Connections

Closer Than Angels is Out!

I couldn't be more excited to announce that David Walker's new site and CD is out!  You can purchase it directly from the site.  You can also download two free songs on davidwalkeronline.com.

Enjoy! 

Clearing My Mind

I haven't had much to say around this blog lately...I apologize for that.  I'm hoping that a Thanksgiving break will allow my mind to rest so I can be fresh with ideas very soon.  Until then....let me dump my mind for you.

* We find out if we are having a boy or girl tomorrow.
* Driving to MS for Thanksgiving.  The trip includes some coffee, Christmas CD's, a stop at Cracker Barrell and lots of laughs.
* The day after Thanksgiving, I love to eat a Thanksgiving Sandwich with Turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, hot sauce and mayo....it's almost better than the actual feast.
* Loved watching Ole Miss take it to LSU.
* Almost in the fantasy football playoffs...this next week should seal the deal.
* Finally purchased a recliner Saturday.  Every man needs a recliner...can I get an amen on that one.
* CRCC stepped up in a huge way.  We had a faith goal of 150 Boxes of Love (meal that will feed a family of 6) this year for those who are in need in our city.  Happy to say that the last count was 175 sponsored and counting.  Yeah God! Many were saved and a few were physically healed at the Distribution Center downtown G-ville on Saturday.
*David Walker's CD will be out next Monday!  You can purchase it at itunes, Amazon, or his website.  CD release at CRCC on the night of December 14th...mark your calendars.
*CRCC will have a Christmas Blog this year that will be rolling out in a few weeks with daily devotionals, outreach initiatives for our city and some other cool things.  Check by around December 2 for a link!
*Peppermint Mocha creamer in the mornings in my coffee is finally here!

2 Michaels, Falling Whistles and Coffee

My day started hanging out with Michael for breakfast.  We talked about a ministry that his friend started called Falling Whistles (full website coming soon).  It is a ministry, much like Invisible Children, yet unique in it's strategy.  We talked about Jesus, the Book of Hebrews and relationships. My generation is not afraid to charge hell with a water pistol....I love it!

Then......

As I was walking to the car, I met a young man named Michael that was released from jail the night before and was looking for a ride to Pensacola, Florida.  After I had him take his knife out of his pocket and zip it up, we got in the car and went shopping.  Shopping for some snacks as I prepared to drop him off on the side of I-385 S so that he could catch his next ride.  The journey took over an hour.  We prayed, laughed, set goals, and talked about Jesus. 

God not only moved on my heart concerning the murder of children in Africa from rebel military groups with the Falling Whistle story, He then gave me a tangible opportunity to minister to a man named Michael.  What a great way to start a Thursday.

Reverse Goal Mapping

I was having lunch with a friend a few weeks ago, who also happens to be a life coach as well. I always thought the idea of having a life coach was ridiculous until I started hanging out with this guy.

In passing one of the things that he said really stuck out to me. He mentioned the concept of Reverse Mapping. You ever heard of that?

Basically it's where you envision your goal...the end....the pinnacle....what it would "look" like if every dream was realized. Once you know what the end should look like, you look backwards and find out what the steps should look like in arriving at the goal in proggresive order.  This was huge for me....really nothing more than a fancy way to say....set some tangible goals.

My brain has been in reverse since our meeting.  Just some food for thought!

Won't Take for Granted

 
JoAnna is at the CRCC Women's Retreat and I am with Ella Tays this weekend.  We are having a blast!  We have watched movies, gone to the mall to play in the playground and eat in the food court, and cleaned the house for mom. 

As I was enjoying my time with my daughter, I received a call from my mom that my best friend's baby was still born.  My heart went from joy to sorrow immediately, as I pondered what Tom and Mary Johns might be feeling right now. Please pray for Tom and Mary Johns Pittman as they grieve the loss of their baby boy.

I just can't seem to bounce back today from this news.

Ed Young's Experiment

What are your thoughts?

How to Get Your Prayers Answered {part 3}

3. Pray with Persistance.
When Elijah heard a word from God in 1 Kings 18 concerning the rain that was coming, he not only sent his servant away to watch with expectation the rain cloud form, he sent him back 7 times until what he heard from God manifested in the natural.

Elijah could have stopped when his servant saw the "cloud the size of a man's hand."  However, he sent Ahab ahead to Jezreel so that he could pray that small cloud into a dark sky that would produce rain.

This is not just an Old Testament concept, Jesus talks about persistence in Luke (The Gospel explaining the prayer life of Jesus).

How to Get Your Prayers Answered {Part 2}

2. Pray with Expectation (Faith)
Faith is seeing without seeing.  Noah saw the first drop of rain hit the earth 120 years before it actually did. The word that he received from God drove him even when his circumstances communicated something different. 

When you get some time, read this story of Elijah's prayer life. He heard a word from God and believed that God was going to deliver on the word that he received.  Even when it appeared that the promise was only the size of a man's hand, Elijah went to praying until the promise was fulfilled.

The author of Hebrews states that it is impossible to please God without Faith.  Faith is the soil where prayer grows.  It's believing that He will do more than all we can ask (pray) or imagine.

How to Get Your Prayers Answered {Part 1}

(This is not an exhaustive list...simply my take on prayer)

1.  Pray God's will.
The author of Hebrews and Paul both say that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father, the image of the invisible God.  Jesus also told his disciples in the Gospel of John that if you've seen him, you've see the Father.

A few years ago, my buddy and I committed to reading the Gospels all year long.  That means when we finished John, we would start over in Matthew....ALL YEAR LONG.  We captured a glimpse of Jesus that revolutionized our prayer lives that year.  Mainly because we saw the heart of the Father and learned how to pray God's will....in part of course.  Prayer is not a destination but a journey!

Prayer is simply, "an active pursuit of communicating with God."

What's On My Mind

* Started our new series on our Core Values today.
* The first Value is the Supremacy of Scripture. Was great to see everyone engaged as we looked at the Word.
* It was great addressing our church family concerning the elections and our President Elect.
* Prayed for the president as a church today. Great opportunity as the church to bless our president and not curse him.  We are commanded to pray for those in authority....bottom line.
* Grateful for Proposition 8 and  the protection of Marriage between 1 man and 1 women. Way to go California! Thank you Jesus!
* The pillars of God's throne are Justice and Righteousness.  We are on the way to seeing Justice established in our nation....for this I am grateful.  However, we need the pillar of Righteousness firmly placed as a nation....we have a long way to go.
* It was nice having an "unplugged" worship set with just Walker and basic drum kit today to kick off The Core.
* So glad to bench Payton Manning and start Jay Cutler in Fantasy Football....51 points from Cutler!
* Will start a 3 part Blog series on "Prayer" tomorrow.
* Love riding around town looking at the colored leaves.
* Been painting Ella Tays' room and her bathroom. I have a love/hate with painting.
* My new favorite game is Speed Scrabble...somebody is likely to get hurt over it though.
* Excited to start capturing some rcent testimonies on video starting in a few weeks.  God is moving at CRCC!
* Ate my wife's homemade Chicken and Dumplings for lunch.  My wife can cook! Like a tranquilizer dart to the neck...so sleepy now.
* I have had blogger's block lately.  I need some inspiration to blog.  Everyone is now twittering and I refuse. Any topics or ideas you want to see on this blog?