Pastor John's Blog

28 Down, Not Sure How Many to Go

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:40:00 GMT

This Thursday is my 28th birthday! I think we all assume we're going to live a long life but in reality, we have no idea what's in store for us. Honestly, I try not to set too many goals for myself (unless they're from God). Instead I try to focus on what steps God would have me take each day, who He'd have me reach out to others and how I should manage the resources He's given me. I may not always get it right but this is what I aim for.

James 4 says

"13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16 Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil."

I think it's ok to look at the big picture once in a while as long as we seek God's will in doing so. I guess birthdays always make you think about the past, present and future and I hope I become more faithful to Him with each new year!

Photos of Jordyn!

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:58:00 GMT

Here are some pictures of our new daughter Jordyn, born Nov. 27th 2011. Jen and I are so blessed to have her in our lives! I've been meaning to put some photos up on my blog for a while but have been very busy lately as you can imagine.

More...

Christmas Eve Service 2011 and More!

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 17:04:00 GMT

We will be holding our Christmas Eve service this year at the movie theater! This is the first year we've held Christmas Eve service at the movies. Our service will be from 5:30 - 6:30pm. We have a lot of great music planned as well as a special guest artist Tamara Marcella!

So much has happened in the past week! I'm getting used to being a dad. I love our daughter so much! Just starting to get a little more sleep. I'll try to post some pictures on my blog soon!

It Won't be Long Now...

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:54:00 GMT

It won't be long now until we welcome our new little baby into the world! I don't think I've ever had this much excitement or anticipation for anything else before. It makes me wonder what it was like during the silent years when people anticipated the birth of the Messiah for 4 hundred years. And I thought 9 months was seeming like forever...

Guardian Angels?

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 01:26:00 GMT

Do you believe that each of us has our own guardian angel(s)? I've always believed in angels but haven't found enough biblical evidence to support each of us having our own personal angel... until today.

I may have missed this in previous readings of Matthew 18 because this isn't really the point Jesus is making--it's a detail that supports his point. He says:

Matthew 18
10"Watch that you don't treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don't you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?"

Do each of us have our own personal angel or angels that have been assigned to us for a period of time or at birth? It's hard to tell from this verse if it's referring to each of us having a single ange or multiple angels--perhaps this is something to study in the original Greek language. This verse does make you think though doesn't it? It sounds like they talk to God about us all the time.

What I've Been Up To Lately

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 02:48:00 GMT

This week I've been going to prenatal classes with Jen (I feel like I'm back in college but really grateful that they have these classes), writing new worship songs and recording demos and working hard on my business. Fall is busy season for web design. Actually, all seasons are busy for web design but especially Fall. We had a great first open house this past Sunday! Many new visitors. Come and see what's happening at BHCC!

Eternal Life

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:44:00 GMT

It's just been a couple weeks since my grandmother passed away. It has been a really tough couple of weeks. Death reminds us of our own frail state of humanity. When someone we care about dies, it reminds us that we too will someday die and we don't know how much time we have.

Death puts us face to face with the promise we have for eternal life. This is something that we as christians believe and always have in the back of our mind. However, it is in times like these when this truth cannot stay buried in the back of our mind. It comes to the foreground. It forces us to reconsider the hope we have in Jesus. Our instinct is to mourn. Mourning is healthy. Yet we cannot allow sorrow to pull us away from God but rather serve as a reminder that we will one day be with Him!

If this promise holds true, if we really believe this, then this brings us to a place of celebration and excitement. I am celebrating my grandmother's life because I know she is with Jesus. We will certainly miss her but we will see her again!

NEW Sample Worship Video

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 01:07:00 GMT

There's a new video you can check out on the worship team page. We'll be doing this song again tomorrow morning. You can check it out here: http://www.blessedhopecc.org/SERVINGTEAMS/PraiseandWorshipTeam.aspx

10,000 Days

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:06:00 GMT

I recently realized that I've been on the planet for 10,000 days now. It's hard to believe it's been that long. Think of how long it takes to count to 10,000--and those are all days! It leads me to ask the question, what have I been doing these past 10,000 days?

I don't know about you, but I want to make the next 10,000 days count more than ever. We don't know how many days we have left here before going home but I want to do everything I can in that amount of time to serve our Lord! What if we do just one thing each day to serve God? This would allow us to use the next 10,000 days to serve God 10,000 ways.

I Don't Know

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:40:00 GMT

There's value in knowing what you want and where you're headed, but as we're reminded in James, our lives "are a mist" and we don't "even know what will happen tomorrow."

I think we need to hold loosely the plans that we make. It's ok to say, "I don't know," when we're following God. We don't want to underestimate Him nor do we want to head in the wrong direction. The important thing is that we let HIM drive.