Never Quit

by Andrew Cromwell

There is a story about an old man who owned a small store in a run-down area. He was the last open store in a failed commercial development and he just refused to quit. A young commercial developer saw an opportunity to buy cheap property in a decent location and formulated a plan. He bought all the property surrounding the small store and made the old man a generous offer for his property too. But the stubborn man wasn't interested. He wouldn't sell no matter how much money was offered.  

The real estate developer was forced to move forward with his plans without the old man's property. After two full years of development the time neared when the new shopping center would open. The new buildings towered over and completely surrounded the old man's small shop. Those that had watched the David-and-Goliath-like struggle between the old man and the developer shook their heads knowing that the coming of the new shopping center would surely sound the death toll for the old man's business. 

But when the day came for the big opening, the old man still had a trick or two up his sleeve. Gigantic, beautiful banners hung from all sides of the new construction proclaiming, "Grand Opening!" and "Best Prices in Town".  Not to be outdone, the old man strung a banner of his own right across the little store that stood at the very center of the new shopping center. His banner read "Main Entrance". 

That's bulldog tenacity. The never-give-up-mentality that believes that for every challenge there is a solution—we would all do well to have a little bit of that same spirit inside us. Far too often we find it is easier to give up when the going gets rough. 
This life is full of challenges, opposition and disappointments. The Scriptures tell us that we will be offended by others. The question is how we will choose to respond to those offenses. 

The book of James says it this way:
When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 

Has your faith ever been tested? Have you ever been tempted to give up? James reminds us that it is in these moments of pressure and difficulty that we are most ready to grow—but only if we grab onto that which is solid and hold on with bulldog tenacity. 

The people that I admire and respect the most are those who have learned that life is simply a training ground for eternity. These precious people have decided that no matter what the challenge or trial, they won't quit and they won't allow their circumstances to dictate their reactions. They have an unfailing trust and faith in the One who is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  

So let me ask you, how's your tenacity level? What are you holding on to? What is going to keep you going even though the massive towers of life surround you on every side? Those who have found their stability in Father God find that He has a way of turning impossible situations into "Main Entrances" for His activity and blessing. 

The pastors in Kings County would love to encourage you this weekend, why don't you gather your family and friends and go somewhere that will remind you that life's challenges look so much better through God's eyes? 

Run to Win

by Tim Howard

1Corinthians 9:24 … “You must run to win.” No one plans to fail but it happens! Have you ever heard a high school student say they hope they fail the final exam? A young couple that hopes their marriage ends in divorce or a business owner who tries to go into bankruptcy? No one has. It’s ludicrous, absurd and unheard of. We all want to win!

When Joshua ordered the Israeli military forces to conquer a city called Ai, they failed in their attempt. The odds were stacked in their favor. They outnumbered the city 10 to 1 and had valiant warriors. They had great skill, a proven strategy and a history of success. No one would have bet on Ai but Israel failed and it cost them. Approx 35 to 40 men lost their lives in that battle. It’s recorded in Joshua Chapter 7.

If 35 to 40 men and women were killed in Iraq or Afghanistan today it would be of national interest. Someone would be asking the tough questions. There are reasons behind every failure.

Among other things, Joshua failed because he acted upon bad advice. The details are recorded in Joshua 7. He was told the city was puny and the number of solders was inconsequential. Therefore don’t send all the warriors. Send only a small percentage. 

Lesson One! Whenever you put out minimum effort you set yourself up for failure. You must give it your ALL in everything you do: business, marriage, family, relationships or education. Don’t listen to the voices that say you can get along by giving the least. You ‘may’ fail even after you give it your all but you ‘will’ fail if you invest only the minimum.

Lesson Two: You must listen to people but also discern between good and bad advice.

Who should you listen to?  

1. Listen to people who disagree with you. That’s hard because people who disagree with us tend to make us mad, especially if they have an irritating manner. Think about it though: If the only people you ever listen to are the ones who agree with you - your mind will never be stretched - your actions will never be challenged - and your course will never be altered - even though it might need to be.

2. Listen to those who love you. They have your best interest in mind. 

3. Listen to people who have demonstrated a pattern of wisdom. 

4 Listen to people who know God and love his Word.

God’s Word will give the wisdom needed to help you discern between good and bad advice.  At some point you must receive or reject the advice coming your way. There are a myriad of opinions on every subject and you must sort through them. Discernment happens when you seek God’s opinion more than the human consensus.

When you do fail however, what can you do? These suggestions might help.

1. Don’t react but respond. Failure doesn’t have to be final.

2. Don’t blame God or anyone else for the failures you experience. Joshua did the right thing by going to God immediately but did the wrong thing by blaming him for the failure.

3. Don’t beat yourself up but look up to God for forgiveness.

4. Get to the root cause and deal with it.

5. Don’t focus on what has been done but focus on what can be done now.

If you have failed, you are in good company. We all have! But you must get up and start running again. Run to Win!

The Power of a Mom

by Andrew Cromwell

There is no doubt in my mind that one of the most powerful influences in anyone’s life is their mom. Mom’s are the first to comfort us when we leave the cocoon of the womb and enter into this cold and noisy world. They are the only one that could really make us feel better when we scraped our knee or knocked our head. Just last night, my six year old woke up crying and this dad was powerless to soothe his tears, but a few hugs from mom and he was just fine.

Mom’s are our biggest fans and they encourage us to keep trying and not give up when all we want to do is quit. They believe in us when it seems that no one else will. And, when they need to, they give us a swift kick in the behind or a choice word that lets us know that we need to toe the line and do what is right.

A world without moms would be a darker, harsher place full of sharp angles and people who always keep us at an arm’s length. Thank God we live in a world where we can still make mom smile with a little glue and dried macaroni.

So we salute moms everywhere this weekend - those amazing women who do more in a day than any man could ever hope to even understand. Those multi-tasking marvels who juggle the house, the job, the homework, the dinner and the husband — and make it look easy. Those underappreciated giants that live among us and without whom the world would literally fall apart.

And to my mom - who taught me how to find God’s presence wherever I am, how to see the world with eyes of possibility and how to appreciate a good piece of chocolate.  I love you mom!

I love what Proverbs 31 says about a good mom: Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world,but you surpass them all!”

The pastors in Kings County will be recognizing moms this weekend, why don’t you make sure to take that special mom in your life and make her heart happy by getting the family together and going to church!

Go According to Plan

by Tim Howard

I’ve appreciated Acts 17:24-29 for many years because it teaches us that God has a plan for us. He doesn’t plan as he goes but goes according to his plan.

Acts 17: 24-29, "The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn't live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn't take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don't make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark. We can actually find him. He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him! One of your poets said it well: 'We're the God-created.' Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn't make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it? MSG

God can’t be contained in any church facility. No matter how beautiful or architecturally unique, God is bigger than buildings. David said it well in Psalms 50 when he declared God is greater than the universe! That’s why he challenges his people to go beyond the walls. Reach out to the neighborhood. Help the community. Invest in the future of our nation. Touch every people group with God’s love.

His plan for you involves more than gathering together on Sunday or one specific day of a week to talk about him. His plan is to use you as a resource for helping solve the pressing challenges of our day. 

Notice that God doesn’t need you, as if he can’t take care of things himself. He involves you in his plan because your fulfillment in this life is connected to your fulfilling your purpose. Many try to find fulfillment through pleasure but God reveals it is only found when we understand our purpose and his plan for our lives. Wise is the person who does what God directs.

Nike’s highly recognized trademark is “Just Do It” but in order to do God’s will and fulfill the purpose we must first ‘see’ it.

You may be familiar with the consummate passage on vision: “Where there is no vision the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18; KJV) Both the NKJV and the NIV use the word “revelation” in place of “vision” and the words “cast off restraint” in place of “perish”. Whatever words you use the conclusion is the same. Serious consequences follow those who don’t see (vision) what God sees and then act upon it.

Some consequences are spiritual lethargy, relational confusion, rampant carnality, and stagnant growth or declining zeal with regards to life. We tend to merely survive rather than thrive.

People need a vision but that vision must be revelatory in nature and given by God rather than acquired by methodology. Vision isn’t just seeing out ahead, it also sees or knows what to do with what is seen ahead. 

What is your purpose? If you left town, would anybody notice? Do you have a plan to reach the goals God has established for you? Do you see how important you are to those who need what you have to give? It’s well worth the effort to discover your design and destiny. There is great reward for you and others when you fulfill your purpose.

Do It

by Andrew Cromwell

In Jesus’ best known sermon—the Sermon on the Mount—he concludes by reminding his listeners that the key to experiencing life in His Kingdom is to not only listen to His Words but to do them. He says, “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house upon the rock” (Matthew 7:24). This type of person will be protected from the storms of life.

The connection between hearing and doing is an important one. Those that have children know what it is to tell your child what to do and then to watch them do the exact opposite. It is even worse when you take time to explain to them why and they still ignore you. In my home, there is a major difference between the child who did something wrong and I had told them not to do it, and the child who did something wrong but hadn’t been told. The former is in much BIGGER trouble than the latter.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like doing what other people tell me to do. I want to do my own thing. I’m pretty good at smiling and acting nice and pretending like I’m going to do what they tell me, but in my heart I know I’m not going to do it. And this little person that stands up inside of me and shakes its fist at the world also seems to do the same thing even when it comes to the stuff that even God tells me to do.

I can read Jesus’ words and even say that I want to live by them, but when it comes right down to it, I don’t want to do what He says. I don’t want to forgive someone who has wronged me. I don’t want to serve someone who doesn’t deserve it. I don’t want to go out of my way for others. I don’t want to admit that I need help. And the list goes on and on.

And yet application is the the key to life transformation. The great secret to living a life in the Kingdom of God—and if Jesus is telling the truth living life in the Kingdom is WAY better then living any other way—is to actually do what He says.

You can spend all the time in the world studying about the effect and treatments for dehydration. You can read personal accounts of what it feels like and how to prevent it. You can learn how to read the medical tests. You can stare at pictures of clear crystal springs and bottles of the good stuff. But until you actually drink the water, it is all just theory. You’re still dehydrated and you’re still going to die.

Application, application, application. You and I have to do what God says if we want to really live.

So what do you need to do? What is God whispering in your heart that you have been resisting? How much longer will you keep yourself from His living water?

The pastors in Kings County would love the opportunity to help you both to KNOW the way that Jesus has given us to an abundant life as well as how to DO it. Why don’t you start drinking some of His water?  You might just find it’s what you’ve been looking for.

Change Agents

by Tim Howard

Have you ever met someone who changed your life for the good? Someone you can point to who made you a better person? My mother and father gave me life and shaped my life but there are a handful of people I can point to who changed my life. My wife being one of them… Because of her I am a better man. 

Jesus came to change people and it’s not because He doesn’t like who we are. He’s not mad, uptight or dissatisfied with us. It’s not because He finds us unappealing or distasteful but because He loves us. After all, we are created in His image. He loves us enough to accept us on the basis of who we have become but loves us too much to leave us in our current condition. 

When God created the world, everything was good. You can read about in Genesis chapter 1 and 2. We were designed in His image with the objective of having open communion with Him on a personal basis. In Genesis Chapter 3, however, mankind decided to rebel and didn’t want to follow His lead. From the beginning of time, people have wanted what they want, when they want it and how they want it. 

That rebellious streak plays havoc in relationships and caused a breach in our communion with God. You cannot be self-centered, self-willed and selfish without causing damage. Relationship of all sorts will suffer. We were designed for good but damaged by evil.

We are all broken! We are all damaged! There is not one of us who has it all together. But under all the damage and debris, there is an original creation. There is a Real You!

You may have watched the news cast on TV a couple of weeks ago about a man who purchased a $4 painting at a yard sale. A few days later when he was trying to reframe his purchase, he found an original painting by Andy Warhol worth an estimated $5.5 million.

Jesus wants to change you back into your original condition because you are worth much more to Him than that painting is worth monetarily. He wants the real you to be revealed.

He does this by changing four things. He changes our relationship to God. We became His enemy when we rebelled. He didn’t turn on us but we turned on Him. He starts by reconnecting or reconciling us to God because without a genuine relationship with Him, long lasting change is not possible. John 15 tells us that apart from God we can do nothing.

He then seeks to change our character, followed by our relationships with others and ultimately our destiny - both short term and long term.

For those who plug into Him, there waits an eternity with Him after death. There isn’t a long-term plan longer than that!  He also changes our short-term destiny. Rather than just survive life and eke out a living, we are invited to change the world by partnering with Him. 

In 1983, Steve Jobs was trying to lure CEO John Scully away from Pepsi to come run Apple. Scully resisted Jobs’ overtures, citing his lack of experience in technology. Finally, Jobs asked, “Do you want spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do want to change the world?”

You can change your world by discovering the Real You! You were created to have relationship with God and be a change agent. 

Those Things That Only You Can Do

by Andrew Cromwell

Recently I was reminded that of all the things that I do in my life, there are only a few things that I and only I can do. No one else can do these things for me. In virtually every other area of my life, I am replaceable — but not in these few things. No one can "step in" for me in these areas.

Wayne Cordeiro calls these areas the "last 5%". This is true for all of us. He breaks it down like this:

Eighty percent of what you do, anyone can do — answer the phone, check your email, take notes at the meeting, fill out reports, etc.

Fifteen percent of what you do, anyone with some basic skills can do — run your software program, deal with clients, operate specific machinery, etc.

But the last five percent, no one else can do — be your spouse's mate, be your children's mother or father, build your relationship with God, etc.

This last five percent is what is truly worth our time. The other things might be good, but these things are great. These things are worth investing your life in.

Only you can grow spiritually. Only you can open your heart to Jesus Christ. You are responsible to shepherd and guard your own heart. 1 Timothy 4:7 says, "discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness." No one else holds our spiritual future in their hands. You are the one who decides whether to follow God with all of your heart, or just with your spare time. This is the one thing that can truly set all of your life in order and put you on the road to great success.

Only you can keep yourself motivated to obey God and to seek Him. The bottom line is that you alone are responsible to bring motivation to the table. You must keep yourself motivated by keeping your eyes on the prize and your heart full of hope. The circumstances of life are are always waging war against your belief that life can be better and that God is faithful. In the Old Testament we read that "David encouraged himself in the Lord" (1 Samuel 30:6). Sometimes we have to stare the ugly facts of life straight in the face and decide that instead of allowing those things to discourage, destroy or distract us, we instead will encourage ourselves. We will choose to remember that God is greater than any circumstance and that He is always faithful.

Only you can love your family as their father, mother, husband or wife. No one else but you can play this role as well as you. You are responsible to play the role in your home that God has created for you. If you are anything like me, far to often you find yourself spending time on things that take you away from being the best you can be for your family. Instead of putting your family as the priority, they get put on the back burner. But if you cho0se to embrace this important role, then you will discover that the investment pays incredible dividends.

Time is short in life. We have to decide where to invest it. There are many great things to do, but there are only a few things that only you can do. Choose to do these things and you will never regret it.

This weekend, why don't you grab your family and head to church? The pastors of Kings County would love the opportunity to encourage you to invest your five percent in the best way possible.