Moving Day

Just moved today. I am grateful for all of the friends that helped. It made it a lot easier and went really fast and well. Kelly and I like our new place. It is about the same size but the design makes it a lot more open. We feel like we have more room. The worst part of moving is all the last odds and ends that need to be moved. Tomorrow we will finish that up and hopefully get the place cleaned and ready for check out.

Our goal is that in 2 years our next move is into a place that we own. We shall see and hopefully we can get there.

Refuge

Core workout today. Great workout. Started week 7 and I'm back on track. Tomorrow is the halfway point. Crazy. I can feel my body getting tired. I hope I can continue to muster the energy to do the workouts.

One word in the Psalms that David uses a lot is Refuge. David understood something very valuable so when we are going through life we need to seek out God as our Refuge not other things. For many your refuge might be your job or money or something else but it is God with whom we need to put our refuge in. If anyone in scripture had plenty of other things other than God to put his refuge in it was David.

Seek Refuge from God.

Junk

Yesterday I said goodbye to a lot of junk. It is amazing how much piles up over time. It was neat going through memories as well. Some stuff I held onto but the majority of it is gone. It is amazing how my perspective on what to save and throw out changed once I had 2 kids.

I am still on target with P90X. This past week was tough keeping up with it. I missed one day and I'm debating about redoing the week since I did miss one day. We will see how this week goes:)

Complacency

I got a little complacent in week 6 of P90X. I am still on track but I fell behind for the first time. I am one day behind but will make it up on my scheduled rest day.

It is interesting how complacency set in once I was feeling really good about what I was doing. I think that happens in all areas of life. In the work out I look for ways to jump start it to get beyond complacency and I think in other areas of life I need to find that jump start. Hopefully I can discern well enough in advance to not let complacency really set in. When that happens things start to suffer.

The truly great ones in life never not have complacency set in. The great ones know how to defeat it before it hinders them.

Preparation

Not preparing is preparing to fail. I am reading through Nehemiah and he was someone who prepared extremely well. He made specific preparations to accomplish his goals. How are you preparing yourself for what God has for you?

Preparing ourselves for worship on a weekly basis involves spending time with Him on our own. It is neat to see a group of believers worshipping God who have been with the father beforehand.

I think if we want to improve our worship experiences it isn't about better muscians, speakers, or getting it better than last time. It is about being with God before we meet. That is the kind of preparation that will powerfully change your worship experience. We all play a part in preparing to worship together.

My 90 day challenge is still on track. I have eaten better this week but that is definitely the biggest challenge right now.

It's about people

It's about the people not the program. In ministry and life I am learning that we really need to put people first and not just focus on accomplishing the task at hand.

It's tough when we are in such a bottom line driven world. I believe if you put people first and invest in them that the bottom line will take care of itself. I mean just look at how Jesus lived His life. He invested in welve and He changed the world like no other.

Sundays

Sundays are great days where I get a lot accomplished at church. Today was a very productive day. God taught me a lot about being obedient. Just remain faithful to what God has called you to.

John Wooden died this week and one of the things he taught wa to improve a little everyday. Don't expect dramatic change overnight. That is something that I need to be reminded of. I think with our walk it is obey God everyday and as we do over time we will se dramatic changes.

Can't wait to see what God has In store by us remaining obedient.

Brutal

It's brutal out there. Just ran 2.5 miles in 30 mins very slow moving with the sub beating down on me. Worked up a good sweat but it was smart for me to stop when I did.

Had a good prayer time with our elders this morning praying for the coming future of our church. Love going before the King in prayer. We also all talked about what God was teaching us and everyone had similar experiences of learning to be obedient. I believe that God is teaching the leaders of the church obedience. I'm definitely learning it.

Love Fridays

Fridays are my day off and i love them as I get to do things like take Joshua to the pool. Great day of spending time with family and friends. I always enjoy my day off and got to spend some time with friends from school. Hopefully we can stay connected more frequently.

Workout was solid. This week has been harder overall. I'm feeling like the workouts are catching up to me a little bit but I have to keep bringing it and pressing play.

Obey

If my people...will humble themselves...and seek my face and pray...I will heal their land


It is immediately followed by a declaration for obedience or else...the great thing is now that we have Jesus and if we trust in Him as our Savior there is no or else Jesus loves and forgives no matter what, in the old testament God punished disobedience in our time Jesus was punished for us BUT obedience is still required

When we fall into disobedience we are killing our Savior. This fact alone should drive us to obedience.

I finished 1 Chronicles and started 2 Chronicles still on track to finish in 90 days. Did Yoga X and I am currently a sweaty mess. I have to be honest that I haven't ate healthy much this week. I need to improve that.

Do you hunger for God?

I love the Apostle Paul. He describes how we are to live the Christian life very well. He is passionate about telling us that God loves us no matter what. God's love for you is not dependent on anything you can do. So when we fall short we can rest assured that God still loves us.

But Paul is also clear that it isn't about not doing the right thing or giving up because we know God will still love us. In fact he talks about pressing on and forgetting our past. Each day is a new day to be like Christ. We are also told that we have the power of Christ in us as Christians who is there to help us do the right thing.

You cannot have faith without works they are always linked. But as Paul is clear about faith comes before works and works are a result of our faith. In fact the closer we get to Christ the more we are in His presence receiving His love the more we hunger for the things of Him.

One thing I'm learning in this 90 day challenge is that the more time I spend with God the more I am hungering for the things of Him.

P90X Works

Today was cardio and I decided to run for 30 mins instead of the 30 minute cardio DVD and it felt good. I kept my heart rate at the right level and made it farther in 30 mins than I have in a long time. Not sure of the exact distance but it was my normal path when I run and it was longest yet. Awesome to see my training work.

God is teaching me a lot about perseverance and sticking to a plan. In the scriptures many of the ones who did great things you only hear about a handful of their exploits. You don't hear about the hard work and preparation they put in to succeed. Like anyone else I want to do great things for God. To get to those moments it starts with the days that no one will remember and putting in the hard work.

Love God Well

Loving God means that we should not take advantage of God Grace.

I learned from today's reading that God is very patient. There was generation after generation of the Israelites serving other gods and it took God a long time before they were put into captivity in Babylon. Israel failed to take advantage of Gods patience. I don't want to be one who takes advantage.

A good parallel to this is when Paul talks about taking advantage of Gods Grace in Romans 6. We are not to take advantage of Gods Grace. It eventually caught up with the Israelites and it will eventually catch up with you. I would argue that if you take advantage of Gods Grace for too long you may not be a Jesus follower because if we love Him why would we keep taking advantage of someone we love?

Loving God well is obeying Him and following Him wholeheartedly. Not worshipping other gods and we all have them and if we are honest with ourselves we know what our idols are that we have to stop worshipping over God.

Love God well and destroy your idols.(anything that takes precidence over God)

Pressing On

Yesterday I took a much needed day off from the 90 day challenge. The workout rest was already built in, I have a scripture day off on Tuesday so I took it yesterday as well as the journaling to spend some quality time with the family. My parents were in town and we spent most of the day after I preached at sesame place. It was awesome to play with Joshua there and see his reaction to the fireworks. He loved them.

Today I begin phase 2 with a good core workout. Looking forward to pressing on in my training.

Now what to do on memorial day looks to be a great day.

Phase 1 Done

Just completed week 4 of P90X. Monday I head into phase 2. I feel a lot stronger and in much better shape. Now it is time to do some serious burning of calories and lose a bunch of weight. Monday morning before I start phase 2 I will do my one month measurements. I still haven't missed a day.

Day Off

Today is my day off from work. Don't hate as I work most of the weekend. Busy weekend ahead with preaching, family in town, and Immerse.

Today I'm thinking of going with the family to Sesame Place as well as tomorrow with my parents. Should be good times. We were generously helped out with season passes for our family. Good times.

Today is cardio day in P90X. Looking forward to it actually. I will also finish 1 Kings today. Hopefully I will get oil changed well in our cars, been a while since that's been done.

Training Others

Today was stretching for an hour and it isn't your old high school stretching before gym class. It really makes you work and sweat. Although not a normal P90X sweat.

I learned about many of the Kings in Israel. I'm again reminded that when leading true success is handing off well. David did not do this well and we see Solomon slowly fall away from God and Israel as well. Slowly they deteriorated to the point where they were serving other gods. Good leadership is leaving well. Leaving well is training your successor well and setting them up for success. David set Solomon up for success but probably didn't train well.

This weekend I am preaching and will be looking at the life of Paul and how he trained well.

Finale week

One of the things Kelly and I love doing together is watching stories on TV. And this week is a fun week with most of our favorite shows having their finale's exciting stuff. We love a good story.

I'm in a good place mentally with the working out. I feel like it is becoming a habit. I'm feeling more in shape and stronger everyday.

I love reading scripture in order and in large chunks you really get good perspective on what is going on. On to 1 Kings.

Crazy Kids

David had some crazy kids. One of his sons raped one of his daughters and another killed the son who raped the daughter and that son, Absalom plotted to take the kingdom from his father David and did for a time. Eventually Absalom was killed and David got his kingdom back but David wept and mourned for days for his son. His love extended beyond the betrayal and wrongdoings Absalom had. I believe this is another reason David is a man after Gods own heart because God is much the same. No matter the sin or how bad we think we messed up God still loves us deeply.

I know I love my sons deeply and right now I can't fathom them doing things like Absalom did but I know I would love them just the same. No matter how crazy they get I will love them.

Becoming a warrior=obedience to Jesus

Braveheart, Gladiator, and 300 have nothing on David from the Bible.

I've been reading a lot about David in my Bible reading and his stories are all about action, adventure, soap opera drama(Bathsheba), and most of all submission to the Father. But no one can say that the Bible is boring. If you do then your saying all your favorite tv shows or movies are boring.

David conquered nations, overthrew governments, enacted justice, was a righteous outlaw, and hardly ever lost but most of all he submitted to and obeyed God.

This is something I think that we can all learn from. David let things happen in Gods timing. He followed and obeyed the Lord wholeheartedly. In today's world, the world of have it your way we push our own will into Gods will for our lives. Not. Good.

The cool thing though is David was called a man after Gods own heart. I think that is why men are drawn to the action movies. We want to be David the warrior but without the obedience. I believe if we would step up and risk out goals to follow God in obedience each of us will live the warriors life like David and truly be men after Gods own heart.

Obedience to God requires sacrifice(you might be asked to give up your plush job), taking risks(new circle of friends or doing things you don't think you can do), possibly losing security($ is not required when following Jesus), but when we obey Jesus it will all be worth it and I can guarantee you that you won't regret it.

Will you be a warrior? Obey Jesus and you will be.

Speaking of warrior i did lots of warrior poses in my workout. Today was yoga and I did the best I've done yet and I'm actually enjoying it.

Learning from my 2 year old

Part of Saul's downfall was his pride. He lost David as a leader because he was jealous of him. Saul wanted to kill David because he was a better leader. There is a lot to learn from this. Saul became so consumed with getting David that his Kingdom started to suffer. Sometimes we get jealous of those around us. It is not right as it distracts from the purpose God has for us.

Joshua is doing great with Caleb and hasn't really showed any jealousy. One way Joshua showed his love for his little brother is by offering him his blanket. Joshua treasures his blanket so he was really giving Caleb what was most valuable to Him. Saul could have learned something from my 2 year old. I can definitely learn from my 2 year old. Great example Joshua!

Rest day was a much needed break from P90X. I feel good about where I'm at as I head into week 4.

Silence

We need to all learn to shut our yappers. I am tired of all the complaining. I took our Mexico team to the airport this morning and had a good conversation on the way down in the van about complaining and being negative. There is too much of it going on in the church. But silence I think is on both sides so i will be silent.

I read about Saul becoming king in 1 Samuel. When he became king there were troublemakers
(10:26) who despised him and talked about him behind his back. But it says he remained silent. A lot can be said about Saul and how he fell away from God but there was a time when he was a good man. I know as a leaders in the church we will get despised and people will talk about us behind our backs. I know that happens. I know that I need to be silent as that happens and not just silence for silence's sake but I believe Grace is very present in that Silence. Saul extended Grace by not lashing out. I need to do the same. On the flip side I have got to not be that troublemaker. I need to be the guy that doesn't despise my leaders and this isn't just my direct circle of leaders but in my denomination and government as well.

The work out felt good for the first time this week. Maybe I'm catching my second wind as I head into recovery week. I am done with the intense part of phase 1. Now it's lots of cardio in "recovery" and onto phase 2. 3 weeks are completed and I still haven't missed a day.

Chick Flick

Hollywood should look to the Bible next time try want to make a best selling chick flick. The book of Ruth has all of the elements of a good one. Girl loses love, is poor, meets rich handsome man, they get married.

The beginning of 1 Samuel Hannah is barren and begs God for a child and she gets Samuel. How awesome and hopeful is that for a woman in the same situation.

I think that the take away is God is in control over all the 'drama' of our life. That's probably why Hollywood wouldn't use those stories because God moved in the drama not just someone 'heart' or 'feelings'.

God cares about whatever situation we are in and wants to make the drama of our lives have a happily ever after but we have to be prepared that itay not exactly look like Hollywood.

The 90 day challenge is one day away from being 1/4 of the way done. I did chest, back, and abs today. Tough but I feel good. I'm taking the Mexico team to the airport tomorrow morning at 4am not looking forward to that. But I am looking forward to seeing what God does in the lives of people on this trip.

Longest yard

It's ironic that I'm watching the longest yard on TNT and I feel like this week has been the longest yard. I'm praying next week I catch my second wind. Yoga was today and I did better than I have in 3 weeks.

I read judges 3-15 and it was all about following God. If Israel followed God they were blessed. It was a time of leadership unrest with hold over leadership from the system of Judges that Moses had set up. The Judge Jephthath learned that you have to be careful what you promise God. Because he promised God he would sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house when he came home after a war victory he lost his only daughter.

I am learning that God was really setting the tone for His Kingdom and rule in the Old Testament. I think we take advantage of the free Grace we have through Jesus' redeeming love when He went to the cross. Many of us would be dead as well as our whole families because of our sin if we lived in the Old Testament. A humbling fact.

I pray that I might be a man who obeys the Lord.

After effect

Effective training leads to effective execution. What happens after?

I couple of people ask me today what I will do after the 90 days. My plan is to spend a couple of weeks in maintanence mode which will include running. I will then do another 90 days of P90X with my wife Kelly in the fall.

As far as Bible reading I will pick another reading plan as for my personal time I love reading straight through as it gives me great perspective.

Today I was reading about Joshuas after effect. He had great execution but the one mistake he made was not developing leaders well enough to hand off to. He served the Lord well and when he died Israel fell away from God. It is my prayer that I leave an after effect in any position I hold and especially when it comes to my physical and spiritual health as well as my family.

Don't be a slacker!

Ahhhhhhhhhh

Ahhhhhhhhhh. This was insanity today. I really want to throw in the towel just one day. It is tough but I don't want to be that guy who quits when the going gets tough.

I read Joshua 1-14 and it was tough for him in conquering Canaan but he had spent years training under Moses and was ready to serve God and lead well. Joshua was in touch with Spirit so he could ask God for things like making the sun stand still. I want to have the character of Joshua so when my time comes I can lead and follow God well. But now I am in training and building the character that will allow me to lead well and I can't quit.

No excuses

Excuses are for the weak. I will no longer be weak. Wow. Beginning of week 3 and I am battling my mind big time. I willed myself to workout and read today. I honestly felt no desire to do so. In the past i would have came up with a great excuse as to why i shouldnt read or workout.

But I'm glad I pushed myself. I'm going to call this intense week. This is the week we seperate the men from the boys. Who will fall off track and who will stick with it. I for one will stick with it.

No excuses

Anniversary

I had an awesome anniversary date with my hot wife Kelly last night. We had UNOs pizza and saw Robin Hood. It was awesome to go out as we hadn't been out in probably a month. It was a good time reflecting and just hanging out together.

We have been married 6 years and I can't wait for at least 60 more.

Get off your couch

and do something. You and I both know that most of us just lay on our spiritual couch or literal couch.

No matter what we say our theology is our actions show us our theology a lot more. I'm reading Deuteronomy and mostly we find love and obedience as interchangeable. In fact Jesus repeats most of these commands in the Gospels. It says that if we love Jesus we will obey what he commands.

Some of us want to do great things for God and yet we can't even get up and open the Bible. What makes us think God will use us for great things when we can't even do the little things.

I am taking this 90 day challenge not just to get in shape spiritually, physically, and emotionally but to change my lifestyle in all 3 areas.

Today was rest day although I did take a mile walk and read Deut. 8-23. I'm praying God does a work in me and all who are doing this challenge with me.

Don't be a slacker.

City of Refuge

Are you someone people run from when they are in trouble or run to? At the end of Numbers God commands Israel to set up cities of refuge so people who screwed up can have a safe place to live. Are the environments you set up safe? I think too many "Christians" aren't safe and it's clear as we unpack scripture further we are to be places of Refuge.

The early part of Deuteronomy is also great as it talks a lot about obedience and love to God no matter what you are going through. Love and Obedience are always linked here. I am learning that to love God is to obey Him. It isn't just about verbally saying that I love Him. But to be able to love God without it becoming legalistic we have to learn to experience His love because when we do you will not want to do anything but obey Him.

I believe this 90 day challenge and beyond is showing Jesus my love. This morning I finished my last day of week 2 workouts and I am still going strong. Love it.

Today's scripture was numbers 33- deut. 7. It was full of great stuff.

One Word P90X

It pushes me to my limit everyday. I am almost halfway through phase 1 or 1/6 through the program and I'm already getting great results. Although to this point I've only lost 2.5 pounds I've lost about 2 inches off of my waist which is awesome. I have also not felt better in a long time.

The scripture reading is going great. God is teaching me great things as I'm in Numbers. Today the main part of the passage was when the donkey talked to Balaam. It took an animal to recognize God and communicate that to Balaam. I wonder how often I am so focused on my plan and strategy that I forget or ignore what God is saying like Balaam. It was definitely a great reminder for me.

Happy Birthday Joshua

Today was Joshuas second birthday and it was a lot of fun playing with him and his new tee ball set. He is a natural. Can't wait to see how he develops as a man. Looking forward to doing life with him.

Today was yoga day which is really hard and works you hard as well.

Scripture was the story in Numbers of the spies with Joshua and Caleb bring back a good report. Hopefully God empowers my 2 sons with their names to make the same kind of stands for Jesus. Love those 2 so much. My prayer for them every night is that they grow up to love Jesus and help others find Jesus' love as well.

Let the Next Generation Lead

If you are over 50 step aside. ²⁴ "This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the Tent of Meeting, ²⁵ but at the age of fifty, they must retire from their regular service and work no longer. ²⁶ They may assist their brothers in performing their duties at the Tent of Meeting, but they themselves must not do the work. This, then, is how you are to assign the responsibilities of the Levites." Numbers 8:24-26

I didn't say it the Bible did. This isn't saying if you are over 50 you have no say or input but to assist. To me assisting goes beyond doing what some young guys says but mentoring them. Make sure that they are being trained well. Provide the insight of the years of service. That is so valuable to the church and we young bucks need that. I like the word assist as it isn't lording over but it is coming alongside. I find it interesting that scripture talks about this. What does that mean for our church today?

I think it is a principle that holds true. I have heard Rick Warren, Andy Stanley, and others well over 50 talk about this idea of the older letting the younger lead. I'm not that old but I know that the way the young teenager expresses themselves in their youth group is the coming way to do church and I should let them do it if I want to reach as many people for Christ as possible.

This was a great reminder from Numbers of all places. Sorry if you are mad but it is just what the Bible said. :)

Today's workout was shoulder, arms, and abs...tough...but I am now on the downslope of week 2.

Frustrating

Today was a frustrating day. I weighed myself after one week and have lost 1lb. Most of what I'm reading says that's ok as my muscles aren't dormate anymore and they weigh more than fat. But still frustrating. I feel great though and can't wait to see what happens.

Discipline

Leviticus 1-14 takes a lot of discipline to stick with. I think that Leviticus gets a bad wrap. It can be boring yes. But to me Leviticus is rich with showing us how to worship God. Leviticus lists many ways to sacrifice to God because of our sin. The great thing is the ultimate sacrifice was made by Jesus Christ and we no longer have to abide by Leviticus but what can we learn today. For one we can learn the reverence of worshipping God. Leviticus is very particular about what to do when worshipping God. In some instances when worshipping the presence of God was so great the Israelites fell on their faces. When was the last time the presence of God was so great that we did that? There is particular emphasis on taking care of yourself especially when in God's presence. I think if we all treated coming before God as holy and reverent as it is spelled out in Leviticus we can provide an environment where God can move.

We need to contextualize what reverence today looks like. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Being with God during your week

2. Taking care of your health (eating right, exercising, etc.... which is why I am doing this 90 day plan)

3. Loving well. Why is it that pagan's love others better than Christians? Ask any waiter or waitress what they feel when they see someone praying before their meal. I will tell you they feel they might get treated poorly and definitely short changed on their tip. This isn't right. There are other examples. I think we don't love well because we don't know how deal with our issues.

4. Deal with your issues. Pagan's love better than us because they can deal with their issues easier because they aren't as afraid of what others think than we are in the church. We have to create an environment in the church where people can talk about their issues and not looked down upon. It is natural for people in the church not to tell others their issues because you lose status in the church if you have issues. In the world typically nothing is gained nor lost based on issues. Because pagans know everyone has them. To find people who deal with their issues is easy. Take a risk and open up to someone and deal with them.

5. Passionately pursue the lost. Lost people matter to God and he wants them in His church. This is how we are reverent to God. We provide environments where lost people find Him.

End of Week 1

Today is a day of rest for the workout program. It is much needed. My body is sore and needs to recoup. Today I will still be reading the scriptures.

I will be finishing the Book of Exodus today. Exodus God lays out many details of how he wants Israel to be established. The one that stuck out is the day of rest or Sabbath. God even went so far as to tell Israel that if they worked on the Sabbath they would be put to death. That is serious attention to detail. Not only is a Sabbath biblical but it is scientific that our bodies are healthier and in turn produce better work because of it.

I am really wrestling with the idea of Grace vs Works. In the Old Testament God lays out very detailed plans into how they were to live their lives. No one can succeed at the law God put forth which is why God sent Jesus to pay the penalty of failure for us so we don't have to die if we break the Sabbath because Christ died for us. But I think we take advantage of Christ's death by just saying oh well or I will work on it. I feel like we water down His Grace. Maybe I'm wrong but throughout scripture it says if we love Him we will obey Him. I have to ask myself am I obeying the Father or am I just relying on Grace? To me if we have received His Grace and Love our live will show that by our actions. It seems it is dangerous these days to talk about works. I truly believe that you cannot be saved by works but after salvation there is no room for us to not act. Grace and works are inseparable after salvation. God still wants us to live a life that is like Jesus but the beauty is we don't die when we fail if we are in Christ Jesus. Which understanding that should motivate us to live more like Christ. Because if we didn't have Him we would die. Every time we sin that deserves death but Jesus died for us. That is a humbling fact. If we are acting like Jesus then we should wonder whether or not we are saved...just saying...

I wonder how Rob Larsen and Josh Conn are doing with this challenge after the first week.

Grass is greener

When we are frustrated the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence. But most of the time when we get there we are just as frustrated.

I read Exodus 16-28 today and that is exactly what I found the Israelites doing. They were grumbling on the other side of the fence. In fact they said it would be better if we were back where we were and had died there. Crazy that they thought where they came from was better. I believe God wants contentment. I think that is one of the reasons the Israelites wandered for 40 years, they were not content. God promised them a land but wanted their hearts and was determined to get it.

This is something I need to remember. God wants my heart and I know when I fully give it to Him contentment will happen.

Today I finished my first week of P90X workouts. I feel great and I am still pumped about this workout program. Excited to see how God uses this.

God is Sovereign

Exodus 1-15 is all about God's Sovereignty. Do you believe God is control? If not read Exodus 1-15. Some people try to explain it away which is dangerous theologically. Why would God harden someone's heart? God has a plan and who am I to question it? If he wants to harden a heart why can't he to accomplish his purposes? He wanted to bring Egypt to their knees as well as build trust and faithfulness in the Israelites. Who are we to question that? It may seem difficult whatever situation we find ourselves but we have to trust that God is in control and His plan is greater than ours. We must be faithful to that.

I loved how God spoke to Moses when he was at his weakest and God moved through a burning bush in a powerful way. So many times God speaks clearly to me and I question it. This story is confirmation to never question God as He is in control.

The workout today was good for the soul. Feel like I'm in a good rythmn.

Day 4 of 90

I'm excited to do this 90 day challenge. Today I will be doing some yoga. Looking forward to seeing how that goes. I have been doing a lot of reflecting lately. Today I read the last 10 chapters of Genesis.

It was about how God spared Jacob and his family from the famine through his son Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery and his family thought him to be dead but he rose up as the #2 leader in all of Egypt the most powerful nation of that time because he was faithful with where God had him.

I am going to be a little vulnerable and honest with where I am at. I love my job and where God has me but there are things I do that I know aren't my "sweet spot." Joseph's sweet spot was obviously in leading people in an organized way. He was wise and discerning and God used all his strengths and he seemed to love all that he did. But he did not start that way. I coach young people all the time on reaching their dreams or "sweet spot" in life. I always tell them be faithful with where God has you now and you will arrive to that place one day. It is a good reminder for me that I must be faithful with where God has me and do it to the best of my ability. So when the day comes for me to be in that "sweet spot" God is preparing me for I am ready to take it and accomplish it. It is my goal to be faithful to be fruitful as Joseph was.

Hump day

Today is hump day of my first week in the 90 day challenge. It is normally the toughest day but today actually was my easiest day.

Genesis is teaching me a lot about patience and submission. It is all over the book. Today I read about Joseph and the promises God gave him. I identify a lot with Joseph as he is a man with a vision and a word from God who doesn't get it right away in fact he takes many steps back. I feel the same. I know God has given me a clear vision for my family and ministry. Neither have arrived but I know in Gods timing they will happen and I don't want to rush that.

The workout was fun today. It felt like an old basketball workout which brought back lots of great memories. I feel great. Heading towards the end of the first week I feel great!

Day 2

Made it through the burn. Today was cardio and I did well. Feel good but today's entry will be short as it's getting late.

I read Genesis 17-28:19. Learned a lot about the blessings of God. We need to be greatful for what God has given us. Boy am I grateful. He has provided me with a beautiful wife and 2 awesome kids. I am so blessed and I can't complain about some of the short comings my life brings.

Day 1

One word: Brutal.

I read Genesis 1-16 from youversion's 90 day plan. It was very revealing to how God works. The theme throughout was submission. That is something I must do to succeed not only during these 90 days but in life. This 90 journey is called no slackers allowed. To rebel is to slack. If I rebel against the plan I fail. If I rebel against Gods plan then it is worse as I miss out on his perfect plan for me and I tell him I know better. I do not want to tell God I know better. I learned throughout the story of Abraham that when he didn't submit to God it did not go very well. God still worked but Abraham suffered. God even told Hagar who was being mistreated to submit. Not. Good. To be honest though I think it's less about submission and more about trust. Do you trust God enough to submit to him?

...Brutal

Food was tough today as I cut way back and felt hungry most of the day but I pushed through and did well but it was

...Brutal

As I was journaling today I had the overwhelming sense of Gods love and I thought my love for others is very inadequate for how much God loves me. But when I was given the opportunity to show love and Grace to someone at a store I reacted the opposite...not good

Finally P90X. It was tough not gonna lie. But I made it through. Core synergetics. It was one of the toughest workouts with no weights I have ever had but I made it through day one. Good thing I only do that particular workout once a week...but it was

....Brutal

Now to shower and wind down and get ready for Day 2...

90 Days

I will soon be going through a 90 day program to get healthy physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

I am going to do 90 days of workout and diet program (P90X), I will read through the Bible in 90 days (youversion.com) and I will be journaling for 90 straight days. I will also blog my experiences everyday as well.

I felt convicted that I am a slacker in many areas. Although I exercise and spend time with God neither is what I want it to be. I want to push myself and grow. I want to create habits in my life that help me grow. I know that Jesus came to abolish the law so we have freedom but He also doesn't want us to abuse that freedom. I feel like too many times I abuse that freedom so I am going into a no slacker program.

Right now my boys Robert Larsen and Joshua Conn are joining me in this journey because I need accountability.

one on one discipleship coaching

Probably my favorite part of coaching basketball was practice. Practice is where it all happened. We loved the saying, "Perfect practice makes perfect." So practice was intense. We put players through the ringer when it came to skill, fitness, and their mental toughness. We summed this up as Character. We had a distinct plan for players when it came to drills that we would put players through day after day. We wanted to push them to their limit and then push more. We would run them until they were tired and then run them some more. Then as coaches we would play with their minds by making them think that they had completed a drill successfully and then throw them off by changing the rules or something. We would push and push and push as we knew that those drills decided games that hadn't been played. We wanted our team to be prepared for tough situations in games and have the character to push through and win.

I think that God sees life in the same way. He knows that tough times are going to come and the question is do we have the character it takes to push through? This is why I believe James tell us this:

James 1:2-4 says, "²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

As coaches we are developing the character of those we are coaching. So as a coach I encourage you to push the person you are coaching. Push them beyond where they think that they can go. I can guarantee you that at some point in your coaching relationship you, the person you are coaching, or both of you will go through a significant life trial. It is what you do with that situation that will mark you as a coach and mark that person. Are they prepared? Have you prepared them? The coaching relationships are designed to help develop a person's character so that when they go through a tough time they can persevere and be mature and complete.

Calling

Pursuit of calling is never easy. God did not give us a task and tell us it would be easy. My experience in pursuing the calling of God has taught me that sometimes the road gets long, hard, and tough. But it is because we know our calling is from God that we push through.

Luke 9:23 says, Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

Taking up a cross is a tough thing to do. The significance is huge. But one thing I know is it isn't easy. Never said it would be easy. But we are called to follow Him. If God is calling you somewhere don't shy away from that calling because it is too hard. Don't shy away because you need more schooling or you won't get a full time job or you won't get health benefits. Know your calling and pursue it. Take up your cross to follow Him. You don't want to compromise that or your life will be bleak and lifeless. God WILL take care of you. The calling of God is too important to compromise for some short term worldly gain.

Brett Favre, Colts, and Monday Morning Prayer

Everything is right with the world. Brett Favre threw an unnecessary interception to cost his team a Super Bowl birth. The Colts dominated the miracle Jets like they were supposed to do and I was back at my Monday morning pastor's prayer time. It feels good to be back home and in my normal routine and sports back to normal.

But things won't be the same for me. My task is clear: help people understand the people acrossed the world need our help. They need our resources and things we can give them but more than that they need Jesus. Watch out Jesus is on the move.

Home Stretch

Today we decided on the area for the exact location of the ministry in Siam Square. It will be from Starbucks to MBK to the Train Stop. It is about 10 square blocks. Really cool. Today in the square there were bands set up playing. Really a nice atmosphere to meet and hang out with people. We then took Steve Strong and Jim Sappia out to get some Outback.

We are pumped about what God might do. Tomorrow we meet with the Field Leadership Team to discuss the ministry and hear some possible decisions.


Tomorrow at 11:30 we fly back to Taipei to begin our journey home. We are in Taipei for one day and then fly to LA. We will red eye it back to Detroit then on to EWR for a 8:47am arrival.


Short trip but great and I am ready to see my family. Miss them a lot.

Slumdog Bangkok

Today we saw some of the worst living conditions and how a lot of people live in across the world which makes you appreciate all that we have in America. Even the worst of living conditions in America don't compare to the slums of Bangkok. Things we have they don't: sewage system, trash pickup system, more than one 20x10 foot room, and much much more. We saw kids without pants or shirts. We saw feces everywhere and all we smelled was urine. Parents just put clothes on the children with whatever they had and it wasn't much. This slum will break anyone's heart upon visiting. The children wanted to be with you. They wanted to hang out and check out your technology just like any other child. Many children there probably don't experience much love and just wanted us to hug them. We saw people living in broken down shacks and living in an area that none of us would settle for. We saw trash everywhere, saw slums built on dirty water filled with sewage, children who didn't have a lot of food, and a slum lottery where the most they could win was 40 baht which is equivalent to about 1 dollar. Let me tell you it was bad and we have to do something. To know about this and not do something is just wrong. American's are a culture of being in the know. We know about Haiti and want to do something. We should do something but the people in the slums of Bangkok are living in a condition that many die every month just for where they live. I can tell you most of us would not live one month in those conditions.

I'm sure if they just had proper sewage and drainage more people would live. I'm sure if someone would bring them food they could not be hungry. If someone would clothe them their body could be protected. If someone would love and play with their children they would feel love. If someone would take the time to know them you could see their real need is a Savior and you could share the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus is what these people need. We can share the Gospel in real and tangible ways by meeting basic needs that none of us could comprehend.

It is my hope that through our ministry in Bangkok we can provide the hope of Jesus to the people of Siam Square as well as the people of the slums. It will look different in each location. One Rich and the other poor. One is our normal and one is nothing we have ever experienced nor will we. One has Starbucks at every corner and one lives on Starbucks' trash. There are so many differences but there is one thing in common: the people need Jesus.

It is time to do something.

Now that I know....

.....I have to do something......

To do NOTHING....

.....is to disobey God....

I will be obedient and I will not ignore.

What will you do now that you know?

I know we will do something...

Some images of our experience in the slum Klong Toey, Bangkok's largest...

Swaticup

Hello. Today we had a great day exploring Thailand for the first time. Bangkok is a big city that will wear you down. We hung out with our missionary Jim Sappia for the first half of the day and he gave us a tour of the area we are looking to do ministry, Siam Square. I think it will be a great place to do ministry. We had our first Thai contact Vrandy and found that many Thai in this area know some English. Enough to hold a conversation. The university closest to Siam Square has many of their classes in English. So knowing and being able to use English is a big in to this area of the city we are trying to reach.

I will let some of the images of today speak.

Siam Square where we are looking to do the ministry....lot's of people...

Our first Thai contact Vrandy
Marcos getting a fish foot massage
Yeah. yeah. we ate at Hard Rock Cafe
Us with the Sappia Family and Michelle Olsen

Land of the Thai

We have made it to our destination: Thailand. It is exciting to finally be able to explore the ministry in Bangkok. We have tons of meetings set up with local pastors and ministries. Pray connections go well and God moves in us as we come up with a strategy for ministry here.

One thing I have noticed while being around missionaries is that they have a huge vision for their countries. HUGE! Every missionary I have talked to has had the attitude of let's reach our whole country. How am I going to do it? I think this should translate back to us in Plainsboro. How can we think outside of our city box and have a bigger view of reaching people for Jesus. How can we have a state view and a world view? I am so grateful to be a part of a church that is about reaching the world for Jesus and investing in a ministry like one we are going to. But individually I think many of us miss the point of the mission God gave us. What are you doing to make disciples in the whole world? It starts with praying leads to giving and ends up at going. I believe if you aren't going you are disobeying God's Great Commission found in Matthew 28. "Go into all the world and make disciples..." Where are you going?

Our prayer is that through this ministry in Bangkok the masses find Jesus and many churches are planted in Bangkok as a result. It is so cool to be a pioneer of this new ministry. Please join us in praying over these next four days that we lay appropriate ground work for this pioneering. May God go before us and ordain connections and give us supernatural blessings. May we say God moved in a powerful way.

Wiped Out

Today we hit our jet lag wall of tiredness. We visited some cool places: Cheng Kai Shek Memorial, Taipei 101 which is the tallest building in the world, and a Buddhist temple. We also saw where they plan on planting a church in Taipei. It is interesting that the section of town that this ministry is happening no Buddhist temple is. But the church is penetrating this community. It is neat to see God move in that way.

The Buddhist temple was sad. We visited the temple and just watched the feeble attempts of people crying out to an idol. They were praying to something that wasn't there. These people were hopeless because they were missing the truth. They need God and need someone to bring them God. The really sad part is they don't know God and have missed it. All of our hearts were broke for these people. We will pray for what God is doing here and pray that he moves in us as we go to Bangkok tomorrow.

We had a lot of great conversations with some missionaries. We got to hang out with Rick and Tammie Romano our missionaries in Mexico that we support. We got to talk to Pete Brokkopp and hear his heart for Africa. We met Dennis who is a 50 plus year old church planter in Denver reaching out to young adults. It was a great day full of connections and conversations. The day had a lot of great conversations with our team about the future that God has for us and where he is moving. I think it is awesome that sometimes God has to rip us out of our current context for Him to speak to our hearts. If you are looking for God to speak I would encourage you to find a different context and listen for God because he will speak in those situations.

Thanks for your prayers. Please continue to pray.

Some pics from the day:

Matt, Kyle, Rick, and I on top of Taipei 101

People without hope in need of a Savior...they don't know...who will bring the Gospel to them?

First Day

Today is our first day in Taiwan. After our arrival we went straight to our hotel in Ximending. It was about midnight local time but getting close to lunch time according to our bodies so we went to a local restaurant and had food. Since we are in Taiwan it is better known as Chinese food and it was really good. We finally got to bed about 2:30am local time and I am up and at em at about 7am local time. Pray for us that we get adjusted well.

The Christian and Missionary Alliance is holding its annual short term missions leadership meetings so far we have met the coordinators for short term missions in Cambodia and Philadelphia. We will see Rick and Tammie Romano today who are the missionaries we support in Mexico. We have already had a great initial conversation with Matt Peace about the possible ministry in Thailand. Things are already exciting for us as a church and our involvement in Thailand. There are many decisions to be made as well figuring out how to connect Thailand's needs with our service to young adults.

It is time to go explore this city of Taipei. Today we will explore the ministry of Taipei and a few cultural stops as well.

Here are a couple of images of our trip so far:

This is the restaurant we ate at:

Here is us after about 30 hours of travel

We landed

After 28 hours of travel we have reached our destination. It is about 10pm here in Taiwan Tuesday evening so we have lost a day during travel.

We start our trip with a day in Taipei, Taiwan. We will be looking at the ministry here to see how we might do it in Bangkok.

We(Kyle, Matt, Marcos, and myself) are exicited and tired. We also smell pretty bad:) our flight from Detroit to Tokyo was delayed and the people of Japan were kind enough to hold the flight from Tokyo to Taiwan. Without that help we may have been trying to book a flight in englenese.

Thank you for those that are praying for us it has helped and given us a smooth trip so far. Continue to pray for travel safety, health(this is key), and great connections.

Here is a great pic of our action so far:)

Thailand Subscription

If you would like to follow our trip to Thailand this next week go to my blog matthewleemurphy.blogspot.com and subscribe to it. When you do that you will get updates in your inbox.

Pray for us as we travel and that we make good connections for the start of this new ministry in Bangkok, Thailand.

Discouraged?

It seems many I know have been discouraged recently including myself. I believe that we are in a spiritual war. Because we are in a spiritual war we need to be aware that the enemy will be attacking. Satan does not want you to succeed and he has been around the block a few times. Because of this we must pursue God so that we are resting completely in Him.

As we pursue God's calling in our lives let's make sure we are aware the enemy wants us to be discouraged. So be encouraged that you are heading in the right direction and use the discouragment you feel as motivation to pursue Jesus who will help you to defeat that discouragement.

Discouragement also sets in when we are identifying ourselves in something other than Jesus Christ. The more our identity is in Jesus the less the difficulties of life bother us. When we completely trust in Jesus we know he will take care of us.

Jesus' comments sum it up below:

Matthew 11:28-30

28"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Family Goals

When setting goals make sure you set some clear family goals. In fact I would argue that your family goals should fall right after your drawing closer to Jesus goals. I didn't say spiritual goals because sometimes people will put ministry goals in there as well and I in no way support sacrificing your family on the altar of ministry. It says in scripture that those who minister should be good managers of their family. I believe all of us should focus on our families first but so many times our families come behind career, ministry, and hobbies.

Where is your family in your new year's resolutions?

Here are some of my family goals:

Pray with them every night

Do something to help around the house before I go into 'relax' mode

Play with my son every night

Have 2 focused family weekend or week (depending on funds:) vacations a year (non-extended family related)

Have 1-2 family outings a month (day trip type things)

I want to connect with my family spiritually, serve them, and do stuff with them.

Happy New Year and I hope that everyone is enjoying being back at work full swing...