Got Faith?

Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear . Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Luke 12:22-31 NIV (See Also Matthew 6:33)

Have you ever been tempted to question God and ask him if you are where he wants you to be? You know, those times when you are in a battle and doubts and fears arise.

With our employer cutbacks, money has been tight and Robin and I were concerned about our bills this month. This morning, the telephone rang. Robin answered it and talked with someone who said that God had told them to pay our van payment this month! I do not think this person even knew we had a van payment. Thank You God!

God's provision never ceases to amaze me. Even though I still get concerned, I think that concern gets less and less severe each time God provides. That's how we grow in faith. We look back and can say that, "God met me there!" Then we can look at the obstacle in front of us and declare that, "God will meet me here!"

If we continue to put God and his Kingdom first in our lives, God will do the rest. How do I know? He says so in his Word and I have faith to believe it! Got Faith?

Faith - We BELIEVE or We Don't

Okay, so there is an average of 20 visitors attending Grace Fellowship each week. One of the areas of ministry that we have identified as a priority, is in our visitor follow-up contacts. First, I tried to re-invent the wheel and design this elaborate program to help us track and keep record of our visitor contacts.

NAH!

Yesterday, we decided that we (our Pastoral Staff) were going to be men of faith and opted for a $20.00 a month subscription to Power Visitor, a program from Connection Power. Wow, talk about turn key! I'm impressed. It utilizes a team of individuals from the church who communicate with each other via emails to reach out to visitors through letters and phone calls. It really tracks our guests and allows us to have more detailed information about them and their needs.

I'm excited and curious to see how our congregations involvement in this program affects our visitor retention over the next few months. Sometimes in ministry, we have to take steps of faith. Do we have the resources to invest in computer programs right now? Well, there are plenty of other things that require funds, but, if we are faithful to God and faithfully minister to the people that He sends us, I believe that He will provide for our needs.

I'll keep the few of you who read this blog posted.

Faith or Mind-What Matters Most?

Today, our whole family moved most of my home office to my new office at our church's building. Throughout the process, I couldn't help but notice how excited the Kidd kid's were. They were busy moving boxes, hanging decorations, arranging furniture and doing their fare share of exploration. In our decision to follow God's leading to minister at Grace Fellowship, we, naturally, were concerned with how our kids would adapt to the change. While we were working, various church folk popped in to welcome us and express their excitement, calling our kids by name! Our kids expressed to us later that they truly felt welcome.

To the world, on paper and to the realist, this decision probably doesn't make sense. But, when God is moving and asks you to take a leap of faith we dare not ignore the request, or worse, say no. In a frame on a bookshelf in my office is a printed copy of Mark Batterson's Lion Chasers Manifesto (yes, it's credited with his name). In it he says to stop worrying about what others think and be concerned with what God thinks. I looked at that again today. The center of God's will is a great place to be, regardless of all the "reasons" not to be in it.

What is God asking you to do? It may not make sense! But if you take the time to seek him and his perfect will, the places he will lead you far surpass anything you or anyone else can think of. What are you following, your faith or your mind? Your mind must enter the equation, but it must not overpower your faith.