cup of joe

Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes...In the last few months I have seen and heard more stories about folks that claim to be atheists. There are even billboards promoting Jesus as a myth. I've always wondered why anyone would have to work so hard to reduce or diminish a God that don't even believe exists! In my personal (yet humble) opinion, I believe that these folks are simply believers in progress. At some point in our lives we all are faced with that reality. God created us for connection with others. He also wants a personal connection with each of us. We ARE His creation. The Bible tells us about His life and the life that we are destined to live. Today I can say that I am not ashamed of those words written about me. It's those words that led me to make Him my Savior. It's even brought that decision about to all of those that I have the privilege of introducing Him to. Mayb…

On Friday morning, evil unleashed itself in a small town in Connecticut. In the blink of an eye twenty children were with Jesus and six of their teachers entered heaven with them. Since that moment every law enforcement official, psychologist, and parent has searched to understand why someone would be so evil and do such a thing. We will never understand why people would choose darkness over light but it happens every day. Speculation and opinion will never have the answer. What we turn to in the darkest of times is our faith. For me as a Christian, I know that there is darkness all around me and that I am called to be a light in that darkness. My light will help illuminate another's way if I am doing what I was designed to do. These children and teachers were also lights, shining brightly in a little city that has not seen much darkness until now. The promise we have in Christ is that when it is necessary, when the time is right, He calls us out of the darkness and into the marv…

My personal Christmas celebration actually begins this weekend as our church prepares for its annual program. Im usually gone the following week so this is my opportunity to enjoy the people that God has placed around me. There has been so much to be thankful for and to rejoice in this year.   My daughter Jordan will turn 16 tomorrow, my youngest son, Justin, is about to celebrate his first Christmas with his new family and my oldest, Brandon, just wrapped up working on a movie in Oklahoma with Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep and George Clooney. I am so proud of each of them and so grateful that the Lord has taken my best parts to pass on to my children and not my worst:) As you move through the next to last weekend before Christmas, think about those closest to you and the way that the Lord has connected you together. Pray for their continued success and for God's favor to surround them each and every day.  I pray that you may see miracles this year as you let Jesus come alive in ev…

Throughout the country you see them, manger scenes with different figures placed in position around a baby. Some of them even have “live” people! We call this the Nativity. It’s supposed to be a snapshot of that miraculous moment when Mary and Joseph gathered around the “promise” of God and welcomed in the Savior of the world. Each time I gaze upon a nativity scene I think about this humble and simple entry into the world and how interesting God’s plan was to rescue mankind from sin. I love looking at the generosity of the wise men as they offered their gifts to the baby. They were moved to give their best because they felt something greater than themselves coming forth. This beautiful scene captures the wonderful moment when life changed for all of us. The plan was set into motion and all we had to do was hear it and adopt it.
Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by the arguments over language and phrases this year. One of the greatest tragedies we face is losing the awe and wonder o…

How about a little more Christmas spirit? There is a reason that we sing and share this month...we are celebrating the birth of Christ!
Have your ever wondered what life would be like if Jesus had not been born? There would be no Christian churches or hospitals, no New Testament and no reason or cause for Charles Darwin to fight against! Everything that has been encouraged and promoted by Christ would not ever have happened. Life would be so much different. We would not be free, we would be overwhelmed by our carnality and have no way out so all hope would be gone. Fact is, our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness!
Why don't you join me and get into Christmas Mode today! Hang some lights, put on your Santa hat, get a cup of joe, light a candle, and listen to a collection of great Christmas songs. And most importantly, thank Jesus for coming and living through you so that others could be saved an find true joy, peace and love. That my friends is Christm…

I am a believer I the power of prayer. In my life I have witnessed too many divine interventions to ever doubt the power we connect to when we pray. When I read about prayer in scripture I see many places where the simple guidelines are given to us as to how to prepare to pray. As I was reading today I could see them again in Mark 11...

Mark 11:22-25 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
I had no problem seeing the first part: have faith in God and have no doubt in your heart. It was the last one in verse 25 that I think most of us miss. I…

Proverbs 3:9-10 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain,and your vats will overflow with good wine. There is one sure way to always have what you need: to honor the Lord with your wealth. For much of my life I honored what I needed. My wants, desires and bills would be first. Then if there was anything left, the Lord would get a share. Living this way never seemed to provide an increase in any area.

Then I learned about giving and becoming generous. I learned how to honor God with my wealth, at least with what little wealth I had. He no longer would get leftovers. God would come first! He would get the best part of everything I produced. For some time I was religiously stuck with ten percent of my income. As I grew older, and wiser I could see that I could not overdo it when it came to giving to The Lord. That percentage began to grow: I gave more time, more energy and ability and more money. You and …

Tis' the season to be _______________: you can fill in the blank! Today you have the choice to get out there and be happy. To let others see JOY in all that you do and say. You can worry about all of the things that are going wrong or you can move forward towards all the things that will go right. Sounds a bit cliche' doesn't it?
Perhaps we have all been so oppressed by negative circumstances and negative people that we simply cannot believe that good news still happens.
Today, try staying away from all of the bad news outlets and tune in to the Good News, also know as the Bible. God has a plan for you and that plan is to experience the wonder of this season, the peace that He died to give you and the JOY that He desires for you to live in. Tis' the season to be JOLLY so get out there and spread some joy!

Would you consider passing on some encouragement to those you know by purchasing the Cup of Joe book or one of the others we are offering? You can place your order b…

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, (Philippians 2:3) 
It took many years for me to realize one of the most amazing principles in the Word of God. It seems to me that we are programmed within to be successful and that this desire to win often takes us in the wrong direction. For many years I tried to get ahead of others, take care of myself and be certain that in this dog eat dog world, I would be the lead dog. Then one day, after receiving Christ, I began to see that He offered another way to succeed.  The simple principle was that if I would value others first, the Lord would value me and exalt me in the process. Humility always brought me right to where I needed to be! When I humbled myself, God would lift me up. Selfish ambition will wear you out. It will bring you nothing but anger, bitterness and envy. Always trying(in our own power) to be at the top is exhausting.  It's time to give way to the Lord and let …

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.15 She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.16 Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.  Proverbs 3:13-16
In my life I feel like I've been around the block a time or two and I can honestly say that my favorite places are those places that lift up my spirits and encourage my soul. There's no place quite like the corner of Live Long and Prosper. You can find it in the city of Wisdom located among many Proverbs that have become powerful landmarks. Too many people are searching for this corner by working more than they are home, traveling more than they rest and being consumed by a pursuit of things. It's always OK to have things just not to let the things have you! Today, ask God to show you how to get to Wisdom. I found it by taking Proverbs right into the heart of it. There …

Been praying for something as you get ready to finish this year? The other day I came across a little image that can be a great reminder to you as you seek the Lord. We need to keep things like this in front of us so we never forget them.
Print it out and put a copy some place where you will be sure to notice it. God's answer is always the best one for you and your situation. You can trust Him.
One of these answers is coming your way:)

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. (John 1:9 NIV) The other day I came across this image while reading some blogs and it triggered so many thoughts in my heart about this season. My favorite part of Christmas has to be the lights. Seeing trees and buildings trimmed with lights and all of the wonderful stars, nativity's and seasonal images illuminated always makes me smile. Unfortunately, there are many folks that have never  began a relationship with Jesus, the light of the world. They walk beside us like the lights on a strand of tree lights. Some lit up, others burned out or completely dimmed. Maybe you have felt your light go out. You see all of the light around you but feel as though you have lost power or joy. There is no better season than this one to plug yourself into the One that will light you up and use your gifts to bring great joy to those around you. See yourself shining brightly and bringing a smile to the world around you. …