Have you ever been frustrated? Boy have I! I hear this a lot, "I am so frustrated." I said it the other day, and the Lord corrected me on it. He told me not to say that again! So, I started studying the subject. God was right, I will never say I'm frustrated again. According to Websters the word Frustration means "a deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfilled needs". Frustration usually includes or leads to anxiety or depression.That definition in its self should be enough to tell you frustration is bad. In the Hebrew the word to frustrate means to break up. In the Greek the word means to place horizontal and make passive or neutralize. Look at this, frustration is used by the devil to break up God's plan for you and to neutralize your faith to get it done. WOW! Don't allow yourself to become frustrated. Stay tuned for the way out of frustration...
Well I feel like I need to introduce myself, I been off line so long. Yes it has been a month since you heard from me on a blog. Today's blog will address that. I had been working extremely hard for the last year and a half without a real break, and I was about to start "smelling like smoke". This is my phrase for becoming so overwhelmed and burned out, that you are in danger of saying or doing something that could affect eternity. Here are some steps to keep yourself from "smelling like smoke" First, make sure your life is balanced. By this I mean, keep a good balance in your life between work, family, play or fun time, and rest. For me, I needed some good rest. Next, re-focus on your passion, you know the thing that drives and motivates you to push forward. Then, make sure you are giving God the opportunity to lead you and be with you. Remember the burning bush in the Old Testament, it burned but was not consumed. If God's presence is filling your life, you won't be consumed by the pressures of life. Last, keep your heart pure. By this I mean, do't let offense or hurt fill your heart. Well, more to come...
Today we hosted the Red Cross Blood Donor program and a free health clinic. We saw about 40 people. People had access to doctors,general health screenings, H1N1 vaccines, mental health info, as well as the opportunity to donate blood. Thanks to everyone who made this a success. I am proud of all our volunteers. We had several cases where people were a high health risk, and you guys gave them the care they needed. The next health clinic and blood drive at Valley Word will be in May 2010. You guys are the greatest!
The Bible tells us that times of great stress are coming. Whew! I think they are already here! But the Bible also tells us how to deal with the stress. 2Timothy 3 tells us the bible is profitable to equip us to be victorious in these times. The Word of God brings us wisdom, strength, encouragement, and peace. If we will keep the word close and working in our lives, stress can't get us down. So, "Stay in the Book"
I was listening to a minister the other day and he was talking about flying his plane. He said when they are ready to take off, at a certain speed you must get the nose of the plane up in the direction you want to go. He said if you keep the nose pointed ahead, you will never get off the ground. That is like us as leaders. We must keep our attitude positive (nose in the air) if we are ever going to fly. He also said when you point the nose down( negative attitude) you start dropping. If you don't keep the nose up, then you will eventually crash. How true! Guys, in everything you do stay positive. So, if you here me say, "Get your nose up" you'll know what you need to do.
As leaders, we need to be careful when making decisions, to make sure we have listened for direction from the Lord. The Lord knows what is in front of us and what is the best solution. Sometimes in our haste, we choose a good solution, when there is a great solution if we will listen. Make sure you have some quite time to allow Father God to speak to you about every area of your life. Just because something worked last time, doesn't mean it is supposed to be the answer this time. Remember"God's ways are higher than ours", He knows things we don't!
I am very excited about 2010. I believe it will be the beginning of a wave of God's goodness that will cause great numbers of people to come into the Kingdom. Tomorrow I will give the State of the Church address and set our course for 2010. The words I want everyone to remember this year is Connect and Empower. These two words have been the cornerstone of our vision statement for several years. This year the emphasis will be "Connect and Empower at Home". This year we need to concentrate on our on area.Come tomorrow and find out how you can "Connect".
