Well it's a start to another week! To take the theme of LCC's Youth Group Movement, LIVE A LIFE WORTH IMITATING. I think the world would be so much better if people would realize that their actions alone can do a lot to build someone up or tear them down. If we are living as Christ followers, we should be living a life in a way that reflects God's love and compassion to everyone we come in contact with. We are the only God some people will ever see so we have a big job to due.
So this week, keep your actions in the back of your mind and try and do as Christ would. We are human, Yes. We make mistakes, Yes. But if we are living for Christ, he is there to help you overcome your humanness.
Grace and Peace
Ben
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Worship
Enjoyed leading worship with Nathan Hiltner, Jesse Barkhurst & Kevin Davies
God has given all of us gifts. I pray that we don't get comfortable in just using our gifts within a church or place of worship and miss out on all the people God wants to speak to through you!!
Step out in faith and have comfort in the fact that we are following an all knowing God that will never lead us or forsake us!
Grace and Peace
Ben
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
God has given all of us gifts. I pray that we don't get comfortable in just using our gifts within a church or place of worship and miss out on all the people God wants to speak to through you!!
Step out in faith and have comfort in the fact that we are following an all knowing God that will never lead us or forsake us!
Grace and Peace
Ben
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Newark, Oh
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Saturday
Good morning everyone. Another week has come and gone and the weekend if finally upon us. I love the fact that I get to wake up next to my beautiful wife every morning. On rare mornings we get to laze around in bed and watch TV until we absolutely have to get up. Its nice to take that chance to just stop and take some time to do nothing. Normally it takes us getting really hungry for breakfast to finally get the motivation to get out of bed.
Do you ever take time in your spiritual life to just stop and take in the things around you. Stop from your busy life even just for a few minutes and look around at the world God created. The same God that created you created everything you see and wants to walk with you through it all. Our busy lives can make us focus to much on what's going wrong and why don't I have this or that and why do they have that life. If we focus on the fact that the creator of the universe created you and has made a world for us to enjoy in this temporary, short life, we can then focus on the fact that this life is short and it's not worth taking things so serious when a perfect kingdom awaits us. He made the sunsets and sunrises to see his artistic hand when you wake up and when you go to sleep. He made to cool autumn breeze to feel it on your skin and make you realize that he is always there with you. He made the cold winter snow to show he can cover all the imperfections that you think you have to cover up by yourself. He made all things for you. Take time to recognize His hand in everything.
Time to get up and enjoy the world God has created.
Enjoy your weekend. I know we will. We are heading to Winter Jam tonight with the LCC Youth Group.
Grace and Peace
Ben
Do you ever take time in your spiritual life to just stop and take in the things around you. Stop from your busy life even just for a few minutes and look around at the world God created. The same God that created you created everything you see and wants to walk with you through it all. Our busy lives can make us focus to much on what's going wrong and why don't I have this or that and why do they have that life. If we focus on the fact that the creator of the universe created you and has made a world for us to enjoy in this temporary, short life, we can then focus on the fact that this life is short and it's not worth taking things so serious when a perfect kingdom awaits us. He made the sunsets and sunrises to see his artistic hand when you wake up and when you go to sleep. He made to cool autumn breeze to feel it on your skin and make you realize that he is always there with you. He made the cold winter snow to show he can cover all the imperfections that you think you have to cover up by yourself. He made all things for you. Take time to recognize His hand in everything.
Time to get up and enjoy the world God has created.
Enjoy your weekend. I know we will. We are heading to Winter Jam tonight with the LCC Youth Group.
Grace and Peace
Ben
Friday, January 28, 2011
Blind Ambition
My devotion this morning says it the best:
"Blind ambition. Success at all cost. Becoming a legend in one's own time. Climbing the ladder to the top. King of the mountain. Top of the heap. "I did it my way". We make heroes out of people who are ambitious. We hold them up as models for our kids and put their pictures on the covers of our magazines.
And rightly so. This world would be in sad shape without people who dream of touching the heavens. Ambition is that grit in the soul which creates disenchantment with the ordinary and puts the dare into dream. But left unchecked it becomes an insatiable addiction to power and prestige; a roaring hunger for achievement that devours people as a lion devours an animal, leaving behind only the skeletal remains of relationships.....
God won't tolerate it...... Blind ambition is a giant step away from God and one step closer to catastrophe."
This came out of my Grace for the Moment Devotions by Max Lucado. I would like to especially thank my mother in law for a wonderful Christmas present.
So why is unchecked ambition a step away from God?
I think it causes us to think that we did it on our own. That God didn't play a part in our life or where we are today. You take a personal claim to your accomplishments and leave out the part that matters most. This is one reason why I think a good health marriage is crucial. Someone there to communicate with and keep each other in check to the reality of who really provides all and guides our lives.
Sure you can be successful and not have God anywhere in the picture. You see it all the time. We say "why is it that I work hard and pray and go to church and tith and live my life to God's standards but my life isn't like that". Does God not love me?
When we have that attitude, we are looking at things from a worldly perspective which is a very hard thing NOT to do.You may have a wonderful marriage, good job, nice house, comfortable finances but when all of that is gone you have to say, "was it really worth trading for an eternity in heaven with a God who loves you more than anything"? To stand before the creator of the universe and be able to bask in His glory. I will take a life of struggle and trials but with a God who walks beside me. A life not living for me but living for the kingdom. To be able to one day see my Savior and know I am truly home. And if God blesses you with good finances and a good marriage, recognize where that came from. I'll give you a hint, it's not you!. Of course you have to physically do the work and communicate and love and care etc... but those are the fruits of the spirit that God gave you. Your the vessel God uses to do His work.
I pray that God will keep us humble and guard and guide our ambitions. If your not married and don't have that accountability partner and need someone to keep you accountable, ask around at church or a friend. There are many people who would be willing to be an accountability partner. They just need your permission to speak into your life and you never know, they may need you as well.
Grace and Peace
Ben
"Blind ambition. Success at all cost. Becoming a legend in one's own time. Climbing the ladder to the top. King of the mountain. Top of the heap. "I did it my way". We make heroes out of people who are ambitious. We hold them up as models for our kids and put their pictures on the covers of our magazines.
And rightly so. This world would be in sad shape without people who dream of touching the heavens. Ambition is that grit in the soul which creates disenchantment with the ordinary and puts the dare into dream. But left unchecked it becomes an insatiable addiction to power and prestige; a roaring hunger for achievement that devours people as a lion devours an animal, leaving behind only the skeletal remains of relationships.....
God won't tolerate it...... Blind ambition is a giant step away from God and one step closer to catastrophe."
This came out of my Grace for the Moment Devotions by Max Lucado. I would like to especially thank my mother in law for a wonderful Christmas present.
So why is unchecked ambition a step away from God?
I think it causes us to think that we did it on our own. That God didn't play a part in our life or where we are today. You take a personal claim to your accomplishments and leave out the part that matters most. This is one reason why I think a good health marriage is crucial. Someone there to communicate with and keep each other in check to the reality of who really provides all and guides our lives.
Sure you can be successful and not have God anywhere in the picture. You see it all the time. We say "why is it that I work hard and pray and go to church and tith and live my life to God's standards but my life isn't like that". Does God not love me?
When we have that attitude, we are looking at things from a worldly perspective which is a very hard thing NOT to do.You may have a wonderful marriage, good job, nice house, comfortable finances but when all of that is gone you have to say, "was it really worth trading for an eternity in heaven with a God who loves you more than anything"? To stand before the creator of the universe and be able to bask in His glory. I will take a life of struggle and trials but with a God who walks beside me. A life not living for me but living for the kingdom. To be able to one day see my Savior and know I am truly home. And if God blesses you with good finances and a good marriage, recognize where that came from. I'll give you a hint, it's not you!. Of course you have to physically do the work and communicate and love and care etc... but those are the fruits of the spirit that God gave you. Your the vessel God uses to do His work.
I pray that God will keep us humble and guard and guide our ambitions. If your not married and don't have that accountability partner and need someone to keep you accountable, ask around at church or a friend. There are many people who would be willing to be an accountability partner. They just need your permission to speak into your life and you never know, they may need you as well.
Grace and Peace
Ben
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Guard Your Attitude
My devotion this morning was called Guard Your Attitude. 2 Thessalonians 2:16 - May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father encourage you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say.
Do you ever see people in public and without them even saying a word you know they are the type of people that always complain or don't have good attitudes about anything? Just the way they carry themselves and even the looks on their faces really shows whats inside. I believe a good attitude can go a long way. In my life I always try and look at the positive side of things. Sometimes it's hard to see through the chaos but in every situation you can always know that a loving God cares about you and wants to see the best for your life. I think at times when we are having a bad day and we come upon a situation that may not sit right with us., in our heads we say "well I'm a Christians so I guess I need to be kind and compassionate in this situation" knowing very well that your positive attitude is a false one. People can see that on the way you carry ourselves.
What matters more than the type of service is the heart behind the service. A bad attitude spoils the gift we leave on the altar for God. I believe that God is more pleased with the quiet attention of a sincere servant than the noisy service of a sour one. I think if we try and come across as a "christian" to meet the expectations of people and look or sound fake, then we need not say anything. Sometimes the quiet prayers and thoughts please God more.
My challenge for you today is to take advantage of those situations that come your way and see the positive. Be uplifting and encouraging to others but if you feel the "act this way to meet my reputation as a christian" crosses your mind, please refrain and quiet your heart before God and ask him to give you a softened heart to show the fruits the Holy Spirit has given us to be a beacon of light to the world.
Grace and Peace
Ben
Do you ever see people in public and without them even saying a word you know they are the type of people that always complain or don't have good attitudes about anything? Just the way they carry themselves and even the looks on their faces really shows whats inside. I believe a good attitude can go a long way. In my life I always try and look at the positive side of things. Sometimes it's hard to see through the chaos but in every situation you can always know that a loving God cares about you and wants to see the best for your life. I think at times when we are having a bad day and we come upon a situation that may not sit right with us., in our heads we say "well I'm a Christians so I guess I need to be kind and compassionate in this situation" knowing very well that your positive attitude is a false one. People can see that on the way you carry ourselves.
What matters more than the type of service is the heart behind the service. A bad attitude spoils the gift we leave on the altar for God. I believe that God is more pleased with the quiet attention of a sincere servant than the noisy service of a sour one. I think if we try and come across as a "christian" to meet the expectations of people and look or sound fake, then we need not say anything. Sometimes the quiet prayers and thoughts please God more.
My challenge for you today is to take advantage of those situations that come your way and see the positive. Be uplifting and encouraging to others but if you feel the "act this way to meet my reputation as a christian" crosses your mind, please refrain and quiet your heart before God and ask him to give you a softened heart to show the fruits the Holy Spirit has given us to be a beacon of light to the world.
Grace and Peace
Ben
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Mid Week Music
Good Morning everyone!
I hope your week thus far has been a productive one. Some of you may know that music is a large part of my life. I have been singing since I was in grade school, starting picking up instruments just out of high school and began leading worship on occasion about 4 years ago. Music hasn't always been a Christ driven passion. When I was was young, I knew that singing made me happy and so that's what I did. When I began learning to play different instruments out of high school, pride kinda took over and I was playing for myself. I have taught myself to play by watching others and learning on my own so you take a personal attachment to your accomplishments and don't want to give credit to anyone that may take away your thunder.
That said, I'm glad the past is behind me....................
Looking back, it goes to show you that a person that is a Christian can be "talented" and do and say all the right things and play in praise bands and lead a godly life, but if they are not giving the glory back to the One who gave them the ability, then it's all done in vain. Within the last 3 or 4 years I have begun to realize that the reason I was given the gift of music is not to brag and boast but to glorify the name of God in every aspect of my life. My prayer is that whatever I do I point all the glory back to the one who created me.
That said, I have been asked to take on one of the worship leader positions at LCC. I am joining a great group of worship leaders that I respect and look forward to praising God with. I went to my first meeting last night and am looking forward to what God is going to do through worship at LCC. I am asking for prayer that our Worship Leaders will stay humble and know that the only reason they are leading worship is that God has given them gifts and abilities to praise His name through music. I am fortunate to have a loving wife, Stacey, who gives such great support in the things of my life. We were married on April 10, 2010 and have loved sharing in life together. I have shared with her that the fear I have is that pride will take over and I will take it upon myself to enjoy the praise. I ALWAYS want to give the glory back to God. She the best one to keep me in check and on tract to glorify the name above all name and point the glory back to Him.
It's very hard as humans (especially me) to remain humble when you are given praise for a job well done but if we can keep in mind that we are created by a perfect God who gave us all our abilities, all the praise will get lifted up to Him.
I hope this has given you a little more insight into to who I am as a person and who I am striving to be through Christ. I look forward to writing more and following in the journey God has set before me.
Grace and Peace
Ben
I hope your week thus far has been a productive one. Some of you may know that music is a large part of my life. I have been singing since I was in grade school, starting picking up instruments just out of high school and began leading worship on occasion about 4 years ago. Music hasn't always been a Christ driven passion. When I was was young, I knew that singing made me happy and so that's what I did. When I began learning to play different instruments out of high school, pride kinda took over and I was playing for myself. I have taught myself to play by watching others and learning on my own so you take a personal attachment to your accomplishments and don't want to give credit to anyone that may take away your thunder.
That said, I'm glad the past is behind me....................
Looking back, it goes to show you that a person that is a Christian can be "talented" and do and say all the right things and play in praise bands and lead a godly life, but if they are not giving the glory back to the One who gave them the ability, then it's all done in vain. Within the last 3 or 4 years I have begun to realize that the reason I was given the gift of music is not to brag and boast but to glorify the name of God in every aspect of my life. My prayer is that whatever I do I point all the glory back to the one who created me.
That said, I have been asked to take on one of the worship leader positions at LCC. I am joining a great group of worship leaders that I respect and look forward to praising God with. I went to my first meeting last night and am looking forward to what God is going to do through worship at LCC. I am asking for prayer that our Worship Leaders will stay humble and know that the only reason they are leading worship is that God has given them gifts and abilities to praise His name through music. I am fortunate to have a loving wife, Stacey, who gives such great support in the things of my life. We were married on April 10, 2010 and have loved sharing in life together. I have shared with her that the fear I have is that pride will take over and I will take it upon myself to enjoy the praise. I ALWAYS want to give the glory back to God. She the best one to keep me in check and on tract to glorify the name above all name and point the glory back to Him.
It's very hard as humans (especially me) to remain humble when you are given praise for a job well done but if we can keep in mind that we are created by a perfect God who gave us all our abilities, all the praise will get lifted up to Him.
I hope this has given you a little more insight into to who I am as a person and who I am striving to be through Christ. I look forward to writing more and following in the journey God has set before me.
Grace and Peace
Ben
Monday, January 24, 2011
Time to get back on track.
Sorry it's been awhile since I have been on here. I don't know how many actually read my blog but to the few of you out there I hope you had a wonderful holiday and your new year has started out well.
I am just blow away every day by the awesome works God does. With life always busy we don't take enough time to give God the credit He deserves for everything He does for us. We wake up and don't thank God for giving us another breath, another day to serve Him. We eat breakfast and don't thank Him for providing us a job that provides means to purchase food. We are warm so we are in a house with electric. Others in the world are waking up cold and hungry with no running water or electricity. We are so blessed. I am not saying that we never take time to thank God but I think it should be constantly on our minds. Always have a heart of thankfulness and gratefulness. This weekend at church I was blown away again by how God works through all situations and how He takes people out of their comfort zone to do His work. My sister-in-law said "The last couple days I have learned so much about being a part of a community within my church. When people are unable to carry out their part, someone is right there to help and the work of the church carries on even in the midst of sudden difficulties or illness. People step up and make things happen. I am so blessed to be a part of LCC". I think its easy to see God in the big things that our attention is naturally drawn to. My challenge for you today is to see God in the small things. When we start to look for those situations, we will be in a constant state of thankfulness and be able to look at the positive side of situations more easily.
Until next time!!
Grace and Peace
I am just blow away every day by the awesome works God does. With life always busy we don't take enough time to give God the credit He deserves for everything He does for us. We wake up and don't thank God for giving us another breath, another day to serve Him. We eat breakfast and don't thank Him for providing us a job that provides means to purchase food. We are warm so we are in a house with electric. Others in the world are waking up cold and hungry with no running water or electricity. We are so blessed. I am not saying that we never take time to thank God but I think it should be constantly on our minds. Always have a heart of thankfulness and gratefulness. This weekend at church I was blown away again by how God works through all situations and how He takes people out of their comfort zone to do His work. My sister-in-law said "The last couple days I have learned so much about being a part of a community within my church. When people are unable to carry out their part, someone is right there to help and the work of the church carries on even in the midst of sudden difficulties or illness. People step up and make things happen. I am so blessed to be a part of LCC". I think its easy to see God in the big things that our attention is naturally drawn to. My challenge for you today is to see God in the small things. When we start to look for those situations, we will be in a constant state of thankfulness and be able to look at the positive side of situations more easily.
Until next time!!
Grace and Peace
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