I.

11. The United States of America-The greatest country in the entire world. With all of its short comings it remains the greatest of them all.

12. Jason and Leah West-They have become more like family. I appreciate their tireless labor of love for Revivalution Youth Ministry and anything else that they are asked to perform. They carry a huge portion of my burden and enable me to fulfill the vision God has given me.

13. Seth-He is a life filled with potential and personality. He is becoming the young man I only dreamed of.

14. Lane-She is the party that everyone wishes they could attend. She is the life of everyday that we live. A ready smile, up for anything and sweet beyond words. What a daughter!

15. Aidan-When you become an adult...look out world! Please meet your future President/Extreme Skateboarder/Video Game Designer. I am somewhere in the ball park.

16. Everything!

I am convinced that being "thankful" is a choice and not a set of circumstances and if you want to hear more of this you would need to be in our service tonight. My life is far from perfect and I suspect it never will be. In spite of that I am thankful for the life that God has blessed me with.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!

That's whats on my mind today.

JS

Everyone Needs an Anchor!

To say that these are trying times is an understatement. It seems that everything is shaking in our world today. The economy, politics, doctrine, families you name it and it seems less stable then...say one year ago. To some of us this was expected. To those that are looking through the lens of Gods word we understand that trouble will come as we approach the immanent return of Jesus Christ for His church. But expecting it and embracing it are two very different things! How things arrived at this point...I am not sure I understand entirely. That being aside we are still in this very challenging atmosphere and we must deal with it or become victims to it. I chose to deal with it and here is how I recommend "dealing" with it. Make sure that the anchor points in your life are secure. Anchor points are those things in life that will never change...I know that this may seem overly simplistic to some but why assume people know when you can make sure they understand. There are things in life that should never change like our doctrines. I am not a spokesperson for the world but I speak for myself so if you do not agree stop reading and log off! So what follows is my list of important things we should ensure are very secure in our lives and convictions.

1. God

2. Consistent prayer

3. A love for Gods word

4. Family

5. Our commitment to Gods work

6. Our passion to reach the world with this gospel

7. A fresh commitment to our home church

8. Staying faithful in finances to Gods kingdom (when the economy shakes our giving shouldn't)

9. Relationships with Gods family

10. Everything else!



When you think about it what things matter the most are only the eternal things. Houses, cars, savings, investment portfolios you name it. Those things are only temporal and will pass away like all other earthly things. So to borrow a cliche that best fits where we are,
"Keep the main thing the main thing!"
Thats what I'm thinking about!

JS

Just the Four of Us!

We knew it was coming!
Yep, Monday evening my lovely wife Tasha left us. It would have been understandable if she had left us for some exotic location. Even wife/moms need a break, but she left us for Alabama! She didn't really leave us for Alabama she left us for 1 Grandma, 7 aunts, 1 uncle and 1 cousin.
All 4 of us left behinds were glad to see her get to go...she does not leave alone very often and when she does it leaves a huge hole in our lives. But, she's gone so all we can say is bring on the party!
Yep when Tasha is away we play! So far we have had coffee for breakfast...all of us (I needed it and the kids just wanted it). But that is not so strange around here we all drink coffee. I know that all of those chemicals are not good for your children, however I come from a long line of people that start their younguns on coffee and Dr. Pepper at very young ages. If they are able to sit upright on your lap, they would most likely enjoy a drop of Dr. Pepper on the tip of a straw or spoon. But that's for another blog.
So, we are taking a holiday today, seeing that it is Veterans Day! Which with the sacrifices made I feel they deserve a week of days and not only one. If that were the case this would be a great week to do it. When Tasha is gone! That would make my job much easier to say the least. Five straight days of National Holiday vacation from Home School!
It isn't going to happen so we are going to "buckle down" and do some work and then play some more. Not sure what we will do for the rest of the week, but I'm sure I can come up with something fun to make the days go faster.
Well if you see a large cloud of smoke on the horizon it's most likely one of the kids cooking dinner! Don't worry the front door is about three steps from the stove...so we most likely made it out. With all of the coffee we have lots of energy!
JS, SS, LS, and AS
(we are in this together)