Sundays are Preparation Days

I consistently follow the same routine on Sunday mornings: I need to be at church by 8:30 am for men's Bible study group, so I skip breakfast, go to Dunkin Donuts for the usual medium coffee (sometimes extra large!!) and then stop by the post office to drop in the mail my latest netflix movie. Next to the post office is the fire station. Every Sunday morning the firemen(and women) are outside doing their regular maintenance check ups on the hook and ladder and the hoses and all the other equipment they handle. Basicly, what they are doing is preparing themselves for that week's duties,the honorable duty of putting out fires and saving lives.

In a somewhat similar fashion, as we go to church every Sunday, we are not only worshiping God, but we are preparing ourselves for what lies ahead of us for that week. We may have to put out fires of a different sort, or may be saving lives in the spiritual sense,or praying for people who are sick or in distress. The preparation of the heart is important so that we may do what God has called us out to do.

(2Tim.3:14,17)

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, (v.14)

that the man of God may be complete , thoroughly equipped for every good work. (v.17)

As I was leaving church today the song playing on the radio was by Switchfoot:

This is your life, Are you who you want to be?

This is your life, Are you who you want to be?

This is your life, is it everything you dreamed it would be?

When we leave church each Sunday,this is what we need to ask ourselves: Are we who we want to be? Are we who God wants us to be? Are we prepared for this coming week to do what God has called us to do?

I love going to church, it is who I am, it is who I want to be. Are you who you want to be?

Thou Art Happy

Cassie, the guinea pig, loves coming out of her cage to explore the environment of the house. As long as Francis the dog doesn't get to her. When you hold Cassie in your lap she likes to chirp. Or is it a purr? Or maybe it's a murmur. Anyways, when they make this sound, according to guinea pig language consultants, this means they are happy and content.

In the feel good movie New In Town, Renee Zellweger plays Lucy, a high paid consultant from Miami, who gets sent to a small town in the arctic of Minnesota in the dead of winter. Lucy is sent there to improve production of a local food plant her corporation owns. As soon as she arrives, in her executive suit, skirt, and high heels, the culture shock hits her big time. And not just the frigid weather.

Once she meets one of the employees who happens to be her new assistant, it's "Let the Mocking Begin". After a few of Lucy's jabs, the assistant gets angry and tries to explain to her that their just normal people like everyone else, except:

"We talk funny, we ice fish,we scrapbook, we drag Jesus in to regular conversation. This is who we are."

After many cultural mishaps, Lucy begins to adapt to her surroundings. She also learns the people of this town are happy with who they are, where they live, and how they live. In the end, when she gets sent back home to Miami, she ends up missing that small town flavor and the guy she eventually fell in love with. And, as any good story with a happy ending goes,Lucy moves back to the small town she at first hated.

I came across a quote the other day by Aristotle, which said:

"Happiness depends upon ourselves."

We all have different likes, dislikes, and things that make us happy. For me, it's a good cup of coffee to start my day, or a really good haircut. The simple things in life!

When we know who we are in Christ, and choose to live that way, and are at peace, the joy of life becomes more simplified. I remember a friend of mine who created his own t-shirt with the slogan:

Life is Simple: Eat, Sleep, and Praise God!

Ahhh....the joy of living abundantly in Christ!

Words of Wisdom From Pastor Freddie

I love a great quote or saying. Here are some of my favorites that my Pastor often uses:

1. But without faith it is impossible to hang with God.

This one really needs no explanation, it speaks for itself, but here's the scripture:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb.11:6)

2. Don't pray about them, pray for them.

This is my personal favorite, an important lesson I've learned. Sometimes we do get caught praying for God to fix that person (spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, parent, brother/sister, friend, co-worker, boss) instead of praying for that person. The one that may need the fixing is the one doing the praying. If you really care about that person your praying for then pray like you care for them.

3. I worship God with the lawnmower.

And my Pastor "REALLY DOES!!!" He's been teaching us alot about worshiping God wherever you are, whatever your doing. God is worthy of our praises continuously.

4. Stop being a spiritual sissy!

In other words: "Can't we all just get along!" Especially Christians. Stop getting offended by every little thing your neighbor does or whine about how they hurt your feelings. There are more important things in the world. We are to exemplify Jesus in all that we do.

You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Lev.19:18)

5. You need to go to Menards and get yourself some wood, build a bridge, and get over it

This bears reference to the last scripture: holding a grudge on somebody else.

6. You need to have a Bugs Bunny type of faith.

Bugs Bunny had no fear when it came to his foes. He'd look straight down the barrel of that shot gun of Elmer Fudd's and simply say, "What's up, Doc?"

For God has not given us a Spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.(2Tim.1:7)

So now you can tell..I do pay attention in church!

A Fresh Morning Fragrance

I was only into my first sips of my morning coffee at work and this flower was completely closed. I let some sunlight into the room, put on the usual worship music, and began some paperwork. After I worked my way through about 3 praise songs I noticed a fully bloomed, elegantly fragrant flower. Amazing what sunlight can do!

It's also amazing what sonlight can do. When we open up our hearts to the Lord with praise,He opens up a whole new fragrance into our lives for that moment. And that moment can carry us throughout an entire day.

Sometimes we take it for granted that we are going to wake up to start a new day. And when we do wake up for that new morning, it is God breathing new life into us, granting us another day of life. I think this is why our morning worship is more important than any other part of our day. It is us saying thank you for giving me this day to honor and worship you.

The Purpose of Man-Designed to Worship

I am at breakfast Saturday morning, reading A.W. Tozier's The Purpose of Man-Designed to Worship, sitting at the table across from me are some teens and their basketball coach. As they are waiting for their food, the coach is giving them some last minute coaching instructions, as they are about to play a game at the nearby gym. He tells them all he wants to see from them is dribbling and passing, don't be selfish and take a stupid shot, be patient and work with your teammates to get the best shot available. In other words, he was teaching them discipline.


Tozier's whole ministry was about us disciplining ourselves into a real, worshipful relationship with our Creator. Tozier says:"If you major on knowing God and cultivate a sense of His presence in your daily life, practice the presence of God daily and seek to know the Holy Spirit in the scriptures, you will go a long way in serving your generation for God."

He also remarks that:

You can be straight as a gun barrel theologically and as empty as one spiritually."


Basicly what he is saying is we have a choice: either we can know about God just through the scriptures, or we can have the whole package. To know God so intimately we can recognize His voice when we need to hear from Him.

Our goal should be what Tozier's life was about:


Don't settle for the satisfaction of the needed appetite only, but to something bigger,

grander, and more eternal, that we might worship God and enjoy Him forever.



I recently saw the film Yes Man. Jim Carrey plays an unhappy, down on his luck guy. Upon the suggestion of a friend, Carrey goes to a self help guru's seminar called "Say Yes", in order to change his perspective on life. At the seminar he makes the sacred covenant of having to say yes to everything. Soon as he leaves, a homeless man asks him for a ride to the park. Carrey obliges. The next thing you know he is giving the homeless guy his cell phone to use and money! After he drops the man off, sure enough, his car runs out of gas, and his cell phone battery is now dead.

After trekking a few miles to the gas station, he meets the girl of his dreams. And so it went throughout the story. Everytime he said yes, no matter how bad it might have been , something good happened to him afterward.


When we say "yes" to worshipping God, and serving Him (even when it may look like it's a bad situation to get involved in) good things are bound to happen. Because it is a great, and mighty God that we serve. None of our actions will go in vain. As Tozier put it:



"Only cunning works of silver and gold should be offered to God."