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When you read the Bible, you are bound to run into a few miracles.  Raising the dead, ax heads floating, the blind seeing, just to name a few. I've met quite a few people who have told me that under no uncertain terms does God do miracles anymore.  That was then, this is now, and God doesn't do that.  Hmmmm I have to tell you in the spirit of full disclosure that I have prayed for people who were healed of AIDS/HIV, cancer (all types), bone disease, mental disorders and more.  Again in the spirit of full disclosure, I have prayed for people who need a job, whose marriage needed restoration, whose families were in need of healing, who needed their relationship with God restored.  So the above-aforementioned statement about miracles not being for today doesn't sit with me well. During the month of March, I am speaking about miracles (Sunday's @ 10:30 am) and how we can experience them in our lives. There are all sorts of miracles, but let's start with the on

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Did you know that your brain will try to make what you imagine into a reality?  Really!  Your brain cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality.  So when you imagine something that threatens you, it releases chemicals that are designed to help you defend yourself from a perceived fear. Does this explain to you why some people confuse fantasy with reality and make poor decisions?  It also explains why some of our worst-case scenarios become a reality.   What can you do?  Well, Paul tells us in Phil 4:8 to think about things that we would rather become a reality in our lives.  What should you and I be thinking  How about things like honor and purity? #1 - When you catch yourself thinking about the worst case scenario in any

People get up on Monday and think it is the worst day of the week.  After hearing what some people say about Monday you would think that Monday was some kind of curse God had placed in mankind.  Actually it works like this, Sunday is named after the Sun.  Monday is named after the moon. That's it. Some people believe that Monday is the first day of the week.  It is the first day of the work week but that title belongs to Sunday. Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. How was your first day of the week?  Mine was awesome.  Church was awesome.  Seeing God move in people's lives was awesome.  Can you tell that I like the word, "awesome"? Paul tells us in Philippians to rejoice, even on Mondays.  If you don't know, Phillipians is one of me favorite books is the Bible .  I quote it often.  In this passage Paul tells us to rejoice on Mondays.  Well not specifically, but you get the point.  Can this make a difference?  You bet

If you've never been in the desert, you may not understand the value of an Oasis. As a kid, my parents and I would go on vacation to some part of the country.  I remember one year as we were driving to Oregon to visit family, the air conditioner in the car died.  We were in the middle of Kansas.  It was 105 degrees outside.  We were driving a black/dark brown car with black interior.  I was never so happy to see a town in the middle of now where like I was that day.  A mom and pop motel with a swimming pool.  Ahhhhhh! Life is a desert.  But you have an oasis you can go.  It's called church. Hebrew 10:25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, Unfortunately, many people have decided to stop attending church.  Excuses vary, but the consensus is that church isn't relevant anymore.  I disagree.  I think that people are looking for the wrong thing in the wrong place. I hear,  "I don't like the music."  &quo

. . . you can let God lead you there. Yesterday I blogged how the children of Isreal had to wander in the desert due to their fears.  Their fears canceled out their faith. Therefore the couldn't believe in God. But sometimes, God leads you into the desert. Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Notice who led Jesus into the desert?  The Holy Spirit. The desert is a place where you can focus on God.  There are no distractions to keep you away from Him.  Only our complaining about being in a desert can distract us from what He wants us to do. Paul addresses this in Philippians 4:11  Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Jesus was in His Fathers will.  Therefore, He wasn't upset about being in the desert.  He knew that there was a purpose to His Fathers plan.  His Father knew that this would serve Him well in His ministry. When in the desert.

When you find yourself in a dry and barren place you ask yourself, How did I get here? There are a couple of answers to that question.  Let's do the first one today. One Sunday I was speaking, and I used a term from Zig Ziglar to describe what the Israelites problem was.  I said that they suffered from an acute case of stinkin' thinkin'.  One lady in the audience heard that and lost it.  Then says out loud for everyone to hear, "That's what my problem is!" The actual quote Zig used was "We all need a daily check up from the neck up to avoid stinkin' 'thinkin' which ultimately leads to hardening of the attitudes." 2 Cor 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ, When Moses arrived in Egypt to free the Hebrews they had been slaves for 430 years.  All they knew was slavery.  After they had been released, all they did was complain.  Why?  Al

The desert was a proving ground for Isreal.  But there is an even stronger example of this in the New Testament. Matthew 4: 1- 2 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. After Jesus had been baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit led Him into the desert.  There He would be tempted personally by Satan himself.  You can read how Jesus faced each of these temptations with the Word of God.  Oddly enough, the same words were spoken to the nation of Isreal while they were wandering around in the desert. My first assignment in ministry was a wilderness experience.  I don't like talking about it too much because it makes the church where this happened look bad.  But that was 30 years ago now.  Both the church and I have changed - drastically for the better. What did I learn in that desert experience?  I learned that God had called me into the ministry.  Good, Bad or u

I wonder if God has ever asked that question of us?  Can You Hear Me Now? When you are in the desert, you hear from God.  Why?  The desert forces you to listen to God. - When my marriage was in the desert, I heard from God. - When my ministry was in the desert, I heard from God. - When my church was in the desert, I heard from God. I don't mean that I heard something that I thought was God.  I mean I heard from God loud and clear. The desert was a place to receive revelation. Deuteronomy 8:16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Where did Moses receive his calling to go to Egypt?  The Desert Where did Moses receive the Ten Commandments?  On a mountain in the desert Where did Moses receive God's Law?  In the Desert Where did Elijah hear the still small voice of God?  In the desert? Where did John the Baptist preach about the coming Messiah?  In the desert? I

The desert was a place of provision.  There are many examples of this in the Bible.  But will stick with the nation of Israel.  This nation, whom some believed was made up of millions of people, lived in a desert that couldn't produce food.  So each morning God would provide manna from heaven.  He also provided water from a rock and quail from the sky. Manna is described as a light and fluffy a kind of fine, flake-like thing.  The Bible says that it tasted like honey.  But I had a profession in college who believed that it came in different flavors like Brussels 33 flavors of ice cream.  He couldn't believe that God would make them eat the same thing, day after day for 40 years. So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt, Keith Greens hilarious song talks about manna burgers, flaming manna souffle and even (wait for it) manicotti. God provides everything.  But when you are surrounded by it, like in the Garden of Eden, you don't tend to notice His provision.  When you are in the des

First of all, thanks to all of you who commented to me (in person) about last week's blogs.  Many of shared them with friends and family.  I'm honored that you would do that.   If you know anyone who is getting married in the near future, feel free to share my ebook about marriage. Are you in the desert? I asked this question yesterday at the end of the message.  But if you were not there, let me share with you the meaning of the question. All throughout the Bible, you see the nation of Israel, prophets of God and even Jesus going to or living in the wilderness. (desert)  The desert represents the place where you get serious with God and/or God is getting serious with you. But why a desert?  Why can't God do His business in a garden?  Because, sometimes, we don't listen to or obey God in the middle of a luscious garden as well as when we are in the desert.  Just ask Adam and Eve.  As long as life is good, why listen? The desert was a place of judgment. Isr

This entry is the last in a series of blogs about my marriage to Betty.  Not that I don't have any more stories to share with you, but this is enough for now.  My daughter has been reading these entries all week saying, "I never knew that!"  It's been good for us as a family. Just to remind you that I will continue our series Uncensored, Real Life, Real Marriage and Real Answers Sunday at 10:30 am.  I'm going to be focusing on reconciliation. Marriage has never made me happy.  There are a couple of reason for that. #1 - Marriage was never created by God to make you happy. #2 - To assume marriage will make you happy forces you to put unrealistic expectations on your spouse.  Believe me; it will make them VERY unhappy. Early in our marriage we lived and worked in Jacksonville as youth pastors.  However, they couldn't pay me enough, so Betty had to find a job.  She did so at a local Christian bookstore.  The owner was the pastor of an independent Pentec

The year was 2004, the year of the hurricanes.  Hurricane Frances had just passed through the area making a mess of things.  At that time we lived in an RV trailer in Okeechobee.  Our goal was to save enough money to buy a home, now that Anneka was here. For a couple of weeks, we lived with one of the families in the church.  Each day I would go out to the trailer hope the electricity had come one and fix what Frances had destroyed.  Two weeks later the electricity does come on, and the trailer is ready to live in again.  Except, there's another hurricane headed our way.  Hurricane Jeanne came and destroyed said trailer - we were homeless. A lot of people were homeless at that time.  The home we stayed in couldn't take us back; family members were in need of that space.  The closest place we could find a couch to sleep on was in Ft. Lauderdale.  90 miles away.  Every day we drove back and forth all the while looking for a place to live. I was ready to throw in the towel

Betty and I were pastoring in Coral Springs.  We were living in an apartment near the church which was comfortable for a couple like us.  One day the upstairs apartment water line sprung a leak and poured water into our apartment for days.  In those days mold wasn't an important issue for property owners.  It should have been because what happened next almost ended my marriage. Once morning Betty was in the bathroom and she said, "I can't breathe very well."  I went into the bathroom to find her in a full blown panic.  Her fingernails were turning black, her lips and tongue were turning blue.  I knew we were in big trouble.  Our doctor was just down the road from our apartment, so I put Betty in the car and drove really, really fast. The head nurse was married to one of my deacons in the church.  As soon as she saw Betty, she grabbed her and pulled her into an examination room.  I parked the car and walked back in.  The nurse took me aside and said, "Your w

A couple of posts back I told you how God provided a car for us. That spring I was coming home from work when I saw a large, four wheel drive pickup coming at me fast.  You know the type.  Big knobby tires, huge cattle catcher on the front and a teenage driver who isn't paying attention.  BAM!  He hit me so hard that I rear-ended the car in front of me who in turn rear-ended the car in front of him.  Great. Fortunately for me, one of the students at the college was a body man and had his shop there in Springfield.  One week later I was back on the road and driving to Florida. But that car was never the same. Shortly after arriving in Florida I noticed that the doors were not working properly.  Then they stopped working altogether.  Not just one door - both doors.  That's bad news when all you have is a two door car.  We didn't have enough money to fix the doors, so we had to live with it.  Imagine Dukes of Hazzard and the General Lee.  We climbed in and out of the

Every year Valentines Day rolls around, and every year I cringe because I know I am going to mess this up.   Early on in our marriage, I tried to make Valentines Day special.  I would go all out and do everything I could do.  It was awful.  Some years I wouldn't do enough, other years I would do too much.  Betty loved watching me try.  She appreciated every moment of it.  But after a while, she realized that I wasn't enjoying it and told me to stop. Now, this might have something to do with the fact that she worked as a florist for a few years.  If you have ever been in the floral business, you know that Valentines Day is a lot of work.  All the teddy bears, flowers, roses, candy and sappy cards can stand.  After a couple of years of that kind of overload, you never want to see flowers again.  So for a while, we just ignored Valentines Day.   Ephesians 5:25   Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, Titus 2:4 and so

At our second youth pastorate, Betty and I found ourselves living in a converted Airstream trailer.   Now whoever built this thing made it up as he went along.  The picture you see is a good representation of what our home was.  Just add a room on the other side.   One side of the trailer was a living room, and the other side was a bedroom/bathroom.  The living room had 8-foot ceilings.  But the bedroom had 10-foot ceilings.  They didn't take the Airstream off of its axles, but for some reason, they put a new floor in the trailer section.  So you were climbing stairs all the time through doorways that were too short for 6' plus people.  If you didn't pay any attention, you would crack the top of your skull on the doorway entering the center of the house.  Painful is putting it mildly.   It was clean, the plumbing worked and did I mention that we lived near some of those monster high tension powerlines?  That's right every morning I was greeted with the crackl

We lived in Springfield, Missouri, at the time.  We were seniors at Central Bible College, and it was the dead of winter.  I was at a friends house waiting for my wife to come and get me.  Instead, I get a phone call from someone saying that she has driven off the road and crashed the car.  Apparently, the north end of town was getting sleet, and the roads were very unsafe. The picture you see here is the stand of trees that stopped her from going over a large embankment.  She hit a tree so hard that she put her foot through the floor board.   Car totaled. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 We needed a car to go to school with (we lived off campus).  We needed a car to go to both of our jobs.  We needed a car - period!  What were we going to do?  At home that night we prayed.  "God, we need a car, and you're the only one who can supply."

We've all said something that we've regretted later.  Sometimes we wish we had one of those time delay buttons they use for live TV.  That way if someone says something inappropriate all you hear is a (beep). Sunday I'm starting a new series entitled Uncensored.  Real Marriage - Real Life with Real Answers. Relationships, whether dating, engaged or married, are complicated, messy and sometimes frustrating.  It is my hope during the next few weeks, in honor of Valentines Day, to help you iron out some of those wrinkles in your relationships.  I'm going to start by addressing the one thing that gets you into more trouble than anything else.  Your mouth, specifically what you say. James 3:5  So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! Have you ever said something and the next thing you know you're in a full blown knock down drag out fight of the century?  Yea, we've all been t

In yesterday's blog, I confessed how I didn't handle a situation very well.  You can read it here . Guess what?  I had to go back to the store today.  Apparently, the product I purchased did not come with the correct parts.  I wasn't looking forward to this.  I promised myself again and again.  "I'm not going to lose it.  I'm not going to lose it." I go to the front desk this time.  (Learned my lesson yesterday.)  I explain what the problem was.  They, in turn, start the same song and dance.  (Keep calm Russ, stay calm.  A kind word turns away anger.  A kind word turns away anger.)  I calmly said, "I honestly do not know what you are talking about, can you help me?"  This statement was met with a look of shock and confusion.  I'm thinking, "What did I just say?"  Then the kind employee explained to me how I had to set up this account online and that it was my responsibility to manage it.  (Keep calm Russ, keep calm.  A kind wo

I promised myself that I wouldn't do this.  I did. I went to a local store to purchase something on behalf of the church.  With proper documentation, I was going to make a tax exempt purchase.  But the store said that our documentation was out of date and that we had to renew.  The problem is, our docs are not out of date.  While we have renewed for this year, we cannot use said certificate until it's active date, sometime in March. Now the backstory to this is that I tried this a few weeks ago and the same thing happened.  I protested but lost.  The cashier said, "Bring a copy of the current certificate, and we will have to honor it."  We called the State of Florida, and they said, "They have to honor it until we renew it." So this time, armed with a copy of our documentation I made my purchase, and you guessed it, the docs are out of date, and we cannot take the tax off.  I presented our tax exempt certificate, and now they are confused. The head c

Sounds like a happy blog, doesn't it? Life never seems to turn out as planned, does it? - Moses was going to be the King of Egypt. - Joseph was going to rule over his family, just not the way he thought. - Paul was going to persecute Christians. - Peter was going to be a fisherman. Life always pivots.  There are points of time in our life when we change direction.  Sometimes it is a small course correction that becomes something great over time.  Sometimes it's a hard 90-degree turn that changes everything immediately.  But know this, Life always pivots. We respond to these pivots differently.  Sometimes with joy and thankfulness.  Sometimes with depression and anxiety.  It all depends if you can follow Phil 3: 13b - 14 ... But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. #1 - We have to divorce ourselves from our past if we are ever go

As I was eating lunch my phone notified me that there was a tornado on the ground in New Orleans La. Quickly I pulled up Instagram, The Weather Channel App, and Facebook.  Literally minutes after the tornado had passed people were posting evidence of its destruction. No one got up this morning expecting to face disaster. No one got up this morning expecting to have their life turned upside down. No one got up this morning expecting their life or community to change. No one ever does. One of my favorite passages is Heb 13:5 “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” In the midst of the storm, Jesus is right there with you. PRAY:  Dear Jesus,  Please help me to remember that you are in the midst of my storms.  Also, help everyone in New Orleans La. today.  They need to know you are right there with them too.  AMEN. DO YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP?   - If you attend Faith Family Worship Center, then you can give via our website or in our next service.   - If y

It's Monday afternoon, and I'm still exhausted from the game yesterday.   I like how the NIV says this. 2 Tim. 4:5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. What happened to Atlanta?  The team in the first half kept their head in the game.  That same team in the second half didn't.  They mentally checked out.  I'm talking coaches and players.  I said in my message yesterday that the team who made the most mistakes would lose the game.  Most people said that the Falcons fell apart in the 4th quarter.  Nope, it was in the 3rd.  I started seeing players snap on each other out of frustration.  I think I could hear what some of those players were saying to each other.  "WHAT WE'RE YOU THINKING?" You've said that too or even worse someone said it to you.  When we lose our heads, we make mistakes and mistakes are expensive. PRAY:  Dear Jesus, help me to keep

The Superbowl is over, and I'm exhausted.  What a game!  But what happened? Romans 12:11-12 "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Atlanta ran out of steam.  They didn't pace themselves, and in the end, they were getting beat to the ball every time.   New England paced themselves.  They didn't get all emotionally involved in the game and wear themselves out.  So, in the end, they had the energy they needed to finish strong. Atlanta lost momentum in the second half.  You could just watch them fade away. New England changed their strategy and started winning.  Atlanta couldn't stop them. It was a classic example of leadership and teamwork.  New England deserved to win (and yes it pained me to say that).

What is your goal today? In life? For your future? If you are a Patriot or Falcon player, it is to win the Superbowl. Years of practice and preparation have gone into this event. So how much training and preparation have you put into your goals? Luke 1:37 "For nothing will be impossible with God.” The problem with most people is that they don't have a super goal in their lives.  Their lives are on autopilot.  They get up, go to work, come home, go to bed and do it again tomorrow.  Survival is their goal.  But there is so much more.  The problem is, with greater goals come higher risks.  This is when the excuses start.  While some reasons can be entirely legitimate, it doesn't excuse you from dreaming and believing.   God has something better for your today.  If you begin to believe it and live it you can experience it.   What does God want to give you today and are you ready for it?  PRAY:  Dear Jesus:  I want to experience the life you have planne

This morning I am traveling to Clewiston to teach at the District School of Ministry.  Individuals who desire to go into the ministry receive training in the Bible and different ministry skills. Today I am teaching Synoptic Gospels. 1 Cor. 8:1...This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. I remember a few years ago a student in one of my classes who was convinced that he knew everything about everything.  You've met the type.  Needless to say, his day didn't go well.  By the end of the class, he had to admit that he needed to study more about this subject. Many times we go through life believing that we knew everything that we need to know.  But here is the one thing that we forget.  Knowledge is worthless without love.  If we are going to make wise decisions, then we need knowledge.  But if we are going to build people up, then we need to love them first. PRAY:  Dear Jesus, I want to love people today.  Let me encourage someone today. PS  Tomorrow is Football

Superbowl Sunday is this Sunday.  The Patriots and the Falcons will be playing for the World Championship. As a teen in high school, I determined that football wasn't my sport.  In my infinite wisdom, I thought that playing on a football team whose center was 6'2" weighing in at 250 pounds was a bad idea.  Why do you ask?  I was 6' and 100 lbs. However, gym class was a requirement.  One day the coaches decided we were going to play some flag football.  After arriving at the field, the teams agreed that flag football was for wimps and we were going all out tackle.  It was at this moment that I learned the definition of communication and connection. We all get into a huddle and the quarterback mumbled out some phrase like "Dead T 37 right".  Huh?  So I lined up where they told me, and he said, "Hike!"  The center hikes the football into the quarterback's hands who then turns around and gives it to me.  WHAT?  It was at this moment that I l

Who are you?  Don't guess or assume anything. Who are you?  You did God created you to be? Do you know how He made you?  Answering this question requires a few things.  #1 You have, to be honest with yourself.  We all know that the truth can hurt.  #2  You have to get help.  You need someone who will tell you the truth, with love.  Their job is to help you see what you cannot.  #3  You need to take some time to answer these and other questions.  These answers are the direction of your life.  But before you do all of that, let me encourage you.   You are gifted.  1 Peter 4:10-11 Each of you has received a gift to use to serve others. Be good servants of God’s various gifts of grace.  God created you with the ability to do something(s) well.  These skills are designed to help others and bring joy to your life.   Use them!!  You are unique.  Psalms 139:13 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. King David ackn