Pastors Blog
May 15, 2009 - 8:51am
I have been doing a lot of pondering, which is fancy way of saying thinking. Grace is such a powerful and wonderful thing. It is by grace we are saved through faith. Amazing, that we receive from God what we have not earned nor deserve, but through grace we measure up. What mercy God has upon us!I have also been amazed at how all desire to be recipients of grace. Isn’t it astonishing when you mess up (that will happen) and someone applies grace or mercy. Forgiving and treating you as if it never happened. Giving grace and mercy to another is something that shows and reveals Gods nature in us and through us on this earth.
On the other side of the coin, I have been equally amazed how hard it is for Christ Followers, who have been changed eternally by this grace mind you, to actually give grace. Bottom line: We want grace and mercy we just find it hard to give it.
Now, before you get all worked up let... Read More
April 23, 2009 - 8:07am
I have been doing a lot of study about David. His story is amazing. He was not the likely choice, but he was God's choice. What amazed me about David was even though he wasn’t perfect and even when others tried to limit David because of who he was or who he wasn’t, God looked at his heart and knew his passion and faith was genuine. Here are a few take a ways from my observations about David.
David's trust was in God and not in his own strength or abilities.
“The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear
will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17.37
David represented God’s Kingdom and not his own.
“David said to Goliath, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,
but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies
of Israel, whom you have... Read More
April 15, 2009 - 7:51am
“Greatness in not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.” – Jim Collins, Good to Great.
We all want to make a difference. We all want our life to count. I can remember almost like it was yesterday when I gave my heart to the Lord. I wanted to change the world. “Jim Wilkes World Wide Ministries” was ready to be launched. I was 16 years old, off to college, and ready to change the world. I got involved in every ministry I thought needed me and my gifting. It was all about what I could offer.
Crash. Somewhere on my journey I had an encounter with God. I discovered the truth. It wasn’t about me. I know. . . What? It was all about Him and the redemption of others. It was about living my life patterned after God’s design. One of my favorite writers, Soren Kierkengaard wrote:
What I really lack is to be clear in my mind what I am to do, not... Read More
April 9, 2009 - 12:26pm
The other day I was filled with appreciation for all that my wife does. I mean she flew to florida to take care of my sister who is fighting cancer and went through surgery. She even cooked dinner for my family and their children. Spent countless hours talking and ministering to them. She then got on a plane, walked in the house and did some laundry.
I was like . . . “What? Who is this woman?”
Be honest, we all take for granted those we love. We really tend to overlook their contribution to our lives. We love them but we stop tending to them. We more or less expect them to produce what we want from them.
When I think of Easter this weekend, my hope is that we do not become too familiar with who Christ is and what He has done for us. The path and journey He walked and endured has paved our way to Salvation, Healing, and Wholeness. When I think about the anguish Christ felt in the Garden, I am in awe. He was in so much anguish that He sweated drops of blood. The path He chose was one only He could travel. Each step he took was for me . . . for my freedom.
Join me this Easter as we celebrate and remember how He was pierced for our... Read More
I was like . . . “What? Who is this woman?”
Be honest, we all take for granted those we love. We really tend to overlook their contribution to our lives. We love them but we stop tending to them. We more or less expect them to produce what we want from them.
When I think of Easter this weekend, my hope is that we do not become too familiar with who Christ is and what He has done for us. The path and journey He walked and endured has paved our way to Salvation, Healing, and Wholeness. When I think about the anguish Christ felt in the Garden, I am in awe. He was in so much anguish that He sweated drops of blood. The path He chose was one only He could travel. Each step he took was for me . . . for my freedom.
Join me this Easter as we celebrate and remember how He was pierced for our... Read More
April 2, 2009 - 9:13am
Today I woke up as if I had already run a mile! Have ever woke up trying to catch your breath. So much is happening that I really do not know where to start. Amazing how life swings on such a pendulum. My heart is full of excitment at what the Lord is doing at Journey. Last week we saw nearly 400 people come and celebrate with us. It was awesome!Even though my heart is filled with awe and excitement, it is also filled with pain. Today, my sister who is fighting cancer went into major surgery. My heart is heavy and breaks for her. Questions, so many questions.
Wide awake at 5 am, I laid in bed thinking about what I value. Here we are coming off what many would consider a huge church success. Then I think of my sister and it all comes into focus.
Family and relationships are what the Kingdom is all about. People are what matters most to God. We can get so caught up in gossip, life, success, and the... Read More
