HOPE DEALER In Amishland

Believe That You Can! I love dreaming big dreams! Life becomes dull and boring unless you're dreaming of what can be and what God can do through you! Below is a great devotional from Joel Osteen ministries that will encourage you to hold onto your dream! Keep believing and trusting because God is able! While you're waiting for those dreams to come to pass, enjoy today! Choose to seize each moment and not simply live for the future. God is the God of the past, present & future. Trust him with your past, in the present, for the future! "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives" (John 12:24, NLT) TRUST HIM WITH YOUR DREAMS! It's good to be passionate about your dreams, but did you know a dream can become an idol? If that's all you think about and you're not going to be happy unless it happens your way, that's ou

Today we had a fantastic day at Freedom Life! The whole team did a great job pulling off the biggest (non-holiday) day that we've ever had! 3 people made decisions to follow Jesus and God's presence was there in a powerful way. I shared the closing message of our series that is based on our theme for 2010, "Believe That You Can." Today's theme was, "Believe That You Can Prosper." Here are the notes below! Prosperity: the condition of being successful or thriving; especially : economic well-being; a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, esp. in financial respects; good fortune. The other Hebrew word that is commonly translated "prosperity" is salom or shalom. This word means "peace and well-being " in every sense: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. So shalom entails health, security, tranquility, success, safety, comfort, and welfare. It also signifies peaceful relationships, relationships among peopl

I read a fantastic devotional today that I wanted to pass along. The devotional is all about our attitude. The key to each of us fulfilling our God-ordained destiny is found within our attitude. It is our perspective & the way that we look at life. I challenge you to be a person of faith, hope & expectancy! Develop the attitude of an overcomer and you will overcome! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE "For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (I John 5:4, NIV) TODAY'S WORD from Joel and Victoria Are you facing some challenges or experiencing some unexpected setbacks? We all have things that come against us, but God didn't create us to be overwhelmed and overcome; He created us to be overcomers! During those times when we do face challenges, it's our attitude that is really most important. Think about it for a minute. When something isn't going your way month after month, how do you respond? A

Yesterday I shared 2 ways to know that God is leading you. Today I'd like to share 5 more, so here we go...When making decisions... 3. MAKE SURE YOUR CHURCH FAMILY (GODLY FRIENDS) CONFIRM IT? "God's intent is that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known." Eph. 3:10 "The wisdom of the righteous can save you." Pr. 11:9 (GN) 4. MAKE SURE IT’S CONSISTENT WITH HOW GOD HAS WIRED YOU. "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do." Eph. 2:10 "God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. . ." Rom. 12:6 (LB) 5. MAKE SURE TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT GOD'S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE, NOT EVERYONE ELSE'S. "We will all be judged one day, not by each other's standards, or even our own, but by the judgment of God. . . it is to God alone that we shall have to answer for our actions." Rom.14:10, 13 (Ph) This is important especi

This is my 3rd Daniel Fast in the last 3 years and I must say that it never gets easier! I still prefer dessert over salad any day of the week and I'm pretty sure that that will never change! What is changing though is me. I'm fasting for a spiritual breakthrough and believing that God to move in my life, my family & our church. Fasting also enables us to hear God clearer as we spend more time with Him and in His Word. How do you know that God is speaking to you? That's a great question isn't it? My 10 year old daughter, Mikayla, heard God speak to her this weekend. No, not in an audible James Earl Jones voice. She heard a still small voice encouraging her to raise $365 toward the missions goal of the church for this year. So I guess that begs the question, can a 10 year old really hear from God? It makes me wonder if a 35 year old (that's me) can hear from God. How do you know if God is speaking to you and how do you know if it's legit? What i

It's time to go after it this year and believe that you can accomplish the God given dreams that He has placed in your heart! Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” So many times we limit what God can do in and through our lives because we simply don’t believe! This year we’re taking the limits off. We're going to give, pray & fast as if it's our last year to suck oxygen on this earth! As you join me in fasting this coming weekend, here are a few thoughts... FASTING OPTIONS Full Fast- Drink only liquids (you establish the number of days). The Daniel Fast- Eat no meat, no sweets, and no bread. Drink water and juice. Eat fruits and vegetables. 3-Day Fast- This fast can be a Full Fast, a Daniel Fast, or a fast giving up at least one item of food. Partial Fast- A partial fast is from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm or from sun up to sundown. This fast can be a Full Fast, a Daniel Fast, or a fast giving up at least one item of fo

A few people asked me about the story that I closed with during the second service, so here it is! Great story, be encouraged & don't ever give up on the dream that God has placed on the inside of you. "Thomas Edison invented the microphone, the phonograph, the incandescent light, the storage battery, talking movies, and more than 1000 other things. December 1914 he had worked for 10 years on a storage battery. This had greatly strained his finances. This particular evening spontaneous combustion had broken out in the film room. Within minutes all the packing compounds, celluloid for records and film, and other flammable goods were in flames. Fire companies from eight surrounding towns arrived, but the heat was so intense and the water pressure so low that the attempt to douse the flames was futile. Everything was destroyed. Edison was 67. With all his assets going up in a whoosh (although the damage exceeded two million dollars, the buildings were only insured for $238,0

Today I shared with our church family some thoughts about where we've been over this past year and where we are headed in 2010. It was exciting to celebrate the stories and stats that point to God's power and His faithfulness. I also shared some of the dreams that we have as a church for this year. If you'd like to read about our upcoming 21 day fast & faith goals for 2010, you can do so by clicking here . Our theme for this year is something that God had put on my heart about 8 months ago and it is based on this statement, "Believe That You Can." The thought comes from the Biblical passage found in Philippians 4:13, which says, “I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” So many times we grow stagnant, accept mediocrity & even quit on our dreams. The truth is that we can do great things with our lives because Jesus Christ lives on the inside of us by His Holy Spirit. This year we can really believe that we can because He (God)

Tomorrow I will be launching our new series & theme for 2010 called, "Believe That You Can!" The Apostle Paul said this very powerful statement to the church in Philippi many years ago, he said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) So often we look at our difficulties and circumstances and think that there is nothing that we can do. We put our vision and dreams on the back burner and determine to live out our days merely sucking oxygen. This year I want to challenge you to believe in yourself! God made you, He created you and has called you according to His purpose. You were made in His image! You have value, you are called & you are able. This year I want to challenge you to believe that you can because HE can! God has big dreams for your life! It’s time to rise up and fulfill those dreams that He has placed within your heart for His Kingdom! Remember this, "…No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has concei