Happiness

I received an e-mail today from someone very close to my family, whom we love and, appreciate more than words can express. The e-mail she sent is below. It blessed me. I trust it will bless you. Dance…

[I was walking around in a store while on my lunch break. It was foolish of me, I know because whenever I get depressed I go shopping, but "Hallaylouyer" anyhow! Anyway, even though I am trying to be positive, I was a wee little depressed. It has been a rough summer for me, financially and otherwise, you know... So as I was moping around the store I looked down and saw a picture that said:

"Happiness: Those who say only sunshine brings Happiness, have never danced in the rain."

I almost cried. I never know what to do when problems arise. I maintain my dignity and I love God "anyway". I praise Him for all the wonderful things He has done. I stay faithful. But when it rains, sometimes (most times) I sit inside and look out the windows and wish it would all just go away. The day feels so wasted.
Not anymore. I am choosing to kick off my socks and shoes and dance in the rain. I am choosing to grab my daughters hand and take her outside with me and show her that this rain wasn't in vain. The plants will grow, the grass will grow, and the flowers will bloom, once the rain has passed. But in the meantime, look how much fun it is to dance in the rain! It is NOT the end of everything, but the beginning of new things!
Phew! I feel so much better! God loves me so much!]

I responded to her e-mail as best I could, embracing humility, and agreed. Without the rain – there will be no blossoms – DANCE!

Letter to GTPC Family - 2009 Fall Harvest of Love

Good Tuesday Morning Church Family:

Please read this entire e-mail. Yes, I know its long - but its important and most importantly it is meant to bless you! For those without e-mail, this will be printed and available in the foyer of the church tonight. For those of you that can, print this and give it to family members that don't have e-mail access.

Some time ago I felt really impressed to lead us in another time of focused prayer, fasting and dedication. As it has been said and evidenced, the spiritual climate of the church is changing. Our temperature is rising! God is blessing. The church is growing. People are becoming more and more faithful. This IS this will of God!

Forty Days of Purpose prior to Easter in the Spring had an impacting effect on us. Tuesday night prayer meetings were started and CONTINUE! Many were baptized and received The Holy Ghost. The church body unified! We were blessed... The Summer presented challenges as well as blessings. The Fall season is now upon us. School has started. The calendar is full for the remainder of the year. Much is "going on"; however we need to make sure all that is happening is being tempered by The Holy Ghost. This will turn basic success into GREAT success!

September - October

"2009 Fall Harvest of Love"

This month of dedication will lead us into a time of both revival and evangelism. We will begin an extended revival with evangelist Shane Creekmore beginning Saturday Night October 24th and will run through November 29th. The schedule as it stands now will be Saturday Night and Sunday Morning for six weeks. There is no telling the results God will pour into this effort! The Wednesday nights of these weeks, I will be the evangelist! There will be no series taught during these six weeks, rather 100% evangelistic services! Please mark your calendars NOW and plan on being a major part of these great meetings.

Kick Off Prayer Rally - Tuesday Night September 1st 6:30 - 7:30
This will not be the Family Prayer Night as usual - this will be a prayer service and you don't want to miss out. All hands on deck!
Prayerfully prepare & bring a written prayer list with you to this service. We will anoint and cover these lists with prayer. You will take them back home with you and pray over them at least daily and as often as you can. We will believe God for an Apostolic move. By the end of the revival - we are expecting to see these requests filled!
Special "PRAYER FORCE" Teams will be established. We SHALL shake Hell's gates with the fervency of prayer.
Special "Days of The Fast" will be established for these 30 days.
During this service EVERYONE is needed to be there - children too! We are going to blanket GTPC with the POWER of PRAYER!
I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for our church during this special season dedicated to growth with purpose!

Blessings, Love and Prayers,

Pastor

The Weekend Report

This weekend has been busy, just like most are for us. Friday night was the Houston Metro West Sectional Back to School Youth Rally, hosted at GTPC. Then dinner afterwards with our good friends, the Creekmores. Saturday evening and night was spent bowling "50's Style" with the church family. We do these types of events as often as possible to promote unity and growth among the church family. They work! When the bowling was through some of us headed over to the 59 Diner and had more fun. We are very thankful for all that God is doing for us and among us.

Sundays at Gospel Truth Pentecostal Church (GTPC) are always a source of strength and encouragement. This week served no different! The adult Bible class was a reminder of God's ultimate authority and ability to answer by fire! The prophet Elijah was faithful before King Ahab. To the bystanders it seemed as though Elijah was all alone. He was not. The God of Abraham was with him and victory came with The Fire! I submit to you, when it seems like you are all alone, allow the consuming fire of The Holy Ghost to comfort you; HE will! Miracles, signs and wonders follow them that believe!

The Worship service was incredible. The momentum of the bible class fueled a continued yearning to be in His presence. The music department and praise team did a wonderful job complementing the move. We were charged with making sure our hearts and motives were pure before The Lord. Acts chapter 5, the story of Ananias and his wife Saphira warned us of the dangers of an un-guarded and un-repented heart and the way God can deal with it should He choose to. The altars were full as people turned their hearts toward God. The miracle worker was among us again! I count it such a blessing to be a part of the FAMILY of God!

"LIVING" for God is FUN!

Last night we celebrated our Family - our church family hosted a Family Fun Night of Bowling "50's Style" and it was a blast! Life offers us seasons. Circumstances change. People are people. There is only one constant is this vast universe, Jesus Christ. Jesus said he came to give us life and life more abundantly! I submit to you this morning we are called to LIVE for God! I want to bash in the head the lie that says living for God is no fun. It's ok to have fun and LIVE for God at the same time. Have fun today!

Getting Started!

While blogging isn't the newest thing out there in the techno world, I am new to this blogging web site. Like most things new, I find it a little intimidating and foreign. I am sure there will be many tweaks and changes until I find the look that suits me best. Until then I may as well get started. With that; here goes!

I have blogged via MySpace and to our church by e-mail on many occasions. Those occasions almost always surround an event, or something of some significance that calls for a little more attention than usual. This first entry will be a little random. I can already sense it! If you are taking the time to read this, I owe you a few things:

First, I owe you my thanks. Thanks for taking the time out of your busy life to stop by and take a peek. While I'm not sure what drew your attention this direction, I am glad your'e here - so thanks!

Secondly, I owe you some good news! I have never gotten the concept of bringing people to a site and then bashing them on the head like a cyber game of Wac-A-Mole. If that is what you are looking for, you will be sorely disappointed and you may as well move on, as to avoid any further disappointments. I think if you have the chance to grab someones attention for a little while in the midst of their day - be an encourager and a blessing. Give someone what the "world" typically does not. Give someone an opportunity to smile, to chuckle, and be reminded of God's love for them. In other words, be a blessing. The world has tried "beating" you up all day - stop by here for a band-aid!

Finally, I owe you an advanced apology! I am not perfect. I am human. This blog will not consume me. If you know me personally, or if you took the time to read the "About Me" blurb you know I'm married, have three children and pastor a growing church - these things are my main focus - and will remain so. I hope to keep this page updated as often as I am able. With that, I apologize in advance for this blog not always being just perfectly what you are looking for or expecting - just forgive me and send a little love our way and I'll try to do my best.

Now here goes. This blog will be a shotgun pattern of sorts. It took me the longest time to come up with a title. Finally I settled on, A Pastor's Passion & A Daddy's Heartbeat. There are things as a Pastor I am passionate about. There are things as a daddy I am passionate about as well. The two roles can't be separated. I "pastor" with a daddy's heart; or at least I try to.

There will be posts about my family. With a 13, 7 and 3 year old in the house - the dull moment is rare.

There will be posts, stories, events and "series" related to Gospel Truth (http://www.gtpc.cc/) - the dull moment around GTPC is even more rare!

There will be the occasional "random" post that will most likely leave you scratching your head and saying, "What is he talking about?"

In the end - it is my desire for you to leave with a smile on your face and perhaps a little more encouraged than before.

Once I am more familiar with the workings of the postings, I will post pictures and video clips - all in an effort to bless you, even if just a little.

Until then, thanks again for stopping by!

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