HOPE DEALER In Amishland

Unfortunately, everyday isn't like the picture of my son & his buddy above. Fun, exciting, warm!!! How do you deal with a dark, rainy, cold & all around cruddy day. Today is one of those kind of days. You know, the kind where you call out of work sick and crawl up beside a warm fireplace with an endless flow of hot chocolate. Sounds good doesn't it. What do you do when you can't call off work, you have no fireplace and are out of hot chocolate. So many times we allow the weather, the news or our circumstances to dictate our feelings. We just have bad days because we feel a certain way. Today I was reading the Psalms during my devotional time. One particular portion stuck out to me that I think will help us deal with our emerging emotions on days or in times like these. Psalm 5:11-12, "But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because you defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You,

by Dr. David Foster (www.davidfoster.tv) Depending on what surveys you read or people you listen to, it becomes hard to assess the impact of Christianity in America. If you judge our effectiveness by conferences held and churches planted, by sheer activity and money spent, then Christianity is doing very well in America. But here is the problem with measuring our effectiveness that way. We tend to be a small, closed-in industry. We talk to each other and listen to each other and want to be like one another. We judge effectiveness on how well we’re imitating the latest trend, rather than backing up and realizing that following Christ and being the church in the real world is not about forming a Christian ghetto; a Christian market where we write Christian books, Christian songs, and create Christian schools so Christian kids can be saved from the big, bad world. Our real effectiveness is how we live in the glare of the public spotlight. And it’s not really that difficult to underst

Great devotional by Ed Young. During your time with God today, take a moment to reflect and reconnect with the Creator! May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. Psalm 141:2 When God gave Moses the instructions for building the tabernacle and for the various forms of worship, one of the things that he ordered was the burning of fragrant incense. Each morning and evening the priest was to burn incense on an altar, so that "incense will burn regularly before the Lord for the generations to come" (Exodus 30:8). The incense, which had a sweet-smelling fragrance, was representative of the prayers being lifted to God in worship. Most of us, when we think of prayer, think that it's our way to communicate with God. And yes, that is part of it. But prayer is also a form of worship. So as you turn to God through prayer, realize that you are offering that sweet-smelling incense to God. And as you lift your requests,

Here are a few thoughts from the different speakers at the wave conference. Obviously there is a lot of great content from the messages but here are a few thoughts: From Pastor Mark Crow (www.victorychurch.tv)- from the morning session yesterday. Thought #1- The ruled of God, submit to the plan of God & become the leader's of God. Thought #2- A.T.A.T.- Accumulated Time Alone Together. Grow your relationship with God, your spouse and others by spending time together. From Joel Houston (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Houston)- from last night. Thought #1- When we forsake the lives of others, we forsake our own lives. (1 John 4:7) Thought #2- God is not asking you to do it all, He's simply asking for you to give your all. From Bayless Conley (www.cottonwood.org)- from the morning session today. Thought #1- One wrong thought kept an entire generation out of the promised land & one wrong thought can keep you from your destiny. Thought #2- Prosperity withou

This week I brought some of my team to Wave Conference in Virginia Beach, VA. Last night we had an awesome night. Joel Houston (Hillsong United) led us in worship and it was fantastic. Also, Judah Smith (generationchurch.org) brought the house down and had a great message. He talked about tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. (Psalm 24) Don't be simply an observer, get in and really experience a relationship with God. If you want to follow along with the conference, go online to wavechurch.com and check it out. Good stuff!

Watch this message from the series, "Politicked." Ed's timely message will help you evaluate your walk with God and connect with the principles of God's word. When it comes to politics, many times we check our principles at the door. Ed does a great job unwrapping this difficult topic. Enjoy! Politicked - Rock the Vote from Fellowship Church on Vimeo .

Great devotional that reminds us to focus on the Lord. Many times we look to people to be our resource. Whether it's finances, relationships, love or encouragement. I encourage you to look to God and rise up in the power that only He can give. God will do His part as our source and we need to do our part as well. Enjoy! Encourage Yourself Today's Scripture “David was greatly distressed, for the men spoke of stoning him…But David encouraged and strengthened himself in the Lord his God”(I Samuel 30:6) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria It’s good to have friends and family around to cheer you up when you’re down, but in order to truly live in victory, that encouragement has to come from the inside. When your mind is telling you it’s not worth it, when your circumstances seem difficult, deep down inside, your spirit has to have the resolve that says, “I refuse to settle where I am.” That’s what David had to do. He was facing a major setback. His family was killed, his

One of my favorite pastor's in America is doing a political series called, 'PoliTicked?' As the political race heats up I hope that you will be engaged in the political process. I love politics, the philosophy of it and the questions behind the questions. I love hearing both sides of the story and I have passionate opinions about the entire process. I also think that it is most important to hear God's side of the story. As Christ-followers, we should filter every issue through the truth of God's word so that we can determine who and what we stand for. Here is the description of the series and the link to the message. I'd love to hear your thoughts! I haven't watched it yet but I'm excited to hear what he has to say! Information about politics is coming to us faster, with more force and from more sources than ever before. And it’s all under the guise of bringing us the truth. But is this information overload really clearing the air? Or is it makin

SOLON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A toilet paper prank has led to the shooting of a 14-year-old by a southwestern Michigan man who believed strangers were trying to break into his home. The Grand Rapids Press and WZZM-TV report the victim and four other teens were pulling the prank about 1 a.m. Sunday at a home in Solon Township, about 20 miles northeast of Grand Rapids. Kent County sheriff's Lt. Jerry Miedema said the teens were intent on draping the house in toilet paper, while the homeowner's "intent was to come out shooting." Police say three shots were fired from a 12-gauge shotgun, striking the 14-year-old in the chest, stomach and leg. He is recovering at a local hospital. The homeowner was not arrested, but a prosecutor is looking into possible charges. I'm glad that I didn't get shot for all of the pranks I pulled as a teen and young adult. I'm sure the teens needed that toilet paper when the guy came out with a shotgun. Craziness!!!

I received a great e-mail from Ed Young ministries with the devotional below. During these challenging times that we are in, it is a great reminder to look to the one who makes the impossible become possible! Then Daniel returned to his house and explained the matter to his friends Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. He urged them to plead for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that he and his friends might not be executed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. Daniel 2:17-19 King Nebuchadnezzar had a strange and troubling dream, one that he desperately wanted interpreted. The only problem was that he didn't know who he could trust to interpret it accurately. So he gathered all the wise men and counselors throughout the land. And one by one, they failed to tell the king his dream and what it would mean. Then it was Daniel's turn. As Daniel stepped up to

I rarely talk about politics and even rarer do I post about them. Until today. Most of you have probably never heard of the x-U.S. Comptroller, David Walker. Basically, he was the financial overseer or the certified public accountant for the United States under President Clinton and Bush. Mr. Walker recently came out and shared his views on the current crisis. His views are particularly interesting and non-partisan. WARNING! His perspective is not comforting, but it is at least genuine and steeped in reality. : Candidates' Fiscal Plans 'Zip' Friday, October 10, 2008 8:40 PM By: Dave Eberhart WASHINGTON — David Walker, the outspoken former U.S. comptroller general, gives failing marks to both presidential candidates so far on their proposals to drag the country out of its economic abyss. Before an intent crowd at the National Press Club, Walker, the no-nonsense one-time certified public accountant for the nation reviewed the various proposals of Sens. John McCain an

This past monday night we had the opportunity to take our kids to see the home of the local medical helicopters that service our area. Some friends of ours that work there invited us to come and take the tour. We had the chance to see how they track the copters on radar and meet one of the pilots for some show-n-tell. We learned some pretty cool facts and the kids had a blast! It's hard to believe that a new medical helicopter costs about 11 million dollars or so. Crazy! Here is a pic...

In just a few hours we launch back to 2 services!!!!!! Two services means twice the opportunity to bring people, to serve and to connect with others. I'm stoked about what is happening and what is about to happen this fall in the life of our church! If you live in the area, come on out to one of our weekend experiences at 9 a.m. or 11 a.m.! The week we start a new series that we have adapted from Life Church called, "Mind Your Own Business." I will be talking about the 2 things that lurk deep in our hearts that can bankrupt our lives and our finances and how you can defeat them! I hope to see you there!

Great devotional that I received today! It is from one of my favorite pastors, Ed Young. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ... Philippians 3:7-8 Value is defined as worth and usefulness. And in today's world, we place value on so many things—possessions, prestige, education, relationships. These are the kinds of things that we want to hold onto. And when someone, anyone, challenges them or their value in our lives, we immediately go on the defensive. We are willing to stand up and fight for them. Yet, none of these come close to the value of a personal relationship with Christ. In fact, Paul tells us in this passage that these things are actually considered a loss. Not because they are worthless, but because they can distract us from focusing on