Time To Step Out
January 21, 2010
Can you relate with this? It’s weird. I have a shy side. Seriously. I know I’m outgoing, but all of a sudden this shy side will show up and I become totally content in being by myself and saying absolutely nothing to anyone.
Tonight I went to Tyler’s school for a pizza/bingo night (and a PTA meeting that Kelley “forgot” to tell me about – but it’s okay, I made a second on a motion presented to the people there. I felt very powerful but I still do not know what I gave a second to). When I walked in I became that quiet guy ready to just sit down amongst a group o ... read more
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Am I Following?
January 20, 2010
“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’” (Matthew 16:24)
Jesus is speaking to his disciples, those who claim to be followers of Jesus. Every person who claims to have a relationship with Jesus is to be a disciple of Jesus, one who follows. And in this verse Jesus lays out the requirement of being a follower. It’s not a life of expecting but rather of giving. It’s not a life of luxury but of cross dragging. It’s not a life of getting everything that you want but rath ... read more
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We've Always Done It That Way..."
January 15, 2010
Matthew 15:1-9
It is so easy to turn my own personal preferences into God’s objective and revealed will. I can have preferences and opinions, but God’s word and will stand alone. To automatically hold that my opinion is God’s will is pretty arrogant when looked at objectively. That’s why God’s written word is so important.
“This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
When I teach my own opinions as God’s commands, when in reality I didn’t base my opinion on God’s op ... read more
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Can You Sign This?
January 04, 2010
"...I stand here to tell you that I'm a nonconformist, twice born, and a rebel and I will not conform to the times. Up to now I've been able to get a hearing and refused to conform to the times. But if a day ever comes when to conform to the times is the price you have to pay to be heard, then I'll go out and start where I started before on the street corner and preach there. But I won't conform to the times." - A.W. Tozer
Signed: Brian Holland (1/4/2010
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HALLOWED!
December 23, 2009
I was just looking over The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 again and that word, "hallowed" popped out at me. During Christmas, the hallowedness of God is not emphasized. Rather, the humanity of that baby-boy is the focus. But it is impossible to truly approach God without reverence and awe. When we do, we are proving that we don't know the God whom we profess to know. Some may say, "People can approach God without awe and reverence. They do it all of the time. They just don't show respect and there you have it." However, are they really approaching God whe ... read more
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Painting A Fence With Jesus
December 20, 2009
This past Friday morning, I painted one side of a fence at our home with Tyler (5) and Dylan (3). That morning I had made a conscious effort to be mindful of God in everything, desiring to hear him while I went through my "ordinary" day. So, the boys and I went to Lowe's and picked up the paint, drove home, and got ready.
They each picked up a roller and went to it. It's crazy because we used a whole gallon of paint on a fence that is about 15-18 feet in length (let's just say that their paint rollers were full). At different points in the morning's task the f ... read more
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Can You Relate With This?
December 16, 2009
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Are You Stupid?
December 14, 2009
Matthew 7:24-27
$0 As much as I want the storms to not come, the storms will come. Having Jesus doesn’t always keep the storms from coming, but it does guarantee getting us through them (cf. Philippians 1:6 - God’s faithfulness is reminded to us that he who began a good work in us will finish it). Hear and obey shows us as wise. Hear and leave at Bible study (Eugene Peterson) is stupid.$0
$0 As I was studying this passage, this warning scared me: ...and it fell, and great was the fall of it. First, I thought about the ... read more
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If You're Bored, You're Boring...
December 10, 2009
$0This is one of those times I feel the need to just come out and say it: if you’re bored as a Christian, you’re boring. Don’t blame your boredom on God or nothing to do. The remedy for boredom is service. There is absolutely no reason that a Christian should ever feel bored. It will take us eternity to comprehend one fraction of a fraction about God. There are plenty of people on this planet who are broken and in need of a message of hope about a Savior who came to save them. Christians: LET’S GET MOVIN’!!!! Just something to think about.
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Are You Okay With Not Being First?
December 04, 2009
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TWEETING WITH INTEGRITY
November 17, 2009
I've been sucked into the social networking world. Facebook. Email. Texting. And yes, a Twitter account. I'm not the only one: I see a lot of youth pastors with Twitter accounts. I think it's fine. I'm not questioning the fact that we have Twitter accounts, I'm just wondering what we are portraying to people in them. I recently became convicted about the fact that almost everything I share on Twitter about ministry is about it being ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! And honestly, God is doing some incredible things in our next generation ministry. How ... read more
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Already Too Many Fights...
October 10, 2009
“Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them” (Acts 21:26; ESV)
Read the whole passage: Acts 21:17-26
There are enough battles to fight already. Why make more? There are times when it is right to adhere to others’ traditions that aren’t “anti-Jesus” just to keep the work of Jesus as the main thing. That way, you have the strength and energy to fight the battles that actually need to be fought.
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The Most Important Thing About You...
September 29, 2009
A.W. Tozer once said, “What I believe about God is the most important thing about me.” How true this is. But my questions is this: what is my view of God based on? I was reading in the book of Acts and came across this verse:
“Being then God’s offspring, we ought not so think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.” (Acts 17:29, ESV)
As I read this verse, I was struck with this phrase:
"God is not the result of my imagination. Rather, I am a result of his."
As long as the God that I picture in my mi ... read more
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Acts 17:2-6
September 22, 2009
And Paul went in as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews were jealous and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to crowd.&nb ... read more
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LET'S STOMP IT!!!!!!
September 12, 2009
I heard a message this morning of a pastor who started a church about 10 years ago in South Carolina with 15 people. Ten years later, the church has 10,000 people. I totally understand that bigger does not automatically mean better, but smaller doesn't always mean healthier. What having multitudes showing up to church does mean is that there are more people who will have the opportunity to hear the gospel and surrender to Jesus and that should always be exciting to us.
As he shared he mentioned one question that was asked of him while he was praying about doing something t ... read more
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Jesus Doesn't Stay In The Ruts
September 11, 2009
“And there came a voice to him: ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.’ And the voice came to him a second time, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’” — Acts 10:13-15 —
Here are some two that Jesus showed me from my quiet time this morning:
1. Jesus doesn’t live in the ruts. Did you hear Jesus’ command to Peter while Peter was in that “trance”? “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” Peter said no to this, stating how he had never eaten anything common or u ... read more
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Don't Miss The Movement...
September 11, 2009
“As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God.
“The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him.” — Acts 13:42-45
This is huge stuff going on. Paul ... read more
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