Confidence. Too much of this word and people think you are too cocky and you think too much of yourself. Not enough of this word and people say you lack self esteem and you need to build it up. Where is your confidence? Where is your level? Maybe you have a healthy balance, maybe you are on the down-and-out and you lack confidence, or maybe you are one of those who walks with your chest popped out and you are full of confidence. With me, it depends on what I’m doing. For example, until we started serving the Lord here in Harriman I haven’t played a musical instrument or sung in front of an audience in over ten years. But I was so excited when I had an opportunity to play drums one morning during worship. Oh sure, I was rusty, but it felt great! I was kind of embarrassed after the services because people would compliment my playing. I thought to myself, “Did you hear all my screw-ups? Couldn’t you tell I was rusty?” In fact, I even made some comments to them about it and they said they couldn’t tell that I messed up. At the time, I lacked confidence. Since we have been here for several months now I have gotten to play many times and I can tell that my playing has improved. I even look at the crowd when I play. I guess you can say I have more confidence in my ability to play! This week I took another step and played the bass guitar. This instrument doesn’t come as natural as playing drums so I really have to work at it. I love to play, especially for the Lord. I feel like David did when he was playing his instruments and dancing before the Lord. I still haven’t reached a level of confidence to where I can sing in front of a crowd yet, but Lord willing, I’ll get there. Think about some people in scripture that lacked confidence when they were asked to do something for God. Moses…Moses had no confidence in himself or his abilities. That’s why he came up with so many excuses, yet when he finally obeyed, his confidence grew and he became an awesome leader of God’s people. What about Gideon? God called him a mighty warrior! He was from a poor family and he was the least of his family. In fact, when the angel came to him he was hiding in the barn threshing wheat! Yet we see Gideon take on the challenge that God gave him and he defeats a whole army, not with an army of thousands, but three hundred. And their weapons were water pots! Look at Saul, when God chose him to be Israel’s first king, he hid! And yet he came to be a powerful king. And the list goes on and on. If you lack confidence to do something, study these examples, plus others in the Bible, and pray to the Lord to give you the confidence you need to do His Will. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
The KNEXN: Connecting Man to Man and Man to God
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Confidence. Too much of this word and people think you are too cocky and you think too much of yourself. Not enough of this word and people say you lack self esteem and you need to build it up. Where is your confidence? Where is your level? Maybe you have a healthy balance, maybe you are on the down-and-out and you lack confidence, or maybe you are one of those who walks with your chest popped out and you are full of confidence. With me, it depends on what I’m doing. For example, until we started serving the Lord here in Harriman I haven’t played a musical instrument or sung in front of an audience in over ten years. But I was so excited when I had an opportunity to play drums one morning during worship. Oh sure, I was rusty, but it felt great! I was kind of embarrassed after the services because people would compliment my playing. I thought to myself, “Did you hear all my screw-ups? Couldn’t you tell I was rusty?” In fact, I even made some comments to them about it and they said they couldn’t tell that I messed up. At the time, I lacked confidence. Since we have been here for several months now I have gotten to play many times and I can tell that my playing has improved. I even look at the crowd when I play. I guess you can say I have more confidence in my ability to play! This week I took another step and played the bass guitar. This instrument doesn’t come as natural as playing drums so I really have to work at it. I love to play, especially for the Lord. I feel like David did when he was playing his instruments and dancing before the Lord. I still haven’t reached a level of confidence to where I can sing in front of a crowd yet, but Lord willing, I’ll get there. Think about some people in scripture that lacked confidence when they were asked to do something for God. Moses…Moses had no confidence in himself or his abilities. That’s why he came up with so many excuses, yet when he finally obeyed, his confidence grew and he became an awesome leader of God’s people. What about Gideon? God called him a mighty warrior! He was from a poor family and he was the least of his family. In fact, when the angel came to him he was hiding in the barn threshing wheat! Yet we see Gideon take on the challenge that God gave him and he defeats a whole army, not with an army of thousands, but three hundred. And their weapons were water pots! Look at Saul, when God chose him to be Israel’s first king, he hid! And yet he came to be a powerful king. And the list goes on and on. If you lack confidence to do something, study these examples, plus others in the Bible, and pray to the Lord to give you the confidence you need to do His Will. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
stand
Wow! I didn’t realize how long it has been since I have written in my blog and thanks to my father in law for pointing that out to me :’) Let me give everybody a quick update: we are doing o.k. we, along with countless Americans, are struggling financially due to making two house payments. Please pray for our house in West Tennessee to sell. That thing is killing us! We have dropped the price again and will take a major hit when we sell it. Speaking of taking a major hit… 
We have been at our new church as youth ministers for about 3 months now. It’s been a rough road. On our very first outing as a youth group, we decided to camping. Unfortunately we had a girl sneak some alcohol into her tent and another girl drank some of it…too much of it actually. She passed out and was puking on herself. Obviously this created a lot of havoc and without going into detail, it caused friction in the youth group and with an elder and his family. If you read any of my previous blogs you would know that we have had trouble with churches in the past. My wife and I have been treated like dogs by some of the churches we have been associated with. This was something we REALLY did not need at this time. We are still feeling the effects of this camping trip and we are dealing with them the best we can. My wife made a comment to me the other day that really opened my eyes to something. She said, “It’s amazing how hard the devil comes after you when you are doing God’s Will.” And she’s right and I have said that statement many times in the past but for some reason I had forgotten that. Maybe it was discouragement, or maybe I was having a pity party and wanting to be petted. But that statement kind of gave me a second wind and has made me dig in my heels and start pushing forward again. Things could be worse, a lot worse actually. We have so many blessings that we lose sight of when hard times come and it’s so easy to lose our focus. If you are having hard times and facing troubled waters ahead, take a look at these verses and remember to keep your eyes on Jesus! Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Also read Psalm 42 and 43
We have been at our new church as youth ministers for about 3 months now. It’s been a rough road. On our very first outing as a youth group, we decided to camping. Unfortunately we had a girl sneak some alcohol into her tent and another girl drank some of it…too much of it actually. She passed out and was puking on herself. Obviously this created a lot of havoc and without going into detail, it caused friction in the youth group and with an elder and his family. If you read any of my previous blogs you would know that we have had trouble with churches in the past. My wife and I have been treated like dogs by some of the churches we have been associated with. This was something we REALLY did not need at this time. We are still feeling the effects of this camping trip and we are dealing with them the best we can. My wife made a comment to me the other day that really opened my eyes to something. She said, “It’s amazing how hard the devil comes after you when you are doing God’s Will.” And she’s right and I have said that statement many times in the past but for some reason I had forgotten that. Maybe it was discouragement, or maybe I was having a pity party and wanting to be petted. But that statement kind of gave me a second wind and has made me dig in my heels and start pushing forward again. Things could be worse, a lot worse actually. We have so many blessings that we lose sight of when hard times come and it’s so easy to lose our focus. If you are having hard times and facing troubled waters ahead, take a look at these verses and remember to keep your eyes on Jesus! Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Ephesians 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
Also read Psalm 42 and 43
Saturday, July 26, 2008
fitting in
My six year old son asked me and his mother to watch The Incredibles move with him this morning. We have a ton of things to do today but I thought, “what the heck…they can wait,” so I popped the movie in and we watched it together. As I started watching the story line caught my attention right off the bat. These superheroes that each had their own unique trait or superpower were forced by society to “fit in”. So the movie is about this family with these unique characteristics trying to live a normal life like everybody else and the struggles the dad has with it. As I watched the movie I thought about how our society does this to us as Christians. We are unique. We have superpower inside of us—the Holy Spirit. He works through each of us in different ways. He takes our strengths and our talents which make us unique and He uses them to bring glory to God. And on a daily basis we have the outside world trying to beat us up and demand that we hide our identity, who we really are. We are like superheroes taking on the villains—Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.At the end of the movie the Incredibles are forced to come back as superheroes and society is happy to see them again because they had to defeat a evil robot that was destroying the city! The Incredibles are excited about being able to be who they really are without having to hide their identity anymore. Let me encourage you to be who you really are…a child of God filled with His Holy Spirit. Romans 8:14-16 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God… Do not allow society to beat you down, discourage, or keep you from being who you are...Christians, a child of God, filled with His Holy Spirit!
Friday, July 25, 2008
very tired
What a week! We decided to rent a U-haul Tuesday and move all of our stuff to Rockwood. Whew! We stayed up past midnight loading and got up again the next day at 6am to continue the work. After we got the truck loaded, the car loaded, and a 6 x 12 trailer loaded, we had to clean the house. We finally got on the road around 6:30pm. One thing about traveling from West Tennessee to East Tennessee is that you lose an hour because of the time zone. So actually, we got on the road at 7:30pm. Did you know U-haul’s can only go about 35-55 mph up a hill when it’s fully loaded? It all depends on the grade of the hill but there is definitely no getting in a hurry! There’s no worry about speeding tickets for sure. We arrived at our destination around 3am. We still had to get up the next day and unload all of this stuff. And we did. God blessed us with a storage place not far from the house we are buying. So at midnight we got everything done and headed for the place we will be staying at until our house closes. Thanks James and Angie! Thanks also to Kevin and Lefty for helping us unload our life belongings! We are excited about our new work. We are excited for the things God will do for this community through us. But for today, if at all possible, I just want to take a break and relax. Is that possible? I need some rest… Randy
I can do (endure) all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
I can do (endure) all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13
Friday, July 11, 2008
yard sales
I am setting on my front porch at 6:30 in the morning having a yard sale. I've been out here since 5:30 and we have actually had one customer. We did OK yesterday making about $25 but today is going to be even better. Why do people have yard sales? Think about it. Is it to make some money? Of course...it is better to make a little money off your stuff instead of tossing it all away or donating it. After all, you may bring joy to someone! You know what they say, "Another man's junk is another man's treasure!" Here is my idea of a yard sale. A yard sale is a turning away from the past and looking toward the future. Let me explain. I was moving some shoes that my boys used to wear when they were toddlers. They are now nine and six and can no longer wear them. It brought back some old memories of them being that little. That is in the past. Now we are selling the past to buy some things for the future such as a new PS2 game or a new soccer ball.It reminds me of the passage in Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Paul is speaking to the church at Phillipi and he is reminded of his past, of what he used to be. He has an awesome resume...except that persecuting Christians thing. He says that all of his accomplishments were trash compared to knowing Jesus and striving to be like Him. Paul says that he wants to know Jesus better, to know His power and then he says the above passage. I have done a lot of good and bad things in my past. I have made some good and bad decisions. I believe we can all say that. But today, this yard sale is more than making money, it's about turning from the past and looking to a bright, wonderful future serving my Lord and Savior in a place where I wanted to be since I was a kid-East Tennessee. As the old song goes, "I don't know about tomorrow...but I know who holds tomorrow and who holds my hand." Randy
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Moving...
Let the fun begin! Last Wednesday we loaded up the family and traveled to East TN where we begin our new work as Youth Ministers at First Christian Church in Harriman. We have been staying in a hotel for nearly a week...did I mention we have 3 children? Talk about fun! We looked at over 30 houses while there and made an offer on one. Please pray that we get this house. It's a foreclosure and we would be getting a great deal and rent would be too expensive for us right now. And also pray for our house to sell here in Union City. We have seriously sought God out on this move. We have had several churches that offered more money, one even had a free home to live in, for us to work with but we didn't have peace about those churches. From the time Kim and I dated our hearts have always been in East Tn. Our blessing has arrived and it's time to go. Lord willing, we will put our roots down here. We are excited about the work and anxious to get started. I don't mean to sound selfish today but please pray for us as we make this move. We are packing, selling a house, buying a house, and starting a new job. As I said at the beginning..."Let the fun begin!"Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.
Psalm 118:14 The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wow. It's been a long time since I have published a blog. Since losing my job at Exchange Street I haven't really been "inspired" to write. The last blog I actually wrote was in April and it's now June 25. My house still hasn't sold and I am waiting for a church. My last paycheck came two weeks ago so things are getting scary. I turned on the radio yesterday and David Jeremiah was talking about Gideon and how even though he was visited by an angel Gideon still questioned God by putting out some fleece at night. I feel like Gideon right now. We say we want to trust God and put our lives in His hands but when we are really faced with the situation where we absolutely have to trust Him and put ourselves to the side, IT'S HARD! Gideon wasn't a warrior...he was more of a wimp. He was least in his father's house and he was very poor. He was hiding out when the angel came to him. Yet God saw something in Gideon that maybe even Gideon didn't see and he was chosen by God to lead the Israelites to victory over the Midianites. Gideon's army started out with 32,000 men, yet by the time God dwindled it down, there were only 300 men. These three hundred men defeated a huge army with water pots! Talking about trusting God! I don't know what you are facing today...what struggles you have...but trust God. Hold to His hand and He will see you through. You will have the victory even if you are surrounded by your enemy and outnumbered 100 to 1. God will come through. I encourage you to read the story of Gideon in Judges 6 and 7. I feel like Gideon this morning, a wimp, but I know with God by my side I AM A WARRIOR! God bless you today friend.
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