General Jody’s MARCHING ORDERS

It is hard to believe another month has flown by.  We had a great time last Friday night at Family Fest.  I want to thank everyone who helped make the event a success.  Thanks to Interactive Playgrounds for the inflatables and to Vernon at Falls River Smokehouse for the hot dogs.

I am going to refrain from listing my political views on this post.  I am not goin to say that failing to support the sanctity of life for the unborn baby is wrong, that socialism in our healthcare is wrong for this nation, that the federal government should not be bigger with more control over the individuals that it governs.  I am not going to say that the McCain/Palin ticket ran an ineffective campaign, and i am not going to say that the people made an educated decision as to who they should elect in every race rather than an uninformed straight party vote on the coat-tails of a very charismatic candidate.  The only thing that i am going to say is “Congratulations President-elect Obama” and that we as a nation need to humble ourselves and pray, seek God and His infinite mercy and grace, that He may hear our prayers and heal our land.

This week is the 3rd week in a 13 week series on Prayer in Kidzchurch.  Last week the children learned about the Prayer of Salvation.  This week, the lesson is on Praying in the Holy Spirit.  The Central truth is: Praying in tongues in important.  Some of the key scriptures are Acts 2:11, James 3:6-8, 1 Corinthians 14:1-25.

There are 7 main reasons to pray in tongues:

1) Helps us remember that God is always with us.  We felel comfortable and secure knowing He is with is all the time.

2) Allows the Holy Spirit to help us.  The Holy Spirit is our helper.  He is not doing the praying, we are.  Yet He is helping us (John 14:16)

3)Helps us know what to pray about.  There are times that we can’t think of what to pray.  Our minds can’t think the problem out.  The Holy Spirit knows all truth and leads our spirit in the exact prayer that is right for the situation (Romans 8:26)

4) Helps us to pray according to God’s will.  Sometimes, we don’t know what to pray.  The Holy Spirit searches the mind of God, prays according to His will, and leads us in prayer that always works. (Romans 8:27)

5)Helps us increase our faith.  The Bible tells us that we build up ourselves on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.  (Jude 1:20).  It supercharges our faith, like using a chainsaw to cut up a tree rather than an axe.

6) Builds your spirit up.  Sometimes, when we play with toys, the batteries run down and need to be replaced or recharged.  Praying in the Holy Spirit has the same affect on our spirit.  It helps to strengthen us in every area of our lives.

7) Helps you pray about the future.  One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to show us things to come.  When we pray in tongues, we are able to pray thru situations and obstacles in the future that we can’t even see yet.  God’s plan is always best. (Jer. 29:11)

I hope this is helpful.  If you have more questions or want to know more, I recommend Baptism in the Holy Spirit By Kenneth Hagin as well as Pastor Steve Caronna’s series on “Taking the Wierdness Out of Tongues“.  Both of these, as well as other great resources, are available in the bookstore.

Today, I was re-introduced to the concept of “special time” with your kids.  It is based on the research by Dr Russell Barkley regarding children with ADHD.  The concept is simple, spend 15-20 minutes with your child without the normal rules, on their level, letting them lead while you follow.  If they want to play a board game, play board games; if they want to have a tea party, have a tea party.  Let them lead and you follow.  Relax, enjoy the time and develop an attitude that conveys “Wow! That is really interesting!  Tell me more!”

Thru that time, both you and your child learn to communicate with each other as well as learning needs (what does your child see, what is the vision they have, how do they think).  The point of the exercise is to connect relationally with your child and let them feel valued, important, and loved in a safe environment where it is ok for them to make mistakes.  Once finished, the instruction was to keep a journal and write down something that you learned new about your child that you did not see or know before that you can use as an encouragement in the future.

How much better would your marriage, family, team, work, and every other relationship in your life be if you spent more “special time” together with others in your life?  For the month of October, I encourage you to put this into practice every day with your wife, your children, and your ministry team.  Start a notebook for each person writing down things that you learned or observed that can be used to encourage that person or something that you discover that makes that person more endearing to you.  What are their hopes, their dreams? Why has God placed them in your life and how can you be a blessing to them?  Leave me a comment and let me know how it has enhanced your relationship.

Here is part of an email that I received from Theresa Somerville. Thank you Teresa for the encouraging words to the Sunday night nursery team.  Many people overlook the importance of this team but they are making a huge impact.  To join this team, please call me or send me an email and i would be happy to talk with you about the opportunities for Sunday night service.

“I just wanted to send an email and let you all know how fantastic our
church’s volunteers are and how much I appreciate them.  During the DBTW
conference this year, I was 9 months pregnant.  The first night I arrived, a
parking lot volunteer (Louise Morales, I believe is his name) went out of
his way to find me a parking space in the upper parking lot.  A couple of
nights later when I arrived, the upper parking lot was almost full and he
told me to let him know if I couldn’t find a parking spot because he would
again, make sure that I got one in the upper parking lot so that I wouldn’t
have to walk from the lower parking lot.  I’m one of many people that attend
the church but it really meant alot to me that he went out of his way to
make sure that I was taken care of.

Also, I wanted to tell you about another recent experience I had with our
volunteers.  My daughter is a month old and the first 2weeks after she was
born, she had blocked tear ducts so her eyes were constantly watering and
getting crusty.  We would clean them, but it seemed like it didn’t matter
because not long after, they would water again.  Well about 2weeks ago, I
noticed that her eyes were getting alot better.  I was talking with Crystal
Pacovich, who serves in the nursery on Sunday nights about this, and she
told me that the first Sunday night that I dropped Emma off in the nursery,
she had actually prayed over her eyes.  That was almost 2weeks ago and I
know that her eyes have gotten better because Crystal prayed over them.  I
know that the Children’s Ministry is a blessing to the parents because we
can drop them off without having to worry and we’re able to get fed in
service, but it is also a humongous blessing to the children who are the the
children’s ministry services.

Thank you for all of the incredible volunteers that serve at Living Word and
thank you for all those who are leading them.  I’ve been at Living Word 5
years and I’m still constantly being impacted!”

It has been a really long time since i have posted a blog.  The ministry has been really full over the past several months.  We constructed a pirate ship, dressed like pirates, had a blast teaching 1239 kids (with 350 volunteers) that God wants them to be a hero and how to do that, trained our teams to look for the opportunity to be the image (the character) of Christ to those we serve with as well as the children we minister to, and are gearing up for Family Fest 10/31 from 6-9 pm.

4) Keep moving toward the goal.

Always keep the vision, the goal, before you and move towards it constantly. When you stop, it is easy to get pinned down under fire. If you keep moving, it is easier to advance and take ground.

The enemy will continue to try to knock you off course and out of alignment for what God has called you to do. If you stop pressing forward toward His high calling, it is easy to get entangled by the cares of the world and get sidetracked or bogged down in “the other stuff”. If you are constantly growing, moving forward, taking ground for the Kingdom the momentum will continue to carry your forward. Constant, steady advancement will get you to the finish line quicker than to hunker down and wait it out.

3)  Never do it alone.

Whether it is ministry or an attack, never go in alone; always have someone with you to help, to train, or to teach.  When you are alone, it is easy to miss something or get blindsided.  If you have a partner, you are able to move faster, cover more area, support each other, and take more ground.  The enemy would love for you to get off by yourself so that you are an easier target.  It is easier to get discouraged and give up when the pressures (or paintballs) are closing in around you. Moses had Aaron and Hur to hold up his arms in the midst of battle.  Even the Lone Ranger had his Tonto.

This week, I had the opportunity to attend survivor camp with 4 other adults and 13 middle school students at Uwharrie National Forest near Troy, NC.  We had a great time, no one lost, few injuries.  One of the activities was paintball.  What a great classroom for leadership teaching!  Here are a few observations:

1) Have a plan and stick to it.

When you go into battle, someone needs to look at the lay of the land, formulate a plan of attack (or defense), communicate the plan, and trust the troops to execute the plan.  no matter how good the plan may be, if it is not executed well, it wont work.  Plan for contingencies and work thru the obstacles.

2)  Equip your team for success.

If you do not have the right equipment, no matter how well trained or prepared you are, it is extremely difficult to win.  If your gun misfires, you run out of paintballs, you are not well hidden, or you don’t have protective gear, you will have a difficult time winning.

When you lead your team, are you preparing them, equipping them, training them, motivating them, and coaching them for success?  The prep you do off the field makes all the difference in the heat of battle.  Does your team know the lesson, do they have the props, are the ready when they get to the classroom?  Make sure that you are doing your part as the leader to equip your team for success.

In today’s politically charged environment, many are protesting our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. It seems easy to criticize the decisions made. But for a moment, i would like to stop and reflect on the words of President Theodore Roosevelt.

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

When you see a soldier or veteran today, remember to thank the man who is/has been in the arena!

I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to go to the shooting range with my friend Chris Merritt in Richmond.  What a great time!  When shooting the clay pigeons, you are required to focus on the target and to be aware of your surroundings.  If you do not focus and aim true, it is very difficult to hit the moving target.  You have to be alert because you don’t know exactly where the next target will come from.

It is the same way in life.  You must focus on the target, the goal, the calling of God in your life.  You have to be aware of your surroundings and alert to the opportunities that God places in your path.  Often times, achieving your goals and objectives are like hitting a moving target.  The key to success in this situation is to attempt to place the shot where the target will be when the buckshot gets there, not where it is currently.  In other words, plan ahead and think things thru, not just living for the moment.  At the same time, you can’t shoot too far ahead or you miss it also.  There is a delicate balance that will cause you to succeed.

Where are you shooting?  Are you leading the target or way behind it?  Are you so far in front of where God is taking you that you are missing His move right now?