Out of the Box

Got to be at our youth groups (Sudden Impact) retreat last weekend and had a blast. We got crazy ‘dancing’ and praying with some wonderful teenagers a week ago Friday night at Little Galilee Camp outside Clinton, Illinois. Congrats to Ricky Spindler our Student Ministries pastor along with his great leadership team for a job well done! As I shared with the students at the end here’s what came to me about “Living Outside the Box (the camp theme):

Make right decisions. Life is all about making right decisions and avoiding wrong ones. There is a passage in the old Living Bible that says, “He grants the godly ones the ability to make the right choices every time.”
Being godly means to really go after God in every area of life. I shudder inside at times when I think about how close I have come a few times to making wrong decisions. Thank God for good council and friendships that has helped me over the years make right choices.
Deciding to not praise the Lord is a wrong decision. Deciding to praise the Lord is a right decision. Deciding to not obey your parents is a wrong decision. Deciding to praise the Lord is right decision.

Make right friendships. 1 Cor. 15:33 says, “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Hang around winners and you will be a winner. Hang around losers and you will be a loser. Hang around negative people and you will be negative. Hang around positive people and you will be positive.
Don’t let people run your life. You make your life count and the best way to do that is by being with the right friends. Dropping friends can be a super touch choice but it just might save your life!

Make right commitments. There is a Proverb that says, “Commit your way to the Lord and He shall bring it to pass.” Do not be afraid to make commitments because it is the only way to live the Christian life.
Making right decisions, friendship and commitments is life outside the box. It is living life to the max!

These thoughts are good for us in ministry and for my sons and daughters working in the Kingdom. May you be encouraged—I believe in you! Papa G.

Let's Talk About Grace

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:10-11 NKJV).

Thank God for His grace—because we all need it! Here are some definitions of grace I’ve run across over the years:
-James Strong: “The Divine influence upon the heart and the reflection in the life.”
-Bill Gothard: “An active force within us, giving us the desire and the power to do things God’s way.”
-Apostle Paul: “…a good work in you…” Phil. 1:6
-Noah Webster: “Unmerited Divine assistance given for man for his regeneration or sanctification.”

During a noon prayer meeting in our Café one time, I felt inspired at the end as we prepared for Communion to share some thoughts on grace. There was a lady who was just coming to use the prayer room and saw all the cars in the lot and wondered what was going on. She came in and was delighted to find a prayer meeting in progress. The word on grace was exactly what she needed to deal with some trials in her life.

This illustrates how God is always faithful to minister to us when we earnestly reach out to Him in prayer during our time of needs. I want to encourage any of you going through a difficult time to lean heavy on God’s grace. Pray the above definitions of grace for your life and what you are going through and see what God does.

Until we have real revelation of grace, the Christian life and Christian ministry will be a chore and very difficult. Of course there are burdens and difficulties but when God’s grace is at work in our lives there is a deep joy and energy that comes directly from Him! 

Dr. Charles Brown shares this simple outline on grace:
1. GRACE HAPPENS. It comes through relationship, not rules or reason. As we grow in our love for Jesus we grow in grace!

2. GRACE HAPPENS IN JESUS. Grace motivated everything He did. He was ‘grace-soaked.’ Cool, let’s all pray to be grace-soaked!


3. GRACE HAPPENS IN THE CHURCH. Wouldn’t it be great if the first thing we think about when we think about church is grace? If you haven’t read Phillip Yancey’s book What’s So Amazing About Grace? --please at least read the first chapter and the illustration about the prostitute on page 11! It seems to me evangelical and Pentecostal churches are full of truth but little grace and liberal churches are full of grace but little or no truth. The Scripture says, Jesus was full of grace and truth. That should our goal.

4. GRACE HAPPENS IN ME. If you are struggling today please allow God’s grace to work in your heart. Have you ever asked for more grace? Do it now. The NIV of 1 Peter 5:10 says ‘But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.”

Thank God for His amazing grace. He loves you more than you could ever know.

Love to my spiritual sons and daughters, Papa G.

PS Congratulations to Wayne & Kristi Northup and the whole team of Answering the Cries Ministries for the best Mardi Gras Outreach ever! And thank you so much for letting me be a part. What an incredible team of young adults at the MG this year! Best ever!

PSS After spiritual highs come the lows. Wish I would have written this blog sooner but make sure you rely on God’s grace to see you through the lows just like you relied on His grace during MG.