You’ve probably heard it said before, “Life happens.” Perhaps you’ve expressed the same sentiment.  I know I have.  Now, don’t misunderstand I am not a fatalistic thinker, nor do I pass the buck when it comes to accepting responsibility for decisions; yet it remains a truth of life, things happen.  Some good, some bad, and many times things seem to happen one right after another often before you’ve had a chance to completely recover from the first thing.

Since it is a universal truth, it’s important to understand that when life gets a little haywire there is a principle that comes in handy; a principle that when applied to the situation will earn you some heavenly credit.  And in times like these, divine credit seems to be the only thing that hasn’t lost its power. The principle is worship. 

When the stresses of life seem to be hitting you from every angle—you must worship.  By worship I do not mean putting on your favorite slow tempo CD–worship is more than that.  I don’t even mean throwing your hands up in the middle of a worship service or allowing tears to stream down your face– worship is still so much more than that. Worship in this instance is a life of complete obedience fueled by uncompromising faith.  When life happens, it’s time to steady your emotions and obey the word of the Lord.

A few years ago Fred Hammond released a song; “I Will Find A Way,” which comes to mind as I consider this topic. In all honesty, when I first heard the song, it wasn’t one of my immediate favorites of the CD but that all changed one morning as I was working out. As I listened to the song again, it hit me—no matter what is going on around you there is an opportunity to worship the Lord.  You just have to find it.  If chaos is present there is an opportunity to bring order.  If sadness is present there is an opportunity to release praise.  When there is confusion there is an opportunity to receive and follow directions. When offense occurs there is an opportunity to offer forgiveness.  There are also endless opportunities to demonstrate love and faith.  No matter what life seems to present there are opportunities to actively and positively demonstrate the authenticity of your faith through your worship of God.  Perhaps when it all seems just a bit overwhelming you should simply stop and ask the question, “What opportunity to worship God is present in all this?”

On this beautiful day the Lord has made, I encourage you to honor God with your whole life, commit to finding opportunities to completely obey (worship) Him even when life is chaotic, difficult, or challenging and even more so when it’s better than you could have ever imagined. 

Blessings to you!
MC
This article was adapted from the message, “When Life Happens,” click here to order the complete message.

Over the past few weeks, I‘ve been preaching and teaching about the essential elements of worship.  Today, I feel particularly compelled to share a little bit from part 3 of the series. I pray that you are encouraged to seek a more complete worship experience as you read.

  Rest is an essential element of worship. Rest is also a promise from God. It is something that everyone needs.  We need physical rest when our bodies are tired.  We need mental rest when our minds have been busy.  We even need emotional rest when life’s circumstances leave us empty or drained.  Yet there is a rest that God ordained for us that is far superior to those.  It is spiritual rest.

  Essentially, you enter spiritual rest when you surrender to God; and, allow His plan, agenda, and method to become your own. Rest, in this context, does not mean work is not happening. It simply means you have stopped trying to make it happen. Hebrews chapter 4 reminds us, “For he that has entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.”  Again, entering into God’s rest means you stop trying to make things happen on your own and allow the Holy Spirit to direct your path. Spiritual rest makes life easier. It gives you perspective and cuts down on uncertainty.  Spiritual rest is designed to put you in the place where your goals, objectives, and daily actions are in line with God’s plan for your life. Your actions and activities are lead by Him which makes your load lighter.  Entering into spiritual rest is an essential part of worshipping God.

  Worship can be defined as,“the act of paying homage to another,” or “to surrender your will and take on the will of another.” You may even have your own working definition of worship.  Practically speaking though, worship is evidenced through your acts of obedience to God. If rest is a promise and we are told to diligently seek to enter into it, we must obey. When you obey God you identify yourself as a worshipper of Him. When you do not obey then you are identified as a worshipper of something or someone else. In order to worship in spirit and truth, your obedience must be in accordance with His word. Entering into the rest God established for you becomes the ultimate in worship because it is your act of obedient surrender. Your ability to surrender your will acknowledges your total acceptance of God’s sovereignty in your life.

   Spiritual rest is achieved through belief and the application of the word.  Properly experienced, spiritual rest will give you the power to prioritize the other demands of your life. Physical rest yields a stronger, more powerful body. Mental rest allows the release of creative juices and fresh perspective.  Spiritual rest encompasses those things and produces a stronger more powerful relationship with the Father. The benefits of a more powerful relationship with God are immeasurable.

  Today, I invite you to answer the question, “Are you resting?”  Take a moment and share your thoughts on this topic. I’d love to hear from you.

Blessings to you,

MC

Adapted from the message “Essentials of Worship PT III – You Need to Rest.” 

As many of you know, we have four children; three daughters and one son.   Two of our girls have been singing with our Praise and Worship Team for years.  But in the beginning they were both afraid to lead songs.  For quite a while, I listened to their reasoning and justifications about why they felt they could not sing lead parts (that was the Mom part of me).

During our conversations, I would gently guide and encourage them.  Reassuring them that we had confidence in them and if the praise team leader gave it to them, she too had confidence in them.   They obeyed, but the fear never completely went away.

One day, we were talking about it, for what seemed like the millionth time, and I looked at both of them and said, “Okay, really you’ve been doing this long enough to overcome the fear.  God has given you power.  You chose to be a part of the team and you both sing quite well.  You have chosen to serve. Now stand in the power that moved you to sing.   Remember that God and all who love Him, love you.  You don’t have to fear singing in front of God.  He loves to hear the sound of your voice.  Your church family loves you, stand in the love that surrounds you and present your gifts to the Lord.  You don’t have to fear what others think because God loves you, created you, and loves to hear the sound of your voice.  Focus on pleasing God and everybody else will be pleased as well. Finally, practice your songs. You must be prepared.  God has given you a sound mind.”

A sound mind means the ability to think, speak, and act righteously.  “For the two of you exercising your sound mind translates to practice, practice, and more practice.”  They both looked at me and realized they weren’t going to get out of it.  They realized they had the power to face their fears.  I wish I could tell you that from that moment on they never had another fear when it came to singing but a few weeks later, my youngest daughter came to me and said,” okay mommy I understand what God says, and I understand what I have to do but I still get scared when I have to sing by myself.”

I looked at her and said, “Now you have to break the fear habit.”  I explained the fear habit to her.  She smiled, gave me one of her famous hugs and left the room.  Today, each of them continues to sing and is finding their leadership roles in that area of ministry. They faced and conquered their fears.

Beloved of God, just as I encouraged my daughters I encourage you to step beyond your fears.  Recognize the person God desires you to be in the earth and dare to be it. You have a purpose and the world needs you.  Today, decide to move from fearful to fearless.

Be Blessed.

MC

Prayer is one of my passions.  I know the power of prayer and it is by far the most important thing I do in a day.  It is my life line.  Having said all that let me share some thoughts with you about prayer that I hope will inspire you to become more passionate about your prayer time.

Just the other day, when out of the blue the thought came to me that Tiger Woods would return to the golf course soon.  At that time, I thought okay, I’ll say a little prayer for Mr. Woods, his family, his golf game, etc.  I didn’t think it strange at all that someone would come to my mind out of blue, I knew it was a prayer assignment, and quickly obeyed.  What I didn’t expect was the revelation of the Holy Spirit of the power of passions and prayer.

You have passions; and those passions are great areas for prayer assignments in your life.  You must recognize that God created EVERYTHING.  John tells us that in first chapter of his gospel and Paul magnificently reminds us of this fact in the 3rd chapter of Colossians.  God created everything, visible and invisible for himself and by himself.  He should be glorified in all things. He wants to be glorified in all things.  Believers who are committed to prayer can truly have a remarkable impact in the world—the entire world.   The diversity of our passions is a strategic move on the part of our all- knowing God to expand the kingdom.

Blessings to you,

MC

As our family prepares for our yearly spring break trip, I thought about our awesome  trip from last year and how God showed his miraculous power.  Today, I ‘ll share the story in hopes that it will remind you that God can do anything.

Last year, my family and I took our traditional spring break trip and it was great.  In addition to all the fun, food, and laughter, God demonstrated his incredible power and faithfulness in answering prayer. You see, just before we left for the airport, I decided to investigate the weather forecast at our destination.  To my dismay, the forecast was projected to be cold, rainy, and extremely windy.  The forecast was so bad that they were even warning travelers of possible flight delays.  With all that information, I breathed a very simple prayer (yes, for no rain), got in the car, and headed to the airport.

When we arrived it was cloudy but as we headed to the resort it got clearer and clearer.  In fact, each day of our vacation got better and better.  The forecasters begin to report that the warmth and sunshine was  unseasonable.  Everyday, we were extremely grateful and every day praised God for his provision.  We had a great week and enjoyed all the blessings of God.  It didn’t rain and our God ordained vacation went well; but, there was  something more.  As we got in the airport shuttle to head home it started to rain.  Honestly, I didn’t really notice, but my husband brought it to my attention.

Now, you might be thinking what’s so significant about that? God is in control.  He provides and he is faithful.  Whenever  our lives are  set to do his will and glorify him he makes abundant provision for us.  God’s will for our lives last week, was that we rest, recuperate, and connect as a family and nothing would be allowed to keep us from that— not even the rain.

Today, I pray that you will notice the provision of God in your life even in the small  things. Take a moment and acknowledge answered prayer.  Praise him for prayer answered above your request.  Becoming more aware of his presence and faithfulness in your life will only seek to give you greater confidence in his love for you.  Remember he can stop the rain!

Now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all you ask or think according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.  Ephesians 3: 20-21

Blessings to you!

MC

It is the will of God that those who believe in him, rid themselves of anything that keeps them from a  life of liberty.  Anything that  hinders  complete demonstration of his power and glory.   Jesus came that we might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.  Yet, there are times when we are not experiencing or demonstrating the abundant life that has been given.  The issue is not God’s desire for you.  It’s not in his power.  It’s not even in his provision.  But it lies at the heart of what we believe.  Belief shapes your action-What we believe truly effects our choices.  Ironically, sometimes we may not believe that there is spiritual dimension to what we are experience.  The fact is there is a spiritual dimension to everything and we must attack the things that hinder us not only in the natural realm but in the spiritual realm as well.

Naturally, a yoke is an instrument of bondage that brings animals under control to do work.  It is an instrument of servitude. Spiritually, a yoke has the same meaning; yet they are revealed through attitudes, ideas, beliefs, or behaviors.  Yokes limit the full realization of God power and presence in your life.  They weigh you down.  They are burdensome. Yokes can cause you to become frustrated.  In fact a yoke that is too grievous might cause you to give up.   But giving up is not the answer. God has positioned and given you the anointing to destroy every yoke in your life.  You must simply release it. How do you get free of attitudes, ideas, beliefs and behaviors that hinder you?

1.  Recognize that there is an issue that is keeping you stuck. Identify it honestly.  Don’t beat around the bush here or even blame others.  If it is procrastination.  It is fear of success or failure recognize.  If you are stuck because of a faulty belief system.  Recognize it.

2.  Acknowledge that this issue has caused you to miss the mark and must be conquered both spiritually and naturally.  This is tantamount to confession. Confession opens the door for strengthening and cleansing from God.

3.  Repent of the issue.  Repentance is an inward change of mind that produces an outward change in action.  Here is a key step.  To repent is not simply to be sorry but to come to a realization that your thoughts, ideas, and motivations surrounding an issue were not in line with God’s.  Then a deliberate choice is made to align your thinking, speaking, and actions with his.

4.  Pray. Communicate with God.  He knows your weaknesses and is ready to give you his strength.

5. Praise.  Continually give praises unto God.  This keeps you mind focused on his awesome ability, his faithfulness, and his power.

Today, rejoice in knowing that God desires greater liberty and effectivenss for your life.  Be willing to let go of idea, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that don’t contribute to your experience of abundant living and watch God plan unfold in your life.

Blessings to you,

MC

Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:  it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

Today, on your journey, I invite you to walk with me and consider the fact that God’s word is powerful and set to bring results. In this, “The Year of Accomplishment,” keep in mind that God’s word is the seed that ensures your accomplishment.  Let His word be the basis and motivation for your pursuits and you will surely prosper spiritually and naturally.

Blessings to you,

Pastor Cade 

Most people spend a lot of time measuring themselves against others.  They measure how they look, how they live, or even how much money they earn. Those kinds of comparisons influence our vision and can actually cause us to set goals that move us away from God instead of closer to Him.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we are not to desire or measure success by the world’s standard.  There is another standard that we must live by. The standard is love, and the guidelines for it are given throughout the Bible.  Jesus told us to love God first and then love our neighbors as ourselves. In 1st John we are told God is love and all that love Him have love for the brethren.  Seems pretty basic and most Christians know and accept this as fact (at least intellectually). Measuring love is not based on whether you can say, “I love you,” nor by intellectual agreement; but, by the consistent demonstration of the qualities in your life.  It goes far beyond mental assent. Love purifies your soul and is far more powerful than a feeling or emotion.  Love is the gold standard and a priority for the Christian life. As an integrated part of your Christian character it causes you to love your brother, your neighbor, and your enemies.  You consistently exhibit patience, forbearance, kindness.  You are humble, not easily provoked, and do not immediately think evil when someone offends. You do not envy what others have nor delight when others fail.  Not only that, but unselfishness motivates your every thought and action.   Beloved of God, know that the Lord wants you to increase in love. Good works and nice deeds without love according to the divine standard are empty.  Before you go comparing yourself to some external standard of success and begin planning the steps to obtain what you think they have; submit to the standard of God that should permeate your life. Instead of trying be increased with goods as a measure of success, commit to increasing in love. A life that is full of love (both given and received) is a full and satisfying life indeed.  Invite the Holy Spirit to help you gain wisdom and understanding. As you grow in love, God’s presence will increase in you. My prayer today is that you increase in the understanding and demonstration of God’s love.

Be Blessed,

MC

Thoughts from the message:  Love:  Measurable, Tried, and True   

  I must admit, although I love running, my extra long distance days used to present a challenge.  Those run days seem to take forever to reach the end.  Now I suppose the primary reason for this is that I am required to slow my pace in order to accomplish the distance.  You might be thinking, “That seems logical, what’s the problem?” The problem is I can run faster and I really want to run faster. So it stands to reason that yesterday about half way through an extra long run I had the desire to speed up.  Just as I was about to step it up, I heard my run coach (the Holy Spirit) say, “This is a study in discipline and restraint.”  I smiled and maintained my slower pace. As I continued for several miles, I reflected on the words, “discipline and restraint.”

  The fact is we all have strengths, those things that we can do well and usually quickly.  Although most of the time we operate in our strengths and are often taught to push harder and longer, the truth is it may not always be what is needed at the time.  As I continued to run, I thought about the fact that it doesn’t really take much discipline to run faster but it takes great discipline to deliberately slow down.  We must remember the lesson of always being yielded to God.  When we have strength and power we are apt to take matters in our own hands but God wants us to remain submitted and yielded to him regardless of the power us posses. Beloved of God, recognize that one mark of spiritual maturity is being able to deliberately slow down.  We must learn not to sacrifice effectiveness for efficiency.  God can and will use you mightily if you will learn the lesson of discipline and restraint.  After all, that is how Jesus walked the earth.  He possessed all power; yet He yielded it to be guided by the Father.  As I completed my run, feeling strong and energized, I had to praise God for the reminder. So, in turn, let me encourage you to develop discipline and restraint alongside speed and power in order to be an effective servant of the Lord. 

Let the Word of Lord bring you strength today and always.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall mount up with wings of eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Be Blessed,
MC

Wow!! It’s been a quick summer.  I must say that I made no deliberate decision to stay away from blogging during the entire summer but sometimes life happens.  Our summer was consumed with a myriad of events: the high school graduation of our oldest daughter, seeing my dearest friend after four years, the loss of our sister in a car accident, tremendous transitions in our community, and (praise the Lord) taking our newly graduated daughter to begin university life a mere 5,600 miles away from home. (And that is only a fraction of it all)
Just a few days ago, someone said to me, “Wow, you have really been through “it” this summer.”  To which I responded, “Been through what?” I am often reminded that my perspective is not typically the norm.  He started to recount the last twelve weeks of my life from his perspective. It was interesting and sounded a little dismal.   As I listened, I thought, “Well, when you say it like that it does sound like I should be tired, stressed out, and sad.”  But all I could actually say was, “Yes, it’s been quite a busy summer but faith makes you resilient.”  I am glad to be able to say that I know and believe the power of Romans 8:28.  Through all the events my focus has been on God’s faithfulness and love.  He has never left me lonely, lost, or without comfort.  The way I see it, we have not just endured a hectic summer we have prevailed. Although many of the things I normally have on my agenda changed, God has been up to something. Over the last twelve weeks, my personal schedule hasn’t been quite what I would have expected or planned, but God has been up to something. Sometimes the timing of the significant events of life seemed as if they would overtake us but as each one unfolded I saw that God was up to something. In the midst of everything He was always right there leading, guiding, comforting, directing, and providing abundantly for us.  He caused me to remember and appreciate, on a greater level, His presence with me. God reminded me that when my focus is Him, though schedules and plans change He will never leave.   Through the events of this summer He also reminded me that my relationship with Him is more important than anything I can ever do for Him.  There are many facets to the “ministry” He has given and fufulling each one is important.  As I successfully fulfill the demands of each facet in obedience to His word, I am worshipping Him.  When my schedule and His plans for me are in sync I can relax and rest in Him.  So as we enter September, I happily return to blogging as time and space again allow.  I invite you to walk with me weekly as we grow in the most important relationship of our lives, our relationship with the Father.  Today, I leave you with a question, what has God been up to in your life?  I’d love to hear from you.

Be Blessed Today and Always,

MC