Once again today the price of a barrel of oil set a new record high at over $133 per barrel. This of course will lead to higher prices at the pump and before to long we will be paying over $4 a gallon for gas. Check out the below quote…

“[T]he prices that we’re paying at the pump today are, I think, going to be ‘the good old days,’ because others who watch this very closely forecast that we’re going to be hitting $12 and $15 per gallon,” Hirsch said. “And then, after that, when oil – world oil production goes into decline, we’re going to talk about rationing. In other words, not only are we going to be paying high prices and have considerable economic problems, but in addition to that, we’re not going to be able to get the fuel when we want it.”     Robert Hirsch, Management Information Services Senior Energy Advisor

Now $12 a gallon seems a bit outrageous, I personally would not be surprised to see $7 and $8 a gallon gas within the next year. With that said our economy is not built on gas at that high of a price, the average person can not afford to put gas in their car and even drive back in forth to work. Keep in mind what filling up a 20 gallon tank at $8 a gallon would cost, try $160. If you fill up only twice a month that would be $360 of cold hard cash.

With Memorial day coming up and this being a very big travel holiday people are still driving around like the price of gas was a $1 a gallon. When will people slow down? Will people stop driving as much? Well time will tell and to think gas prices affect everything, from the food we eat to the clothes we wear, don’t kid yourself gas prices affect everything.

One last thought, as we become hopefully less dependent on gas over next few years, this will lower our dependence on oil from the middle east and as well countries like Iraq and Iran and Saudi Arabia. With that said their economies are going to decline and this isn’t going to set well with them. In my opinion this is going to set up and even more unsettled time in the middle east and very well could lead us toward some very interesting end time events. The great thing about it all, GOD IS IN CHARGE!!!

PS. I made the font larger because Rachel is getting older and couldn’t read the smaller print!?!?!

Ok it is list time, I am going to list the things that I have to do that I feel are the biggest waste of time. In no particular order…

Waiting for the shower to warm up so that I can get in it…

Waiting for my truck to fill up with gas…(waste of money also!!!)

Waiting for a table at a restaurant

Waiting for the movie to start and having to watch previews and commercials!!!

Waiting for people to pull out on Atlanta Hwy (they seem to need a written invitation)

Waiting on a price check at wal mart

Waiting for red lights to change to green

Waiting on the copier to warm up

Waiting for Ryan Seacrest to announce the winner/loser of American idol (after the commercial break)

Waiting for whatever show I am watching to come back on (I hate commercials)

Waiting on my wife (I love you honey!) to try on clothes while shopping

 

 

 

 

Well I predicted weeks ago that the two David’s would be in the finals and while I think that David Cook will be the better recording artist, I must say that David Archuleta had the best night. I predict that David Archuleta will win based on the teeny bopper vote but again David Cook will have the most early success in his career.

I love these quotes on taking risk….life requires risk!

“If all you want is safe, have baby food for dinner. Just leave me out of it.”  Seth Godin

“The universe will reward you for taking risk on it’s behalf.” Shakti Gawain

“Great deeds are usually wrought at great risk.” Herodotus

“If your never scared or embarrassed or hurt,  it means you never take any chances.” Julia Sorel

“There is no security here on this earth, there is only opportunity.” General Douglas MacArthur

Quotes that make you think…..

“Formerly when religion was strong and science was weak, men mistook magic for medicine, now when science is strong and religion is weak, men mistake medicine for magic.” Thomas Szasz

 ”They say God is everywhere and yet we always think of him as somewhat of a recluse.” Emily Dickenson

“Stupid is forever, ignorance can be fixed.” Don Wood

“I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” Thomas Jefferson

 

 

We used to say that showing up (to church) was half the battle and while there is some truth to this saying it lacks passion. Did you know that 50% of employees are disconnected from their jobs, that means they aren’t doing much more than showing up, being disconnected in reality means YOU HAVE NO PASSION.

This is a dangerous place for us Christians to be, I venture to say that more than 50% of our church attenders show up with no passion and desire to see a great move of God. We will not see TRUE revival until people start coming to their local church expecting God to do great things. We don’t have to go to Florida or wherever the latest revival is to see God heal people or change lives, He wants to do it in our churches each Sunday, but WE MUST DO MORE THAN JUST SHOW UP! We must come expecting, anticipating, prayed up and ready to press in with PASSION to the Holy of Holies and then we can see miracles occur every Sunday.

You know even Jesus struggled with healing and miracles when there was a lack of faith, what do you think the odds of God healing cancer or a head ache are, is one higher than the other??? No it’s God, for goodness sake there are no odds when your dealing with God, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE, cancer is the same as a head ache but with us it’s all about faith and our overall lack of faith.

Now I am not trying to be mean or whatever adjective you might be thinking but I am ready to see people do more than just show up, I want to see revival in MY church and the church down the road, I want to see lives changed and people healed and bondages broken but we must do more than just show up!?!?!

When selling it is important to find out as much about your customer as possible so that you can uncover possible desires and needs, we call this the build. During the build we ask a lot of questions, questions about where they work, what are your hobbies and the list goes on and on. The point is we want to get to know our customers, so that we can offer them a complete solution to their need.

One of my favorite quotes is, they don’t care what you know, until they know that you care. This so true when ministering to someone, we often want to offer our solutions without listening to the person and when we do this we fail to build relationship.

We often make ministering an event instead of a process, by doing this we miss out on opportunities to build relationship. So in life, just as selling we must “build” relationship, so that we will be able to offer people the complete solution….JESUS!

It’s been three years since my mother died but I still miss her, she was such an awesome woman. As time passes by I forget how sick she was and thankfully only remember the happy times. My mom was an awesome mother, who attended every game I played in or band or chorus concert I had. She always encouraged and uplifted me to be my best at whatever I did, especially in how I treated others and for that I am thankful.

This song by Chris Rice, Come to Jesus, reminds me of my mother, listen to it it’s my tribute to my mother, Rebecca Strickland. Happy Mothers Day mom, I miss you!!!

The words to this verse bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart, I love you mom!!!

 

 

 

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory’s side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!

 

Come to Jesus

Man what an experience this past weekend at the Church Revitalization Conference in Statesboro, (The Boro). I had the priveldge to lead off the confernce on Friday night and I must say that I was a little nervous at first but quickly settled down. I am normally not nervous but I was so humbled to be asked to come and be a part of this confernce, these pastors have poured their entire lives into these churches and I wanted to be a blessing to them so I put a little more pressure to deliver than I normally do.

At any rate things went well and I was able to share the need for passion in helps ministry as well as the need for servant leaders. Another church planter, Nick Raines from Knoxville, Tn. delivered a great message on becoming relevant to the times and the way that we communicate our message. By the way Nick is a very funny guy and kept me in stiches most of the weekend, he is a passionate guy that can really communicate the word in a very relavant way.

On Saturday, I spoke on leading volunteers (Leading volunteers is like herding cats?!?!?) and as well shared some insite into how we work to acheive a ministry of exellence at Church of the Nations. Rick Womack delivered two awesome messages on evaluating church ministry and then once again on communicating vision to the church.

Finally, the conference was held at Abundant Life Worship Center in Statesboro, Georgia and Travis Ivey and his team put together a great event. From the beginning until the end this was a top notch event, Travis has a great team of leaders with a heart for serving. This church is going to be making a huge difference in the Statesboro area very soon, they really opened there church up to me and allowed me to speak into their ministry. I was honered to be a part of the conference and to meet such awesome men and women of God.

Sincere, honest, genuine, truthful, heartfelt, these are all ways to describe a part of the sales process that we ask our sales reps to utilize. The crazy thing is we have to ask, plead and demand that they give a “sincere thank you” to each and every customer. The problem is that this should not have to be scripted but it should come as a natural part of customer service, we should sincerely appreciate the reason we are able to pay our bills and ultimately make a living.

This is  not an isolated issue, people today are not thankful, they feel as if they deserve it and are entitled to what they get. I am not sure where we have gone wrong, is it the parents, the schools who’s to blame for this terrible lack of common courtesy???

I have gone the complete opposite direction, I thank everyone for every thing, my new phrase is “thank you so much”, now I of course did not invent the phrase but someone said it to me and I said wow that was really nice, it made me feel good, I think I will use it myself. (that’s how things like that get started?!?!?)

As a southerner we used to say that only northerners (Yankees) were rude and not thankful, well either we have been totally over taken or there ways have rubbed off on us. Well I say that saying thank you needs to make a come back and we need to say thank you more often, thank you is a very under used statement!! So here ya go, thank you for reading my blog!!!

 

Ok most people come into my store believing they know what they want, they think they have their minds made up before they get there. Our job is to show them want products we have that will enhance their life and make it easier and less stressful but things like that can cost more but often people leave with only what they came for in the first place, less than what they could have had.

This is much the same with church, people get up every Sunday morning with their minds set about what they do or do not want from God. They show up to church and the church tries to persuade them that there is more and that God can make their life easier and less stressful but sadly they often leave with exactly what they came looking for but less than what God could give them.

For revival to start it requires people that come expecting God to do more than they normally expect. It requires faith, raised expectation and effort. If you want the same old same old then show up with your same old expectations and that’s what you will get. The only thing holding back revival is our satisfaction with the status quo.

Let’s show up tomorrow at church and expect God to heal someone, something crazy, something that only God can do. How bout let’s just get wild and beleive God can raise someone out of a wheel chair or heal cancer, I turly beleive God is only waiting on us to come expecting.

Well that’s what going on in Lakeland,Florida, people are coming with raised expectations and guess what God is getting with the healing, not just average heal a head ache but broken bones and deaf ears and cancer and you name it, God is showing out!!!

I don’t know about you but I am ready for God to show out in my church!!!