A Crash of Rhinos!

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For those of you who know me – this is one of my favorite topics and this is for the GMM guys who know me really well. One of the books that had a big impact on my spiritual walk was “The Barbarian Way” by Erwin McManus. I was at one of those seasons of life that I thought I would retire from Christian ministries – I has done my part and it was time for the young ones to carry on. This book changed my direction and I find out that retirement from my Christian ministries was not an option.

But my favorite of all is the group designation for Rhinos. You see, rhinos can run thirty miles an hour, which is pretty fast when you consider how much weight they’re pulling. They’re actually faster than squirrels, which can run up to twenty-six miles an hour. And even then who’s going to live in dread of a charging squirrel! (Sorry—that was a bit off the point.) Running at thirty miles an hour is faster than a used Pinto will go. Just one problem with this phenomenon. Rhinos can see only thirty feet in front of them. Can you imagine something that large moving in concert as a group, plowing ahead at thirty miles an hour with no idea what’s at thirty-one feet? You would think that they would be far too timid to pick up full steam, that their inability to see far enough ahead would paralyze them to immobility. But with that horn pointing the way, rhinos run forward full steam ahead without apprehension, which leads us to their name.

Rhinos moving together at full speed are known as a crash. Even when they’re just hanging around enjoying the watershed, they’re called a crash because of their potential. You’ve got to love that. I think that’s what we’re supposed to be. That’s what happens when we become barbarians and shake free of domestication and civility. The church becomes a crash. We become an unstoppable force. We don’t have to pretend we know the future. Who cares that we can see only thirty feet ahead? Whatever’s at thirty-one feet needs to care that we’re coming and better get out of the way.

We need to move together as God’s people, a barbarian tribe, and become the human version of the rhino crash. The future is uncertain, but we need to move toward it with confidence. There’s a future to be created, a humanity to be liberated. We need to stop wasting our time and stop being afraid of what we cannot see and do not know.

I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

I attended a couple of Christian meetings this week and whether it be with a group of pastors or a group lay people the Rhino message keeps coming to the forefront for me.   I am excited to see Christians engaging in what is around them and making a difference in what they see.
One of the pastors this morning said that he will be praying about Unity for our Nation tomorrow at the “Day of Prayer” event but his concern was how to pray for a nation that is so divided. Prayer is our major tool for engaging with the enemy that is out there at about 31 feet and they must beware of what is coming when Christians are united.  This is going to be a powerful event to see a united front in Prayer.  I do have to tell you that this pastor qualifies as a Rhino, he will be bringing a message of Unity – Hope – Engaging – and Confidence.   AMEN

So are you part of “A Crash of Rhinos”?

Are you going full steam ahead with no worries?

Are you moving toward the future with confidence?

We are an unstoppable force when we Unite!

Bobbyg
PS: I would still like to have a GMM Conference with the theme of “A Crash of Rhinos”. So if you think that would make a great theme also – please email the GMM Board at:   gmmgodsmightymen@yahoo.com   Thank You….
 

There is a Spiritual Battle around me – What do I do?

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Several years ago I wrote a 3 part series on The Spiritual Battle and I believe that it is real and active today. The enemy will attack me in many ways: Me Personally – My Family – My City – My country.
 
Pastor Shaun’s sermon this week was about two of the believers that were walking down the road after Jesus had been crucified and there was an empty tomb. I have to believe that they were feeling The Spiritual Battle all around them and where asking themselves “What do I do?” My study Bible has a great explanation about these two disciples as they were walking and then Jesus joined them.

“The two disciples returning to Emmaus at first missed the significance of history’s greatest event because they were too focused on their disappointments and problems. In fact, they didn’t recognize Jesus when he was walking beside them. To compound the problem, they were walking in the wrong direction – away from the fellowship of believers in Jerusalem. We are likely to miss Jesus and withdraw from the strength found in other believers when we become preoccupied with our dashed hopes and frustrated plans. Only when we are looking for Jesus in our midst will we experience the power and help he can bring.

           I would have to say that I am like these two disciples at times when I feel The Spiritual Battle is all around me and like them I become confused. “What do I do?” When I am in the Midst of The Battle there are several things that I can do.

  1. Recognize that Jesus is walking beside me at all times and that he will give me the power to overcome the enemy.
  2. After I have done this – I need to start walking in the right direction :).
  3. Prayer is a must.
  4. This is one of my special prayer items.   I like to pray for the Angels to come down and protect me and my family. One of Frank Peretti’s books talks about the Angels are just waiting for me to call upon them – so I do.
  5. Then I must go into Battle with other Christians beside me. I like the visual from the book “The Barbarian Way” by Erwin McManus when he describes a group of Christians going forward like a Crash of Rhinos. The enemy that is out in front us must beware what is coming.

 
I believe that The Spiritual Battle is going on strong today….   So my questions to you is:

What do you do in the midst of your Spiritual Battle?

Do you recognize Jesus is there to HELP?

Remember the Battle is REAL!

 
Bobbyg

Have you considered my Servant _____ _____???

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     I was wondering what it would be like if Satan was before God and was asking permission to test Bobbyg…   Hmmmmmm –

Here are a couple of verses about Satan doing just that:

  1. Job 1:6-8 > One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

2.Luke 22:31-32 > “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
I suppose this would be considered an honor if Satan were to go before God asking for permission to test me and I would hope that my Faith would not fail.                        But it is a great question to ask of yourself: “Have you considered my Servant (Your Name)???” how would you respond.
 
I had breakfast with a very good Pastor friend of mine (Jason K.) and he is the best person I have to give me a positive fix. He left me with a verse to meditate on and it has brought me back to the question above.
 
Isaiah 66:1 > This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
 
If I am the Footstool of God and he has trust in me – then I should be excited to be His Helper.   Being connected to God is all I need to face the enemy and I cannot be touched or defeated…   I do want to be God’s Footstool. So this helps me in answering the question “: “Have you considered my Servant Bobbyg???” but I do know that I have to be in prayer all the time to be obedient and successful if I am picked.
 

So how are you going to get ready if you are picked?

Is your Faith strong enough to be successful and obedient?

Be honored if you have been chosen?

 
Bobbyg

Are you walking beside Jesus?

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     I have been doing a Bible study on the book “Life with a capital L” from Matt Heard (GMM Speaker of 2016) and the 9th chapter was about Illumination.  This is about how the Bible is our light and through it we can experience LIFE.   One of the quotes in Chapter 9 is:

“The power of the Bible is that it leads me not to all the answers but into a relationship with the resurrected Christ who promises to walk with me in whatever difficult and dark terrain I might encounter.”

     So this has me looking at the Bible in a new way.   So now when I read the scripture or hear it being read – I want to try and imagine that I am there.   So today when Pastor Shaun was reading from Luke 22 there was a section of the scripture that I did this with.  

 Luke 22: 8 > 13   Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.” “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.  He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’  He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.” They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

     So now my thoughts went to:   What if I am walking with Jesus as the disciples were and he instructed me to do this – “would I go”?  I would hope that I would do just as the disciples did. 
 
          I have to believe that we can experience the same today as did the Disciples who were walking with Jesus.   Jesus may not be talking directly to us, but He does instruct us in different ways – I just have to be alert to those callings.   Then the question comes:  “When I know what Jesus is asking of me, am I being obedient to His calling?”   I have learned that I need to trust and have faith that He will do the same for me as he did with His disciples. 
 

So what is Jesus asking you to do?

Can you visualize Him right next to you?

Are you being Obedient and Trusting in HIM?

Bobbyg

Raptured or Left Behind?

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     This last Sunday was one of those days where my wife and I got up late so we decided to watch our Church on TV via a Live Podcast.   Pastor Shaun has been going through the book of Luke and was finishing Chapter 22.   During his sermon he talked about the different views on the last days and when Christ will return.   There are several beliefs on what that looks like, but I do like Pastor Shaun’s version that has Christians being raptured.   **That is the way I want to go…..
 
          The scripture that I enjoyed was one that was meant for a special period in the end of times but should be one that we need to live by today.  It talks about living in such a way that we should be ready for Christ to return as if He were coming today. 

Luke 22: 34>36

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

          I know that for me to live this way, I must be aware of how I am presenting myself and be careful not to get caught up in all the little things that will distract me.  As the verse says “Be Careful or our hearts will be weighed down”………..   I am one that can be distracted really easy and the next thing I know: my whole focus is on something that really does not matter.  Recently for me it has been such things as:

  1. An Insurance claim that I am working on.
  2. Finishing up some details about my Dad.
  3. Helping those around me.
  4. What am I going to write about.

When these little things start to consume my thoughts – it really takes me away from my Relationship with Jesus.   These items have to be taken care of, but I have to be careful that they do not weigh me down.   It takes practice…
 
          Now back to my title of this Blog:  “Raptured or Left Behind” – as the sermon of the live Podcast was ending it went black… My wife and I looked at each other and said:  “Did Pastor Shaun just get raptured and we were left behind?”  We laughed a little, but it was a serious moment also about if Christ were to come today – would I be ready?  As the verse says we must be always on watch and praying so that we may be able to stand before Jesus.
 
So my question to you is:

If Jesus were to come today would you be raptured or left behind?

Are you living in such a way that you are ready?

Read the passage above once more….

 
Bobbyg

Unity!

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         I attended several meetings last week where Christians came together for different reasons (Prayer – Meetings – Making Christian Values Known).   I was really encouraged at a couple of the meetings to see Pastors come together to Pray or to see Christians coming together to help spread the Values that we have.   Then at a couple of the other meetings it discouraged me to see the lack of participation because of difference between denominations or people do not want to take the time out to meet with others in unity. 
          Unity is extremely important for The Church and we must come together to fight the Battle that is before us.   Pastor Jay is heading up a program for Cheyenne to be praying for the City every day and one of the prayer items for February is Unity:
 (Unity – Pray for unity for the Church in Cheyenne based on the establishment of the government of Heaven in our City and the submission of the Church to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head.)

 John 17:20 > 24 – “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one:  I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

 As the scripture points out it is extremely important that people see the believers as one and united.   If we are not united then what do people see?    Pastor Jay does not have all the days filled yet and is looking for Churches/Organizations to pick a day of the month to Pray (This is just 12 days a year that you pray for the city).  If you are interested please send an email to gmmgodsmightymen@yahoo.com and we will get you in touch with Pastor Jay.
 
     When we started GMM (God’s Mighty Men) we knew that a Unity Vision had to be part of what we were going to do.   One of the biggest challenges was to bring men together from different denominations to worship together.   Here is the GMM Vision Statement:

With the Encouragement and the power of that the Holy Spirit gives, God, Mighty Men will stand and band together to win souls for Christ, while at the same time fortifying their town and church’s from Satan’s attack.

          We have been coming together for several years now and it is a powerful thing to see all the men from different churches at the Conference for one cause. 
 
So my question to you is:   Are you Uniting with other Christians and breaking down the walls of Division to fight the Battle that is before us?
 Bobbyg

Legacy!

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         legacy word in metal type       My dad passed away on January 29th so the last couple of weeks has been a little scrambled with all the details, so I have not written a blog for a few weeks.  My dad’s funeral has inspired me to write about “Legacy” and what it means to be “Living a Legacy”.   We had several people (sons – adopted son – grandson – granddaughter and brother) speak at his service and each one had a message about how dad had impacted their lives.   From the passing on his faith, to fishing expertise, to friendship, to just having fun.  I was overwhelmed at the impact my dad had in his everyday life with anyone who was around him. 
          One of the comments that we put on his obituary was “Gene did not know a stranger, everyone he met was a friend”.  Since my dad was a USPS city carrier he came into contact with allot of people and he also had a church family that knew him well.    So Dad was one to get to know allot of people in many different ways and enjoyed just visiting with them.
          So my dad had a Legacy that he left behind.
 
          I was in Spearfish a couple of weeks ago, so I attended a church there and a scripture that was shared inspired me to think about Legacy: 
          Colossians 1:9-10: > For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.
          The caption I wrote from this was:   “Man’s search for Meaning” – and it reminded me of the next GMM Theme that is coming up “Living the Legacy” (this is a rough draft of the theme but it is a work in progress). 
But as it was with my Dad – my questions to myself when I die are:

  1.  Will people have prayed for me?
  2. Will I continually be asking God to fill me with Knowledge?
  3. Will the Spirit be working through me?
  4. Will I bear a life worthy of the Lord?
  5. Will I bear good Fruit?
  6. Will I be leaving a Legacy that has impacted those that I have come in contact with?

Great questions and as I look back on my life and go forward – I want to make sure that I am Living the Legacy that I will be leaving.
 So for you – look at the questions that I have written see what legacy you are living.
 Bobbyg

BATTLE READY

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I had this whole Blog ready to write about – it was going to be about what has been in my heart from a couple of books I have been reading…  One book is a fictional book about COIL – a group of special OPS Christians fighting for Christians who are being persecuted.  They go into the world of danger with their faith in God getting them through all the trials they are going to encounter (I wish I had their faith and relationship with Christ).   The other Book is “Life with a Capital L” from Matt Heard….. And is a great read on what Life is truly about.  
         
        My friend Nick texted me today (Sunday) about Erwin McManus – he is one of the Authors that has impacted me the most on where I am today.   Erwin’s Sermon today at his church “Mosaic in Los Angeles” was on “Battle Ready” and it was one of the most Powerful Messages I have heard from Erwin.   During his sermon he announced that he has Cancer and this will be his last sermon for a little while since he is going into surgery on Tuesday.  
          I knew 2017 was going to be a year for Christians to step up and be bold about their faith – this message was just about that.   I am heartbroken about Erwin’s sickness but at the same time I am extremely encouraged about the message he gave today…   it has me fired up for what has been in my heart for 2017.
        
  I am not going to write much more about this – but I want you to listen to his message………   it will change your life…
 Message by Erwin McManus “Battle Ready”   enjoy and be encouraged and ready to engage. (Please click on the button)  [button link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx-8vmcUVBA” newwindow=”yes”] about 30 minutes into the YouTube is when his message starts but it is all good… 
Bobbyg
 
PS – his new book “The Last Arrow” I cannot wait for it to come out.   [button link=”https://www.amazon.com/Last-Arrow-Save-Nothing-Next/dp/1601429533″ newwindow=”yes”]

“What am I going to be asked to do?”

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      I know that this year (2017) is going to be a new season in my life and God is going to be asking me to do more…   I am looking forward to an exciting year of challenges and an adventure with my wife.   But the big Question is:  “What am I going to be asked to do?”
          Pastor Shaun shared a verse yesterday that had me thinking about this question:

Luke 19:28-31.  After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.   As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them,   “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.  If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

     I had to think about Jesus request and if He asked me to do the same thing today:  “Would I go and get the colt?”    It probably would not be to go and get a colt but it could be.   But in Matthew:  the great commission is a request similar to the one that he gave the disciples.  (Preparing for Jesus coming). 

Matthew 28:18-20.  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 
          So Jesus has given me an instruction and I am to be obedient to what he has asked me to do.   I just finished a Men’s Study with Pastor Jason and at the end of each study we would stand up and make this Oath (The Great Commission).   In doing this it is extremely important that I am obedient to the Oath that I have made.   I can see Jesus opening up doors for me do keep my promise and I must be attentive to those opportunities when they come and not fail. 

It is going to be an exciting year.

 
So what does your 2017 look like?

Have you been asked by Jesus to something?

Are you looking for opportunities to be obedient to His Calling?

Make 2017 a great year of fulfilling His call!

 
Bobbyg
 
         

Perhaps Today!

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     I was thinking about what 2017 is going to look like for Christians…    and I believe it is going to be a year that Christians need to speak out.  Franklin Graham traveled to every state in the USA this year because he knew that it was extremely important for Christians to ENGAGE.   The enemy is strong and as my friend Chaplain BK said…   the opposition is organized, energized, and persistent in making sure that their view is: “The Main View that is present today”.    I have to tell you that it is not a view that I am going to like. 
 
 My wife shared her insight on what 2017 should look like for us and it came from a couple of books.  

  1. Tim Lahaye’s (Daily devotional):  “Perhaps Today”  “”Living every day in the light of Christ’s return”
  2. Max Lucado’s (Because of Bethlehem): “If you knew Jesus was coming tomorrow, what would you do today?  Then do it!  Live in such a way that you would not have to change your plans.”

      I am in agreement with her wisdom:   We need to be living as if Christ is coming tomorrow and we need to start speaking out.   Our Christian views should be “The Main View that is present today” and we need to not sit back and be quiet.  As Franklin Graham stated we need to start being engaged to get the Good News of Jesus Christ out as the main topic. 
 
So how does “Perhaps Today” look like for me personally? 

  1. Do I need to make Changes in my Daily Life?
  2. Do those around me see Jesus in Me?
  3. Do I need to speak out more on issues that I know are not Biblical?
  4. Do I need to be bolder in sharing Jesus with those around me?

I have several more questions for myself, but I can already see that I am still in need of being molded and transformed.   I cannot wait until 2017 comes in a few days from now, but I need to do as Max Lucado said:   “Then do it!    Starting today!!!!!
 

So as 2017 approaches for you – what are your questions to yourself about “Perhaps Today” do they look mine?

Remember what ever you come up with “Then do it!

 
Bobbyg