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Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers
- Garth Brooks

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

I always get a kick out of watching awards shows or sporting events, somebody wins and the first thing they say out of their mouth is, “I want to thank God”. For many, they see no issue with this, but for me, I find it amusing. I watched Floyd Mayweather Jr. “win” his recent match, and at the beginning of the now famous interview, he says something to the effect of wanting to thank God for making this win possible. So, for those ten seconds of time, he’s thanking God, while for the other cabillion seconds of his life all he says is how great he is. Or when a rapper brags about how they’re getting money, how many women they’re running through, or how good they are but turn around and they thank you God at the beginning of the speech. I’m just using them as examples, but often it’s almost the thing to say. For those of us a little closer to the “chuch” we may say, How blessed we are. Yet in our thinking and the way we carry ourselves, we’ll give God the thanks, but we want to take the credit. A look at me mentality, see what I have done, Many of us are familiar with the story of Joseph. Started out, little bit of a brat; brothers sell him to slavery; he ends up in Egypt; does nothing wrong; end up in jail; interpret a couple dreams; becomes governor. As I was preparing for a couple of services next week, I came across a reoccurring statement from Joseph. Every time it came to interpreting a dream, he would say something like, “Interpretations come from God” or “I cannot do it, but God will give the answer”. He said I’m just the vessel; I’m just the instrument that is being used to display the power of God. Joseph was blessed with a gift, but he always put the attention on the giver of the gift. Joseph was exceedingly blessed in his life, but he realized that he was in the position he was in because of the goodness of his God. To God be the glory.

Quote of the day: speaking of Auburn, "It's like they forgot how to lose" - Scott Van Pelt

Thermometer or Thermostat

A thermometer is an instrument that is used to measure temperature. A thermostat is a device that functions to change, establish, and maintain a desired temperature. You’re like, where is this going? I have realized that in the world today, most people are like a thermometer. We can tell you what is going wrong in the world. We can talk about the issues, and the problems. We’ll say how hopeless things look. We’ll speak of how dire our current situations are. Basically, we can tell you how jacked up of a place the world is. But, is that our proper function??? I believe that God has called us to be more like a thermostat in that we are not supposed to reflect the climate around us, but rather we are to change it. A couple of months ago, my home became extremely hot. I went down stairs, looked at the thermostat and the temperature reading showed a temperature of 98 degrees, but the dial was set to 75. What was happening, the thermostat was simply reflecting the temperature and was not effectively changing it, which means something’s WRONG, something’s BROKE. When we can look at the world around us, and at no point are we causing any change, something’s WRONG, something’s BROKE. Too often we look at our surroundings and we allow that to hold us back from truly believing God to totally shake our world and drastically change the climate of the times. Change our schools, our neighborhoods, our nation, our world. We have to be a partner that the spirit of God works through to impact the lives of those around us and not simply be an object that simply reaffirms what our natural senses have already grasped. No one needs a thermometer to tell them the temperature outside on a summer’s day to know that it is hot. We have a purpose in this earth. We have a valued function. We are to change, establish, and maintain a desired climate for a genuine move of God.

 I don’t want to be a thermometer in the world; I want to be a thermostat. –Jimmy Banks, Victory Christian Fellowship Youth Pastor 8/25/11

Thermometer or Thermostat

A thermometer is an instrument that is used to measure temperature. A thermostat is a device that functions to change, establish, and maintain a desired temperature. You’re like, where is this going? I have realized that in the world today, most people are like a thermometer. We can tell you what is going wrong in the world. We can talk about the issues, and the problems. We’ll say how hopeless things look. We’ll speak of how dire our current situations are. Basically, we can tell you how jacked up of a place the world is. But, is that our proper function??? I believe that God has called us to be more like a thermostat in that we are not supposed to reflect the climate around us, but rather we are to change it. A couple of months ago, my home became extremely hot. I went down stairs, looked at the thermostat and the temperature reading showed a temperature of 98 degrees, but the dial was set to 75. What was happening, the thermostat was simply reflecting the temperature and was not effectively changing it, which means something’s WRONG, something’s BROKE. When we can look at the world around us, and at no point are we causing any change, something’s WRONG, something’s BROKE. Too often we look at our surroundings and we allow that to hold us back from truly believing God to totally shake our world and drastically change the climate of the times. Change our schools, our neighborhoods, our nation, our world. We have to be a partner that the spirit of God works through to impact the lives of those around us and not simply be an object that simply reaffirms what our natural senses have already grasped. No one needs a thermometer to tell them the temperature outside on a summer’s day to know that it is hot. We have a purpose in this earth. We have a valued function. We are to change, establish, and maintain a desired climate for a genuine move of God.

 I don’t want to be a thermometer in the world; I want to be a thermostat. –Jimmy Banks, Victory Christian Fellowship Youth Pastor 8/25/11