This week at church one of the Worship Songs was We Believe from the Newsboys:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVo2nEF_qag  Lyrics below…    As it was playing – I was thinking about when GMM started and we needed to have a Statement of Faith that we could all stand upon.  We came up with 5 principles that we believed to be a must if we were going to stand as one in unity in what our foundation should be.    This song makes some great points on what we should see as a foundation of beliefs as we stand for Christ Jesus.
When you listen to the Story behind the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV2jehiI0Ok  it was inspired by a Great Man by the name of Billy Graham who was a Rock for Christianity.
Please read the lyrics below and enjoy listening to the song…

“We Believe”

In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only One Foundation
We believe, We believe
In this broken generation
When all is dark, You help us see
There is only One Salvation
We believe, We believe

Chorus:

So, let our faith be more than anthems
Greater than the songs we sing
And in our weakness and temptations
We believe, We believe!

Chorus:

Let the lost be found and the dead be raised!
In the here and now, let love invade!
Let the church live love our God will see
We believe, We believe!
And the gates of hell will not prevail!
For the power of God, has torn the vail!
Now we know Your love will never fail!
We believe, We believe!

We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He’s comin’ back,
He’s comin’ back again!
He’s comin’ back again!
We believe!
We believe

I am truly inspired by the words “We Believe”   as a Christian we should be known for what that is…  If Christ is truly shining and working through us – those around us will know what it is that we believe in.    I have been working on being more courageous in my walk and as another song would state – being a little reckless.  The words of being “Politically Correct” can often hold us back on what we are really supposed to be doing in the name of Jesus Christ.   If you have not read my Blog on “Radical Truth and Grace” – please go back and read it.    Christ is our prime example of what it means to………

“WE BELIEVE”

 
Bobbyg

I have had the following scripture on my mind lately and I have to tell you it has been extremely hard to grasp at the present time:
James 1:2-4:  Trials and Temptations
2. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3. because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
I have set down with a couple of friends who are going through some tough times in different ways and asked them.   “How do you see Joy in what you are going through?”   Here was an awesome response from one of them:  “I can go to bed with tears – but in the morning comes Joy once more.”   His perspective of getting up in the morning and starting it with Joy – what does that look like…   For each of us it will be something different – but we must find out what it is and start each morning that way.   I have to let you know that I recently had coffee with him – and there is this passion that I have seen in him from that past –   and it is back again.
The other friend I sat down with and asked him the same question came up with an Awesome answer also.   The Joy we search for in a worldly sense is not the Joy we should be looking for.   We must be looking for the Joy that only comes from Jesus Christ and the eternal life we will spend with him someday.   He is correct – during those tuff times we should be looking at Christ and then we can look at the verse above and see if we are really experiencing what was meant for us for good.
One of my daily devotions that I have on my computer at work has helped me through some of those tough times that I have been experiencing.
“I AM able to do far beyond all that you ask or imagine.  Come to Me with a positive expectations, knowing that there is no limit to what I can accomplish.  Ask My Spirit to control your mind, so that you can think great thoughts of Me.  Do not be discouraged by the fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered.  Time is a trainer, teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark.  The more extreme your circumstances, the more likely you are to see My Power and Glory at work in the situation.  Instead of letting difficulties draw you into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious intervention.  Keep your eyes and your mind wide open to all that I am doing in your life.”

 So please re-read the scripture above and remember what is meant for you to experience and why as you go through those tough times.

Bobbyg                   Leigh and Brandon – thanks for the wisdom you shared with me.
 

Matthew West is coming to town again on April 25^th – https://www.facebook.com/events/748643355154590/   on his Acoustic Tour and if you have read some of my blogs – you will know that my wife and I have really enjoyed his song “Do Something” since we heard it last October.  Shawn has been preaching from Matthew this year and the last couple of weeks has tweaked my thoughts on what does it mean to “Do Something”.    Well in the following scripture – it may be just being aware of the people around you and meeting their needs.
Matthew 25:34-40    ³⁴ “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, my Father has blessed you! Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me into your home. ³⁶ I needed clothes, and you gave me something to wear. I was sick, and you took care of me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
³⁷ “Then the people who have God’s approval will reply to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or see you thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you as a stranger and take you into our homes or see you in need of clothes and give you something to wear? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The king will answer them, ‘I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you did for one of my brothers or sisters, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you did for me.’
 
But now in Chapter 26^th – it changes just a little and that we must not forget to worship Jesus– he must be our #1 priority as to why we serve.
 Matthew 26:6-13
⁶ While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, ⁷ a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table.
⁸ When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. ⁹ “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.”
¹⁰ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ¹¹ The poor you will always have with you,^[a] but you will not always have me. ¹² When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. ¹³ Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
***Lessons of Mary’s Life:  *The busyness of serving God can become a barrier to knowing him personally                       **Small acts of obedience and service have widespread affects.
 
This last part of Lessons of Mary’s life that I got from my study Bible really kind of hit the spot for me….   We must be going forward in the act of “Doing Something” it is part of the obedience that Christ requires from us and we must be aware of the people around us in helping them with their needs.   But at the same time we need to be extremely careful that we do not get so caught up in serving others that we forget the most important part of “Doing Something”.  Our relationship with Jesus is our #1 priority and we must be continually working on getting to know him in a much deeper way.

 So as I go forward this week – my prayer will be that I do not forget to make Jesus my #1 Priority – And at the same time as the song says – I must “Do Something”.

**Remember they must see Jesus in us as he is working through us…

 Bobbyg
 
 

A note from Jim Schamerhorn from his Daily devotion:
More from “Day Spring”  devotional ——- good stuff!
Amazing RADICAL Grace
 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He continues to love us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
 For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:4-10
 God Bless Brother,
 Jim Schamerhorn
 

A Great piece from Jim about Easter and its real meaning…..
When a pilot prepares for a flight he preforms the various checks to ensure a success. In preparation for a run athletes often go through stretching exercises. For centuries Christians have prepared to observe Easter with a time of fasting or Lent.
 As Christians we know what it looks like to prepare for Christmas. We have all the familiar symbols, the tree, the lights, the wreath – – the GIFTS!
The gifts at this time represent the gifts given to Christ at his birth.
 At Easter there are few deeply meaningful symbols with which to celebrate.
Easter is different – Easter is when we celebrate the day Jesus rose from the dead to give the “GIFT” of eternal life to each of us who believe.
 I would ask in the coming weeks that in preparation for Easter, the “GMM Board” we take time to truly focus on Jesus, recognize his presence in our lives, observe the cross and appreciate his amazing “GIFT”.
 For – – “In His great mercy He has given us new birth unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3”
 God Bless,
 Jim Schamerhorn

Shaun’s sermon this week was about Talents coming from Matthew – and if you have followed my blogs – you know that I am always talking about how are you going forward and we need to do something.     Well with the Sermon about Talents (5 or 2 or 1) it talks about each of the servant are given different amounts – and I believe that to be true for us.   We are given certain amounts of Talents depending on what God Believes that we can handle or expand on.    Read Below

Matthew:  25: 14>30 – The Parable of the Bags of Gold

¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, ^[a] each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
²¹ “His master replied, ‘well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
²³ “His master replied, ‘well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
²⁶ “His master replied, ‘you wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
²⁸ “‘so take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
    As you can see by this parable – God has given certain amounts of Talents/Gifts to each servant and they are expected to use them wisely – they are also required to expand with them or do something.   I was trying to figure out what Talents/Gifts God has given me and the big question is what are they and was I using them.  I think of Talents as Gifts that God has given us – it may be different – but that is how I am reading it at the moment.
So when I did an evaluation of myself – I did not come up with many – but I could see where I might not be using the one or two I have to the best of my abilities.  Now that is scary when you read what happened to the guy with the one talent and he just buried it.   I would have to say that most of us have not buried our talent – but we may not be like the other two servants who have doubled what they have been given.

So as I finish my week out – I really want to focus on what has been given to me and see how I can double my efforts in utilizing my Gifts.  I would challenge each of you to do the same….  did you notice that each servant that expanded on his Talents/Gifts — God’s response was ” ‘well done, good and faithful servant!”  That is what I am hoping to hear some day about me…. what a treasure to receive.

Faithful verses Courage – they must go together – then we will receive the full reward….

 

Bobbyg
 

Church this morning peaked a passion in me to present the 5 items we would like guys to experience at one of GMM Conferences.   I would ask that you look at each of them and pray that God would be working in each of you to achieve one or more of them.  As a GMM team we see these as being essential for each of you…..   references below.
Thanks
Bobbyg

What to expect from the GMM Conference experience

“”How big is Your GOD”  

 “Alive in Christ”

“Driven by the Power of the Holy Spirit”

“Activate Your Faith”

“Radical Truth and Grace”

1. “To stand up and      band together” – GMM would have all men of Cheyenne united in one body,      that they would break down all denominational barriers and be able to      connect with a larger body of Godly men.

 

2. “With encouragement and the power      that the Holy Spirit gives, God’s Mighty Men will stand up and band      together to win souls for Christ, while at the same time fortifying their      town and churches from Satan’s attack.” –  GMM would have all men go back as      warriors to their churches wearing the armor of GOD for the purpose of      bringing the lost in and building up their congregations to win the      battle.  They would also cover their      congregations with the power of prayer to protect them from Satan’s attacks.

 

3. “Your      Relationship with Christ would be enhanced to a new spiritual level” – GMM      would have all men experience this new relationship with Christ and have      people see Christ shining through them.      

 

4. “Your ministry would be enhanced with a greater passion”  – GMM would have all men filled with the      Holy Spirit, and want to become more active in their church and have this Passion      that would become so contagious that it would flow to all GOD’s people      with whom they come in contact.

 

5. “You would go forth and support your pastor and his vision” – GMM      would have all men go back to their church and support their Pastor and      his vision with a much higher level of enthusiasms.

  
God’s Mighty Men…..

A quick word from the GMM President from his Devotional Reading…    Enjoy…..
 
I am the Resurrection and the Life; all lasting Life emanates from Me.               
 People search for life in many wrong ways: chasing after fleeting pleasures,          
 accumulating possessions and wealth, trying to deny the inevitable effects of aging. 
 Meanwhile I offer abundant Life to everyone who turns toward Me.                     
                                                                                       
 As you come to Me and take My yoke upon you, I fill you with My very Life. This is   
 how I choose to live in the world and accomplish My purposes. This is also how I     
 bless you with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory. The Joy is Mine, and the Glory is  
 Mine; but I bestow them on you as you live in My Presence, inviting Me to live fully 
 in you.                                                                              
 John 11:25; Matthew 11:28-29; I Peter 1:8-9                                           
                                                                                      
 Excerpt from the March 2nd devotional of Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.
           

Today I was reading my Daily Devotional from the Robertson Gang (Awesome Daily Devotional) and Jep was talking about when his wife would give money or food to anybody she would see on the side of the road.   He would get upset if she gave someone money with no expectations of how it was spent – he was afraid that they would spend it on Drugs or Booze.  Her response was “It’s not our place to judge, but to show them kindness just as Christ has done to us.”    WOW….   Do we give people what they do not deserve with no strings attached?   Jesus message was always about our Hearts toward other people – especially the downtrodden (response from Jep).
A really good Pastor friend of mine (Jason) has a heart for people and on one of his sermons he preached he talked about when you shovel the snow – why not get the neighbors too.  Well one day he was trying to get in touch with his Mom and it took forever.  When he finally got in touch with her – he asked where she had been…      Her response was that she was shoveling her walk and the Neighbors – another WOW moment.    As I was driving by my friend Nick’s Home today – he was a half of a block from home shoveling someone else’s driveway (He had already done his and the neighbors).
     What would it be like if all Christians had a Heart as the few people mentioned above – would it change the world???   
Pastor Jeff preached one time on giving people what they do not deserve (Radical GRACE) and used a story of tipping a Waiter/Waitress.  If you know me you have heard this story several times…   But I like to tip with $2 bills and the Wait staff who will get more is the one that his given me bad service (30% tip)  (but I tip them all well).  You know what – I have seen it change hearts… and attitudes and enjoyed seeing one of the wait staff come back with a changed heart. (Try tipping someone who does not deserve it – for most people it is hard – but it will change two hearts when you have done it)
So let’s talk about what you are going to do as the week progresses – How can you give someone what they do not deserve with no strings attached.
1.       At work – who is that employee you struggle with…???
2.      When driving – who is that person that irritates you the most????
3.      How about a good friend who has wronged you?????
4.      Forgiving someone who does not deserve it – a really hard one………….
The list can go on – but look for those moments to change your heart and give someone something they do not deserve….    Look at the Great examples Christ has given us……

 “Radical Truth and Grace” 

Bobbyg

   This is a great question:  Who is your Paul – Barnabas – Timothy?  I have a really good friend by the name of Jim S. and he has been talking about Mentoring and how important it is.   Several years back my greatest pastor Bob N. stated that as men we need a Paul-Barnabas and Timothy.  So let me try to explain what that means…   It has allot to do with the Topic of Mentoring…
 Who is your Paul:  If you had a Paul in your life: that would be someone in your life who is mentoring you – answering all of your toughest questions in life and taking you forward to be the greatest you can be.   I have had several Paul’s in my life who have inspired me to keep the faith and who have helped me through my toughest times.   They have enhanced my Marriage – My relationship with my Sons – and best of all my Relationship with Christ.  My ministry would not be where it is today without them.  You need a Pual…….

Who is your Barnabas:   Paul had a Barnabas and it was one of his greatest assets.

 Acts 9:26-27  ²⁶ When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. ²⁷ But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.   Acts 11:25-26    ²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ²⁶ and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Men need a Barnabas to go beside us as we go forward in life.  There has to be someone who is your best friend and will take a bullet for you.   There has been several times in my life that I just did it on my own – but the times I had someone beside me helping – the burden so much less.  I have acquired several Barnabas’s now and it has been so great to go forward in life having someone covering my back.

 

Who is your Timothy:  Paul had a Timothy – this was a young man that he mentored.  Do you have someone you are mentoring and teaching them how to get through life answering there toughest questions.  I have a few of my Timothy’s that also fit the role of a Barnabas as we are going forward – but as we go forward – we are fighting the battle as warriors.   There are times that I feel so inadequate in trying to help a Timothy – but some of the rewards are seeing them succeed in life.   We all have something to share and there is someone out there that needs is desperately.

So the question comes back to: Who is your Paul – Barnabas – Timothy?

You will see the Topic coming up several times in GMM as we go forward….

To read more on this subject you please click on this connection.
By Paul R. Martin:   http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200702/200702_000_barnabas.cfm
“And those offering themselves in training will be further encouraged and safeguarded along the way toward “the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).”
 
 
Bobbyg