6 Days later....

So it's been six days since my last actual blog post; but in the mean time, I hope you've enjoyed the book reviews and the linux tip that I have posted in the mean while. :-)

Just wanted to give a quick update on things.  Well, I am sick...probably a sinus infection, as that it typically the only time I get sick.  Even though I missed work today due to illness, I decided that that would not keep me from being productive around the apartment.   I have done some extensive clean up around my desk.  I have posted a total of eight devotionals from the weekly church bulletin, with about 18 more to go, just to be caught up.  Go check them out.  Several books made their way back to the book shelf in the other room, where they belong after being read.  I also cleaned up a little, ok very little, in the area around my desk.  But now I am wiped out.

Even though we have had three, yes I said THREE Christmas party/dinners this week, I am still trying to fight the good fight on the weightless front. Oh? you thought I had given up on that since I haven't mentioned it in a while.  Well, I wasn't going to mention it again until after I made some significant progress. Then I realized that after losing eight pounds headed into the Christmas season of dinners and cookies and other assorted snacks and only gaining two of it back on the other side of the holiday, actually IS significant progress, haha.   But I think we will change topics for quite a while. :-)

If anyone would like to get me a late Christmas or early birthday gift, I could always use some Amazon or Google Play giftcards.  Actually, I would take Kroger cards too, so I could buy Amazon & Google play cards and get some fuel points, haha.

Did I mention that I am wiped out?  I won't complain about how problematic being sick is, but instead I will say I have a great big God that can heal, and even if He doesn't He is worthy of some praise!  To my right there is a fully charged Kindle Fire with some freshly loaded books, just calling my name.

Before I run off to read some books in my big comfy chair until I pass out, I want to let you know to keep an eye out for more upcoming book reviews and maybe some software reviews.  (hint- CENT OS)

Until Next Time
TRP

Book Review - You Wouldn't Want An Ostrich For Your Mama! Concepts in Disciple-Making

Another book I picked up in September this year was “You Wouldn’t Want An Ostrich For Your Mama! Concepts in Disciple-Making” by Bro Carlton Coon.   I cannot say how much I enjoy his writings.  I think the only book of his that I have not yet read is his funeral sermons book, not that is not relevant.  

As with previous writings of Elder Coon, this book is absolutely inspiring. It teaches many good concepts that will assist any church in its efforts in making disciples. Elder Coon's style of writing that is easy to read by Christians of any level of maturity, from laymen to scholar.

The first quote that sticks with me from this book is "Anything less than growth & nurture is simply begetting children for the murderer." It reminds me of a dream my pastor had years ago that he shared with the church several times.  It was about converts in the North American church.  He said that the mother was consistently in labor and the family was all in the room encouraging her through her travails. Child after child was being born. The doctor would take the child and place it on a conveyor belt that lead out of the room. Pastor said he left the delivery room and followed the conveyor to see how the children were cared for after birth. To his horror, the conveyor belt lead to a large pit, filled with babies, some dead and rotting other dying and crying out for nourishment and attention.  He said the pile was so huge he couldn’t guess at the number that were there, essentially abandoned by the mother.

As a movement we are so excited about getting people to the new birth experience, but after that we (as a whole) have a hard time taking care of all the new babies. This brings me to the second quote: "Don't diminish the significance of the baby you have in the pursuit of the one unborn."

"We may not keep them all, but we must try." Discipleship is just as important as the new birth experience. Without it you have a spiritual abortion. The main thing that we must understand is that the church exists, not just to exist, but to grow.  To grow effectively, we need to not just grow numerically, but each and every individual MUST grow.  When an infant or a toddler ceases to grow, there is a health problem that needs to be addressed before causing irreparable damages.  Likewise, a new convert or a young convert must continue to grow, otherwise there is a spiritual problem that unless it is addressed soon, it will lead to worse problems.

While we need to grow in number, the number you get to walk through the front door isn't nearly as important as the number you keep from exiting out the back door. Before a transfusion of new blood, a skilled physician will first find and stop hemorrhages. Or as the book states, "Don't rush to focus on quantity, first achieve quality and then build from there," and “You can't grow His kingdom or the local church if you do not close the back door!"

The title of the book didn’t make sense to me at first and honestly, it was a factor in why I waited so long to get it.  It started becoming more and more clear as I read the book and read what Elder Coon had to say about the ostrich. "A mother ostrich feels no emotional attachment." Care about your converts, don't be an Ostrich Mama!

One could sum this book up in these two final quotes. "Discipleship making is not ONE of the things the church does. It IS what a church does.” "Being present to help gravity keep a chair into place does not count as in having a ministry." We are all called to ministry and if we want the church to grow, it will take ALL of us working together to get the job done.

You can purchase this book on Amazon for your Kindle (or Kindle app device) here.

Until Next Time

TRP

Book Review - Among The Reapers

A several months ago, I was privileged to join a Facebook group called Church Planters - UPCI. While I have not posted there often, as I am currently not a church planter, I have been blessed and encouraged by these great men and women sharing their stories and encouraging each other (and me in the process).  Many times on this group, certain topics that are germane to all church planters, and potential church planters would pop up for discussion. In these discussions great insight and a wide range of results and opinions would be shared. 

Once of the group had gotten to a certain point, Bro Carlton Coon, North American Missions Director, asked for someone to spearhead a project which would be a 'labor of love.' This project would be to take all of the key topics that had been discussed over the tenure of the group and put it into a readable book format.  Pastor Lee Wells of Rockwall, TX, took up this challenge and the end result is a book titled Among The Reapers.

The print version of this book was released during the 2012 United Pentecostal Church International General Conference, and the Kindle version was available on Amazon a few weeks earlier.   As one that was really excited about this project, I purchased the Kindle version on September 24, 2012, and could not put it down.

In my opinion this book offers the best view points to show the many steps of the way and the many different struggles and challenges that can and in many cases will arise. It shows that no two church plants are the same and there is no magical cookie cutter formula to plant a church. This book is a collection of insights that will challenge you to either plant a church or at the very least do your best in watering the one you are in now.

As I was reading this amazing book, I took some time to Tweet a lot of quotes from the book and make some personal observations of what I thought about as I read it.  One of the first lines that jumped out at me was "There is absolutely no substitute for character."  I wholeheartedly believe that if anyone is going to do anything for God, and they want it to have meaning and last the tests of time, they must be men and women of character and integrity first and foremost. Often times we re-quote the phrase "it is good for Pentecostals to also be Christians," because of its humorous wit. The sentiment is so true. If we wants to be excited about our Apostolic doctrine, our Pentecost experience and our holiness lifestyle, we should also be Christ-like.  As a whole, we cannot have the sense of superiority about us, just because we have a better understand or a closer walk with God.  This does not make us better people than the rest of the world, but it should make us better than we were and in many cases are as people.

Another quote that had been beating me over the head ever since I read it is "Ninety percent of finding the will of God is doing what you already know to do."  How many times to we, mature Christians, enter into our place of worship and not pray for that service, or worship with our wholeheart or ask God what he would have us give in the offering or even apply the message from God to our lives?  If we are honest, we will admit, it is more times than it should be. Honestly, once is far too often, but we are human and I do understand how life's events can effect us. However it is up to us to do what we know to do, so God can do what He wants to do.

One final quote that I will mention was from Bro Carlton Coon when he states, "One is never 'not' a missionary."  This leads me back to our first quote, because if we are ALWAYS a missionary, we must always have character.

This book was a shot in the arm for me and for many others that I have talked to that have read it.  Reading it will inspire you to plant a church or at the very least, to do your best watering the church you were planted in.  Planters and waterers, working together for the growth of God's Kingdom. 

Well, stop listening to me babble about this great book, go buy it and find out for yourself how much of a blessing it can be.

Until Next time,
TRP

Ubuntu Password Recovery

While going through my email this morning, I found an old link I had sent myself.  It links to the website of the current co-host of the Linux Action Show podcast, Matt Hartley.  I think it would be helpful for many people if: a) You Run Linux b) Your distro of choice is Ubuntu or Ubuntu-based c) You lost your password to get in.

I'll just share this link here. :-)

Until Next time
-TRP

Just adding to the list....

I'm adding to the list of things I am working on.  Yes I know, Bad "TRPrecht," but still, this IS important.

One of the great resources that have popped up in the Lighthouse in the last year has been Bro Dameron's bulletin.  Every Sunday morning, along with a smiling, warm welcome and a hand shake, I receive a bulletin.  Each of these bulletins include a hand picked front design, an inspirational article from a member of our church, a rough outline of who is doing what in the morning service, upcoming announcements and a brief prayer list of urgent needs.

I'm not really a fan of church bulletins, but I LOVE our church bulletin. Which is slightly confusing to me.  Grant it, this is not a hard task, considering the workings of my mind. :-)

Seriously though, I think the thing that makes our weekly Beacon (not an official name, but all of our newsletters and bulletins have been called that in the past, so its an ok habit to continue, I assume) is appealing to me is that it grants an outlet for the minds of some of the members of our church that otherwise we would only hear from when they get behind the podium to preach, sing or what not.

I am a believer that writing helps people grow, not only because it makes them articulate their thoughts with a vast array of words from their hidden exhaustive vocabulary, but also, because it makes one really think about what is on their heart and what they truly believe.

With all of that said, just what is it that I am adding to my list, you ask?  I'm converting these articles to blog posts over on another blog.  This way we can access them even if absent for what ever reason, but also for another project that I will start I scratch off at least one of my current objectives off my list.

Currently I have hard copies of almost every bulletin that has come out since late May, which will gradually make their to that blog, as I am not about to type all of these in at once.  Hopefully I can get Bro Dameron to agree to email me the articles going forward so I can just copy and paste. (Pro Tip* Work Smarter, Not Harder)


Also, I have been taking notes from Bro David K. Bernard's Ministerial Development lessons from a new endeavor of the UPCI to get young men and women more training for the ministry.   Much Like the bulletins, my notes will make their way into blog posts here in some form or another.

As I pray for you and your family, I ask that you pray for me and mine. :-) May God richly bless you is my prayer!
Until Next Time....
-TRP

Merry Christmas Charlie Brown

In 1965, the cartoon movie A Charlie Brown Christmas was released. The over all gist of the movie is that Charlie Brown begins to complain about the overwhelming materialism that he sees and is having trouble trying to figure out what Christmas is supposed to be all about. His friend Lucy suggests that he become the director of the school Christmas pageant. Unfortunately, it makes Charlie Brown's problem worse.

The story comes to a head when Charlie Brown says to Linus, “Everything I do turns into a disaster. I guess I really don't know what Christmas is all about.” Then he shouts in desperation “Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

Happily Linus says “Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about.” Then gives a speech that starts with a quote from the Book of Luke.

"'And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.' That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Sometimes we need to be reminded of what Christmas is all about, just like Charlie Brown. Try not to get caught up in the frustrations that can easily come this time of year, remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. He was born to die, so that we can live in Him. 

Better late than never....right?

So, I finally get around to making an update as we march towards 2013 with ever increasing speed.
How have I come on my projects?

Well, I have one chapter of that book done, as well as an outline for the rest of it. Minor progress, but progress nonetheless. I might post a tease of the chapter I have done, maybe it will inspire me to continue with the work quicker.

I was switching my personal site over to Drupal (from old-school HTML) but honestly, as powerful as Drupal is, the learning curve for "following the drop" involves more time than I currently have.  So, without too ironic, I'm moving back to Joomla, a platform that I haven't touched in years. They are on version 3 now, so I'm brushing up on the changes.   I have content added (in fact this post will migrate from BlogSpot to it eventually), and need to work on the layout.  Ha! More progress.

I have been applying for other career advancement opportunities, and am hoping & praying to hear back from one which would open the door to schooling and furthering education. Not to mention a hefty financial step forward. In essence, praying for progress, haha.

I believe I have abandoned the idea of getting Apple cert, instead leaning toward CompTIA Linux+ and LPI-1 as they are helpful in other areas of the IT world in which I wish to migrate to. I've found some good training material and am slowing pumping that info in to my brain, trying to not overload. :-)

Books, my rediscovered love. One of the reasons my projects have slowed down is this passion for reading that has infected me as of late. I estimate that in the last two months, I have read close to 15 books. Some commentaries, church growth, inspirational testimonies, youth ministry, doctrine and even one fictional book that was written to be a story of church growth training.  While this wasn't one of my goals, I still claim progress in this adventure. I mean, how could you NOT count personal growth as progress?

Well, there is lots to do today, so I better go for now. Until next time.

Why Know Your History?

Over the last several weeks we have been “having a time” with Lighthouse University. In the class I have been privileged to teach we have been going over the history of the Church. Not just the global body of Christ, but also our local assembly. To some, that might seem unnecessary, or how it fits in with the other amazing classes that were going on, but let me explain why I think it not only fits in, but is one of the best classes you can take (definitely not because of the teacher).

Diane Ravitch published "Why Study History" in American History Illustrated in March/April 1991. In her review of history, Ravitch stated that "the simplest and truest answer is that the study of history makes people more intelligent."
Now, at first that may seem like a rather odd statement. But when we actually do learn from our past, we see a lot more about our present and future. History makes us more aware of the world around us.  "History is an investigation of causes," Ravitch wrote, "it is a way of finding out how the world came to be as it is. Without history, we are without memory and without explanation."  Imagine experiencing amnesia and not knowing where you come from or where you live. You would have no past and no idea of where you are going.

When we look at the birth of the Church and the years that followed, we saw great revivals and great persecution. If you follow the Church through the ages, You see the pattern for revival. Weeks and months of persecution and prayer, prayer and fasting, and more prayer was followed by an outpouring of God's presence that changed the course of of people, cities and even nations. Seeing that pattern in the past, can show you the pattern we need to follow for the future. Our Past Influences Our Future.

If Charles Parham wouldn't have learned the truth about Holy Ghost baptism, the revival at Topeka, Kansas would never have happened and he wouldn't have been able to take that message to Texas and teach it to a man named William J. Seymour. If William Seymour hadn't taken that message to Los Angeles, the Bonnie Brae/Azusa Street outpouring wouldn't have taken place. If Glenn Cook had not taken the message of of the new birth from Azusa St to Indianapolis, Frank Curts wouldn't have went on to build one of the first Apostolic mega churches in the USA, let alone the fact that it was in Cincinnati. The influence of Frank Curts inspired Ulysses “Pop” Pennington to start a storefront mission in Newport, Ky. From that Apostolic Temple came a young minister with a passion for souls who would start a church in Silver Grove in 1981. Thirty-one years and two locations later, Bro Wayne Smith still pastors the Lighthouse.

We can see our bright and rich history. It is clear and defined. Built upon the message of Repentance, Baptism in Jesus' Name and Receiving the Holy Ghost and living a holy and separated lifestyle. As long as we can look back at these landmarks as beacons, we will continue to have a bright future.

Who is TR Precht?

Religiously speaking, I am an Apostolic in doctrine, Pentecostal in experience, and Holiness in lifestyle. First and foremost, I am called to be a worshiper of the Most High God. Second, I am also called to Preach the Gospel. I am the Assistant Pastor at the local assembly, Lighthouse Ministries of The Apostolic Faith, which is in Bellevue, Kentucky.

I believe in Ethical Monotheism - One God (Deut. 6:4) and his name is Jesus. February 26, 1997, I was saved the only Bible way as described in John 3 & Acts 2:38. I repented of my sins; was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12) and was filled with the Gift of the Holy Ghost with evidence of speaking in tongues, just like in the Bible.

I believe that one should live a Holy and separated life, with Holiness on the inside that will manifest itself outwardly. It is with a great honor, and humbleness that I am used of God. I do not deserve any glory, let it all be unto the Lord. I seek always to be as clay broken by the Potter's hand, that I might become more usable.

On Dec 6, 2004, I was blessed with the most wonderful wife in the world, Roxanna. She is my strength in my hardest hours.

Our family grew on January 28, 2015, when we welcomed into our lives our amazing son, Yonatan Asher. His name means 'Blessed Gift From God' or 'Happy Gift From God' which is perfect either way. He is a very happy blessing that keeps us on our toes!

I hold an Associates in Applied Science for Computer Information Technologies from Gateway Community & Technical College. I currently hold CompTIA A+ as well as several vendor specific computer certifications. I am forever a student. I am a licensed minister with the United Pentecostal Church International.

Reviews PinguyOS + Fuduntu

PinguyOS

• Boot time is around 20 seconds.
• Runs at 315mb sitting idle
• CPU usage 2& at idle
• Has Dual Apple-like docks (location shortcuts on the left, app shortcuts on the bottom) plus a menu bar at the top.  Excessive for my tastes.
• Built in resource monitor widget on desktop.
• Webshot-like rotating desktop provided by Webilder
• Great standard app selection that most users download after install, all included.
• Notable extra apps, PlayOnLinux, DiscWrapper, LaCie Lightscribe and Shutter.
• A nice backup reminder notification about 3 minutes after boot up. Which if experience has taught me anything, if you don’t set up a backup solution shortly after install, you won’t install one at all.
• One notable con, had to click around a bit to find the menu option to logout/shutdown.
• Overall take away: I could recommend this to friends wanting to try out linux; It doesn’t bring enough to the table to make me want to change distros at the moment, and I would only use it after making several changes.  In “as is” state on LiveCD, not for me, but future releases could change that.

Funduntu

• Booted to LiveCD OS in about 20 seconds (if hit enter as soon as options show up)
• A VERY minimalistic dristro….but in a good way.
• Extremely clean cut, no fluff on the UI, a simple dock at the bottom and an uncluttered menubar at the top.
• First distro that I’ve seen that included Dropbox as a feature, infact I don’t remember seeing a linux version mentioned anywhere prior to this.
• Covers all of the essential software types with competent programs that all have minimal footprint sizes.
• Third or fourth distro that I’ve tried that I’ve noticed Shutter on, but this is the first one that it seems like it belongs there. In other distros it always seemed like an afterthought app that conflicted with other packages and gave errors. But on Fuduntu it ran smooth and almost looked like it was custom just for it.
• Actually every app I ran was smooth and looked like it was made for Fuduntu.  Great job integrating everything.
• Overall take away:  Fuduntu is amazing. One of the top distros I’ve had the good pleasure to try. It’s not cookie cutter in any fashion and it has taken some interesting steps that might be followed later by others. Would recommend to new converts and old alike, especially for a netbook type setting.

Review Zorin OS6

Zorin OS 6 – LITE

• Boot time is under 20 seconds.
• Windows users would be very comfortable with the Win2000 clone layout. While it does have that feel “windows-feel” it is done nicer than windows.
• Built on Lubuntu, it is lightweight and super fast.
• Very minimalistic on the apps, and a couple choices that I think were made to make it fit on CD, but better alternatives exist.
• Zorin Extra Software Installer was a nice touch, very user friendly and would help new converts or Windows-refugees decide if they need certain extra softwares.
• I’m pleased to see Chromium set by default and the interesting twist with the “Browser Selector” which lets you decide which browser you want and install it quickly. Give the options of FireFox, Chromium, Opera and Midori.
• A noticeable firewall configuration option to encourage security.
• Zorin Look Changer that gives options to change from the Windows 2000 look to look like OSX (requires user to re-login to change)
• Overall take away: I’m impressed, would definitely consider recommending it to those wanting to change from Windows or OSX but were still wanting something familiar.

Zorin OS 6 – Core

•  Booted in 30 seconds but menu wasn’t usable for another ten seconds, total “usable boot” time up to 40seconds.
• Windows users would be very comfortable with the Win7 clone layout. While it does have that feel “windows-feel” its not as nice as the Lite version’s menu.
• Chrome set by default and the “Browser Selector” lets you decide which browser you want and install it quickly. Give the options of FireFox, Chrome, Opera and Midori.  – I’m surprised they went away from Chromium to Chrome, but that’s just personal preference.
• App selection doesn’t differ that much from Ubuntu 12.04 which it is based on, with the obvious exception of the desktop environment.
• Some might see this is a con, but I did like that the Installer icon for the distro is buried a couple of clicks deeps into the menu bar, which would help from accidentally wiping drive while testing.
• Noticed a nice diagnostic tool, Ubuntu System Tester.
• Being ever the backup minded individual, I enjoyed seeing the backup app firmly attached to the GnoMenu’s quicklaunch.
• I noticed that both the Update Manager and the Package Manager were buried a few clicks deep on the menu bar, which could slow things down slightly when trying to update.
• One negative that I saw was that just to pull up the option for the Look Changer, you are notified you have to perform a full install just to test that feature.  Their website shows it has several options, which honestly they could have included without install since they are still under 2gb on their iso.  The major downside of this is that the full install requires 8.4 gb of hdd and my sandbox only was set for 8gb.
• Overall take away: I’d have to test it again after an install, but it’s slightly sluggish as a LiveCD.  I think there should be another spin option somewhere between Core and Lite, which would be the perfect disc to hand out to friends to help convert them from their current shackled desktop.

OS (mainly Linux) Reviews

From Time to time (ok quite often really), I am split between my love of the Kingdom and my love for technology, so I test out various operating systems.  Honestly, I will not likely do a review of OSX unless they do major changes and I might do one of Windows 8 since I have the preview edition, but most of the time I spend my efforts looking at open-source operating systems; mainly Linux-based.

So I have decided that I will take some time and review several Linux distributions and post my findings and opinions on them.  Keep in mind, at this point I am NOT the goto type of person for expertise on using Linux, just someone who has been casually using it for several years. Many of my friends and co-workers have asked me questions about Linux so I want to expand my knowledge and experience with the different desktops, window managers and packages systems. Hence, the oncoming flood of reviews that I have typed up and a few more to be posted over the next few days.

Eventually I will spin off my linux reviews to another blog (as these came from my website that I am in the process of revamping and not wanting to lose any info) to keep my two focuses of writing separate and not bore any potential followers of either section away. 

Let's Get Rolling....

Why Open Source?

Why open source is a question I have been asked a lot lately, in fact only a few hours ago was the most recent time. I will try to answer that here. I may use names or terms that you are not familiar with, I will try to link back to wikipedia for the most common ones, if I miss one, please forgive and bounce over to http://en.wikipedia.org/ and drop that term/name in the search box. 

I have had a collision of worlds...my passion for the technical world had met my passion for the Kingdom of God. I like freedom, no I LOVE freedom.  Here in the USA, we currently have many freedoms and liberties.  I say currently because anything granted by legislation can be removed by legislation.  As a Christian, I have freedom in Christ through His Word and His Spirit.   Again, I love freedom.    Thy why would I want to burden or bind myself when it comes to the software I use?

Non-free software bind you in many ways from the features they offer to the licensing they use. Remember, I love freedom.  Wanting free software doesn't mean I'm cheap, poor or a pirate.... it means I want freedom on how I use my software.  Time for some definitions. 

In the English language, we have some problems when we have too many definitions to the same word.  The adjective "free" has two definitions that can be exclusive of one another.  Free as in "for zero price" is where we have the word gratis.  Gratis comes from a Latin word meaning "free of charge" in the sense that a good or service is supplied without payment, even though it might have a great value.  The other definition of "free" is 'having freedom' which we get from another Latin derived term, Libre.   As you might guess we also get the word liberty from this term as well.    

In the computer world, freeware is obviously gratis, but most of the time NOT libre.  A great example of that is a Windows program called E-Sword.  It is an amazing gratis Bible program, but it is locked into a proprietary code, on one platform (Microsoft Windows) and while there are many free and paid plugins to the program, you still are limited as to what you can do with it.   Then there is free, libre open source software (FLOSS) such as the SWORD project, which is the launchpad for several Bible applications that run on Linux, Windows, Mac, Android and iOS.  The reason that it is so flexible and has so many off-shoots is because it's licensing allows others to not only see the source code, but to make changes to it and redistribute those changes. 

So what is the simple answer for why I have chosen to go the open source route? I enjoy the freedom to legally and ethically do what ever I wish with the software I am using.

Word of Encouragement

Sometimes we get this notion in our head that we have to be perfect because we are Christians. Whether its because God has brought us so far in a short time or because we have served God for years, we feel that we are “beyond” certain problems. Then when these things pop up in our lives we feel unworthy and even afraid to talk to anyone about our problems. After all, “everyone else is past this,” “they will think less of me” and “no one else needs to be bothered with my problems.” I chuckled as I wrote that because not only have I heard that from other people, but I've said those sentences a few times myself when headed into some of the loneliest battles of my life.

When we allow ourselves to think in this manner it slowly separates us from our brothers and sisters in Christ and can plant the seeds that will later become roots of bitterness. One of the devil's tricks is to make us feel cut off from God first and then our church family. He tries to get us to rely on our feelings and when we can't 'feel God' or think he has turned His back on us, we begin to think that the end has come. But no matter how far away God seems at this moment, or how dark the situation appears, you will be delivered from this mess of a test and God will grant you the message of a testimony.

In Jeremiah, God tells His people who were in a dark place in life that he has plans for them to prosper and for hope. I learned early on in my Christian walk that the key to turning my problems around is to make sure I connect with my church family, and worship God. It isn't an instant fix to all problems, but it will help us see our problems with better focus. Instead of thinking less of ourselves we will think of ourselves less and be able to see His greatness. Good times and bad, we need to do as Psalm 136:1 says “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” We can know that why no, we are not perfect, we ARE forgiven!

Big Weekend

     So, I had an extremely eventful weekend.  So eventful, in fact, that I needed to write about it. 


     I had the distinct honor to be the speaker for the Kentucky District UPCI Section U Youth Rally for September.  Several other churches were in attendance.  Sis Liz, her husband and several from New Life along with Sis Tiffhanie made sure we had an awesome worship service. Then came time to preach.

     Honestly, even though I have preached many times before-including a few times outside of my local church, this was probably the one time I was the most nervous.  It was my first time preaching an event on a sectional level, meaning multiple churches would be there. I was honored to have several friends be there from other churches.   If you have ever been in a service that I preached in my earlier years, you would have known that I once was quite fond of object lessons, something I'm actually starting to get back to. I decided to try that method again and brought one of my swords in as an object lesson on grabbing a hold of the Word, Holiness and the Cross. Good bad or indifferent, I preached my guts out, lost my voice a bit, and many young people came to the altar. 

     I was in doubt of myself the entire time, until that is a parent came up to me and told me that what I had said was exactly what their child needed to hear and that it was perfect timing.  At first I was thinking 'that sounds good,' as I humbly thanked them and continued to make my way to speak to someone. Then another parent said a similar thing to me.  When I finally made it to the person I wanted to speak with, they greeted me with a smiling nod and a "well done," prior to walking away.  It finally sank in to my thick head that it didn't go bad like I thought it did...as I almost always think it does. (I admit it, I "sometimes" have some confidence issues, no matter how I try to play it off, or how my ego is perceived.)  I was truly honored to have been part of that service and it is an experience that I will never forget, and hopefully get to repeat again (but only do better ;-D ), in the future. 

     While this is definitely one of the highlights of my ministry, and specifically during my time working with young people, I'm glad the weekend didn't end with Friday night.   We had great youth class Sunday morning, followed by an amazing evening service.  Then after the evening service someone pulled my lovely wife and I to the side and gave us this momento to make the occasion.

     After receiving this keepsake, those that pulled us to the side spoke some things into our hearts.  While I wont share anything that was said specifically or who it was I can say that it gave us much encouragement about the future and really finished off a big weekend with a very humbling moment.

So sparing you a lot of the details (you are welcome) that was the big weekend in a nut shell.

Serving Our Community

Let's face it, sometimes life simply hurts and it feels like there is no hope. To cope, we get caught up in habits that are hard to break. Various addictions, eating disorders, drinking, cutting, illicit relationships and even abuse become part of the way we try to deal with the pain on our own. We don't have to endure these habits or the pain on our own, in fact we were never meant to. We are social creatures that exist in families and communities for this reason, to help each other.

Lighthouse Ministries exists here in Bellevue to be a natural and supportive part of this community, because when the storms of life tear your world apart, God can put the pieces back together.

We invite you to visit with us. The Lighthouse offers encouragement, friendships and sense of belonging. We consist of families of all ages, with a wide variety of backgrounds who share in a commitment to help others heal from their hurts and habits because we strive not only for a stronger church but for a stronger community.

We are not asking you to change churches or become a member to receive help, but to visit with us and see if we can help you, or if you can help us in our efforts help the community in Bellevue. You can find more about us at www.aplighthouse.org and www.facebook.com/MyLighouseMinistries.

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This article originally appeared in the September 2012 edition of The Bellevue Community Paper (name?).

Let's Grow Together

Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

We live in an age that says there are no absolutes, there is no “truth,” and what you believe is not important. In essence this is a world full of compromise and dilution of faith. That is the culture of the world we live in, but the Bible tells us that while we are in this world, we are not of this world. The Church of the living God is counter to the culture of this present world. And it is time that we stand our ground and boldly proclaim that we are Apostolic without Apology!

We need to dig into the Word of God deeper than ever before and put it in out hearts so that when the enemy tries to come at us, we will have the promises of God to stand on. We need to get a hunger for the Word. David said “taste and see” that the Lord he is good, elsewhere he said to God “thy word have I hid in my heart.” David was hungry for the things of God, not only the comforting words that made him feel better, but the words of correction that would help him get back in line if he ever strayed away.

When we have this hunger for God's Word, we will get a hunger to do the things in the Word, and follow the doctrines found within it. Let's not be hearers of the Word only, but doers also.

Be faithful by being faith-full.

David also wrote “blessed be the Lord who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation.” You see when we are walking in the Word, we will be BLESSED, not only with truth but with wisdom, instruction and understanding...all a part of growing in God.

Let's grow together! 

A little late, but update.

Where to start? As far as the weight loss goes, I'm consistant at being about ten pounds less than when started. Time to add some exercise to help that number get better. I also need to eliminate the weekend cheats.
As far as the book, I have a first rough draft of the introduction completed and have passed to the elders in my life to get their view before continuing.
Never really got started on the reading of the certification training manual, too much "life" popped up in the mean time. Hoping to atleast crack the cover soon.
Speaking of odd twists of life....I had served a while as youth leader and youth pastor, then tragedies of life and whatnot came our way and we backed away from that. Other events prolonged that subattical of sorts. But as of this weekend, my wife and I are stepping up to the challenge to rebuild a youth group.   This Sunday started off with what some would find a dissapointing number, but I'm *very* thankful for the three students that I had. Next week, Lord willing, that number will grow.

So that's my update fore now...things aren't going exactly as planned but as the old adage goes, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

Misc. Thoughts

I have been thinking lately about the many things i'd like to do and get all excited about and then never have/make time to do them.  Some thinks such as write a book on doctrine from a young mans perspective, release a Linux distro geared toward churches to help the costs of starting up a media dept (especially for Home Missions), create an Android app (maybe iOS too), finish changing over the church website, finish MY website, learn Drupal (see previous two items as to why), get Apple Certified, lose weight, finish Bible college, just to name a few.

I do realize that while working my job, its unlikely that any of these projects will be accomplished if I try to work on them all at once. I must select one or two-three at the most- and then set mini-goals to help reach that tasks objective.

To this end, I thought it would be wise to select first of all, lose weight. I have many good sets of clothes that I cannot fit that I should easily be able to get back into, plus I want to feel better and healthier. I started 2012 at near 345lbs and I have made a personal long term goal of 210. I'm going to attack this 20lbs at a time. A little over a week and I've already dropped 6lbs, just by changing eating habits. I will add exercise this week and see where we go from there.

Secondly, if I want to write a book from a young mans perspective, I might want to start while I'm a young man, haha. I've already gotten a table of contents set up, I will attack this one chapter at a time, one or two nights a week, letting it unfold and mature slowly.

I'm not certain if that's all I'm going to do right now, or pick up one more. If I do, I think it should be Apple certification because that will be about a 2k annual raise.  But at any rate will try to keep blogging or vloging to keep this updated and to hold some accountability. So, until next time....