Psalms 29:11

Psalms 29:11 "God makes his people strong, he gives his people strength" one of my favorite verses. This verse has been a comfort to me when it felt like no one else cared, it's given me strength through pain, and it's been tested and true to many times to count. Without his strength I woulda give up when I lost my mother to pancreatic cancer because at such a young age I wasn't suppose to grow up normal suffering such a loss. Without his strength I could have given up when I was forced to leave my family behind in a cruel attempt to separate me from what God had for me through constant mental abuse and evil intent but I fought back, I endured. Without his strength and peace  me and my wife would have given up before she got pregnant with the greatest blessing my Heavenly Father could have given us. Without his strength and peace I would be another statistic, another life that gave up on his purpose, his calling. 

     I have used this verse as a comfort to many over the years. Not because it's the only verse I know, but it's a verse that  I have lived. Is he your strength and peace? 

The struggle

Up until the last five years of my life I had been content with serving in the background. I was the guy who set up stuff, tore down, ran sound, cooked, cleaned ect. and I was comfortable with that. It wasn't until I had a long conversation with a good friend that I came to the conclusion that God couldn't use me to my full potential if I remained in that comfort zone. It started slow, I taught once or twice, then I spoke once here and there. As my obedience progressed more and more chains broke away, and the more I found myself becoming what God had intended for me to be. 

It's never been about a title or a paycheck, it's always been about the students and God and it always will be. I've been struggling a lot lately with being "good enough". No matter what I do or how I do it I'm not gonna do it the way everyone else does it, I never have. As far as I'm concerned doing it the way everyone else does it has only created a generation that comes to church for the social stability or to be a part of something without any accountability of what they are outside the "community" we call church. Personally I'm not satisfied with that, and I don't believe the god I serve is either, so what do we do?do we keep doing the same old - come to church, worship, speak, repent and repeat... Or do we take the time to really embrace change and think completely out of the box and maybe actually for once make a real difference rather than talking about making a difference. 

The old has passed away...behold the new have come...