This Is The Day

Good Morning, it is so good to be home again.

I enjoy my time spent at seminars and spiritual retreats because I always get ideas and pointers on how to be more effective at my vocation.

Last week was simply awesome. I heard some real down home, handclapping, foot stomping, get out in the isle and dance preaching.

The praise and worship time is something the Renaissance Hotel in Nashville, TN will remember for a mighty long time.

Imagine close to 300 Pastors filled with the Holy Spirit praising God in the same room at the same time. The Hammond Organ was on fire and I think the organist must have had 4 hands and feet because I don’t see how one man could make the kind of music he played with just two of each.

I stand before you today filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

I stand before you today excited about the new year ahead of us and I am ready to get back to work.

I stand before you today, recommitted, rejuvenated and rededicated to serving God with all that is within me for as long as I am able.

How about you? Are you ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work for Jesus?

While I was attending the convocation I made two vows.

First of all, I am going to stop talking about retirement and trying to figure out where Gloria and I are going to live after retirement. I will retire when God says so. And as far as where we will live, we’ll leave that up to God also.

Secondly, I am going to preach God’s word as he gives it to me and let the chips fall where they may.

I refuse to water down the Gospel in the bible to make it more appetizing .

One of the topics that came up at the convocation was how far too many pastors are compromising God’s Word because they don’t want to offend the member with the big purse.

There are actually some pastors being held hostage by large contributors in the church who threaten to leave the congregation if they don’t get their way.

Now, I don’t intentionally plan to offend anyone but if there is something in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that you find offensive or something that bothers you then you need to take that issue up with the author, I am merely the messenger.

“I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.”

It is in God’s house where we find peace, comfort, strength,

in God’s house we get to fellowship with other believers and we renew our strength together.

The author in Hebrews 10 says: “Let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of His coming back again is drawing near.”

We have gathered here in God’s house today because we love the Lord!

We have gathered here today because we need to see if there is any word from the Lord that might help us get through the next week!

These days and times are hard, and they are getting harder.

Take a moment to think about yesterday.

Do you remember what it was like?

Can you recall the range of emotions you experienced?

Did you get angry, enthusiastic, discouraged, or tired?

Were you frustrated? Happy? Lonely? Excited? Worried? Scared? Overwhelmed?

Did you feel guilty?

Did you feel Inadequate?

Were you grieving over a loss?

Did you end the day with regrets over words said or left unsaid?

Did you long to reach out to someone in love?

Were you criticized or ignored?

It is rarely that we will stop and think about the amazing range of human emotions that we experience every single day.

How do we cope with everything that is going on inside of us?

How do you deal with life when life throws you a curve that threatens to destroy you both physically and mentally?

Some times we can’t. sometimes life gets to be too much and we succumb and throw in the towel. We holler ‘I give up! I can’t take anymore!

God new this about us and I believe that is why he inspired the writings in the Book of Psalms.

I don’t care what you are going through or will go through there is a passage in the Psalms that will life you up out of the darkness into the marvelous light!

God knew we would need something to turn to when the road gets rough and hills get high!

I came here today to tell you about three things I believe are necessary if we want to get the most and best out of life.