Long story short…

Last night me and a friend went to hang out with my Pastor Joey and his wife at their house. We went with no real agenda other than to be poured into and drawn closer to God.
On the way over there I prayed that God would challenge us all. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for hanging out and having fun but I love hanging out with people and sharpening each other to look more like Christ. To me that’s the most fun thing I can be doing while hanging out with someone.

We get to Joey and Laura’s house and the girls went their way and me Joey went ours. Me and Joey pulled up Youtube on the Wii, played some worship music and just talked. Then we stumbled upon this movie “Finger of God.” The girls came in the room and we watched the movie for the next hour and spent another hour talking about things in the movie.
It challenged me beyond belief and I’m still wrestling with some of the things. Since it impacted me, I thought I’d pass it along to you. I hope you enjoy!
If you like the first 5 clips, I’ll post the next 5 later.

I’m that guy who has to pray for people right then and there because if I don’t, more times than not, I’ll forget.
I’m that guy who is on staff at an amazing Church yet feels so inadequate and undeserving.
I’m a guy who should have a lot better relationship with his family.
I’m a guy that God serves Humble Pie to on a constant basis because of my PRIDE.
I’m a guy who is leading an AMAZING group of young people but is still learning how to lead daily.
I’m that guy who used to wear tight shirts because they make him look like he has muscles… until he saw a picture, then he knows he’s just fat.
I’m that guy who struggles being real with himself, others, and God.
I’m that guy who has made more stupid mistakes with girls than I can count.
I’m that guy who could lose his job at any moment because of making a stupid mistake.
I’m that guy who spends 200 dollars for a pair of Jeans then makes you feel bad for not giving to the poor.
I’m that guy who shaves his head because his hair is thinning.
I’m that guy who is jealous of most people who are more intelligent than him.
I’m that guy who over promises and under delivers.
I’m that guy who talks big about commitment to the local church yet forgets to say thank you to his awesome volunteers as many times as I should.
I’m that guy who never smiles in his pictures because of my teeth.
I’m that guy who is just really learning how to read scripture.
I’m that guy who struggles with lust.
I’m that guy who leaves my computer in my office, not in my house so I don’t look at porn.
I’m that guy who’s still waiting for God to put the “one” (if there’s such a thing) in my path.

But
Despite all of this,
I’m a guy who is going to continue to let God use him, mold him and shape him in spite of all that Jazz.
Because for some reason in spite of all my crap…God is using me and it is only just beginning.
So now that you see how screwed up I am. When are you going to stop waiting until you are out of your “sinfest” and let God use you in the midst of your arrogant, selfish and sinful chaos?

Get over yourself and let God use you.

How do you find the right husband or wife? Is he or she “the one”? Finding a spouse seems so easy for some, but what about everyone else? When Mr. or Miss Right doesn’t seem to be on the horizon, many are left wondering …

“What if I’ve missed the one? What if I turned down the one because I didn’t know if I was ready? What if I marry the wrong person? What if this isn’t the one God wants?”

My wife and I found that when looking for a future spouse, most people tend to put the focus on the other person, instead of themselves. The issue isn’t about finding the one, it’s about being the one.

Peter Haile, in his book The Difference God Makes, seems to agree, saying:

“To be told [by God], ‘Jim, you are to marry Nancy,’ will be very unusual. I won’t say that it will never happen, but it is highly unlikely. Why? Because, compared with whether Jim trusts and loves God moment by moment and trusts and loves Nancy moment by moment, the choice of Nancy or someone else is virtually inconsequential. The will of God has primarily to do with who Jim is every second—what his thoughts, actions, attitudes and words are.”

What my wife and I tend to believe is that any man and any woman can have a healthy marriage. It all depends on how much work both parties are willing to put into the relationship.

Perhaps God does not design a soul mate for everyone, but expects us to work toward being a good mate … because to be a good mate is to take on the character and attitude of Christ. This kind of person has the freedom to choose any spouse, not because of what they get from that person, but because of what they can give.

So how do you become more and more “the one”? What does that look like when you’re single, in a relationship, or married? In effect becoming the one means to become a healthy person (emotionally, spiritually, physically and so forth). You don’t have to be perfect, or even close to perfect, but on a journey toward becoming who God created you to be and ever more peaceful with who that exactly is. Here are some things to consider:

If you are not in a relationship …
We feel it’s crucial to realize that no matter whom you marry, you will most likely have the same personal issues you did before marriage. It can feel like marriage is the answer to making everything in your life right, but in our experience, marriage tends to amplify problems, not solve them.

Instead of believing in this romantic fallacy, take stock of where you are personally. Consider your emotions, past, family, talents, dreams, hobbies, struggles, spirituality, sexuality and employment. Striving to make these areas healthy will not necessarily lead to finding a husband/wife. However, exerting yourself toward wholeness brings confidence, peace and contentment. These traits are very attractive and if you do find a relationship, they will go a long way in making that relationship thrive.

If you’re dating or engaged …
Focusing on yourself can be difficult when you’re dating or engaged. It’s so easy to see the ways your significant other can change. Instead, take time to identify how you can better be the one within a relationship.

Explore what Scripture says about being a husband or wife. Head to BibleGateway.com and do a search on the words “marriage,” “husband” and “wife,” and see what comes up. Understand God’s expectations of you personally, as you prepare to be a husband or wife.

It would also be wise to consult friends and family. Get their assessments on how your individual strengths and weaknesses present themselves in your relationship. Ask what they foresee as the biggest challenges you will face in a future marriage. We’d recommend finding perspectives from people of different ages and in different kinds of relationships.

A few more suggestions for dating/engaged couples are:

- Read The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman to understand giving and receiving love.
- Take the Myers-Briggs personality test.
-Watch one another’s family dynamics. Talk about what you want to be different or the same in your relationship.

If you’re married …
Marriage tends to spotlight how self-absorbed we really are. Myself and my wife included. Selfishness rears its ugly head when our spouse hurts us, disappoints us or otherwise falls short of what we expected them to be. This is the toughest place to be the one.

Still, there is hope if we put effort into living out our own marriage vows instead of forcing, nagging or coaxing our spouse to live out theirs. It’s as simple and as complicated as that. Take responsibility for yourself and take your heart first to God, then to your spouse. Allow God to be your rock, the One who will never disappoint you. You’ll find it’s easier to forgive as well as see areas you personally might need to work on.

Keep in mind, things won’t necessarily be easy once you’ve done all this work at being the one. You and your spouse will have days where you’ll look at one another and ask, “What did we get ourselves into?” When that happens, you can remind yourselves why you got married in the first place. It wasn’t because you found “the one” but because you decided to be “the one.”

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/relationship/blog/22229-how-to-find-qthe-oneq

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

An airplane is meant to fly, a car is built to be driven, and clothes are designed to be worn. You would have very little use for a plane that won’t fly, a car that would not move, or clothes that can no longer be worn.

Why?
It’s simple because their purpose is not being realized. It’s a great frustration to have things that are no longer useful. Sometimes to be honest I feel like God feels that way about me.

We were designed to know Him, not simply to have a comfortable life. We were not created just to get married, have children and a successful career, then grow old and enjoy retirement. These are some of life’s benefits, its “side dishes”, not its purposes.

The tragedy today is that we have taken life’s benefits and tried to make them our main thing. We’re trying to make the “side dishes” the main course. The result is that we often find the benefits very unsatisfactory. Shocker right?!?

So if the purpose of life is not marriage, success, happiness, or any of that, what is it? What were we created for?
Answer: we were created to know and worship God with all-consuming passion. That’s it. That’s why Paul tells us to do everything to God’s glory.

Bringing glory to something means to put it on the mantel where it can be admired. I’ll probably never understand this but most women seeks glory when she decorates her home in such a way that guest say, “Wow, where do you get that?” Or women will spend hours cleaning their house making sure everything is perfect before guest can come over. As if the guest haven’t seen a dirty house before. She puts a special treasure on display so that when people see it, they are in awe.

Guys we do this also. If you ever want to hear a guy lie (or most guys) all you have to do is ask him how awesome he was back in High School at sports. He’ll almost promise you that he would of been the starting quarterback but Brett Farve started ahead of him and he didn’t get any playing time. But the truth is he was probably just the tailback. As in “Get your tailback on the bench”. We do this as guys because we feel that we have to protect our reputation.
We want people to be in awe of us. But the truth is we should want to abandon ourselves and live for people to see Jesus inside of us…That way they won’t see us at all.

That’s what we’re supposed to do for God. We’re supposed to display Him in such a way that people are awed by Him. Glorying God means to make him look good, to place Him on display so that when others see our lives, they are in awe of our God.

Even in the everyday stuff, our goal should be to Glorify God in all we do. But I have to be honest, it takes a passionate, Radical, Misfit for Christ to live like that but it can be done!
We just have to help each other, spend time with our maker everyday and go for it with everything we have.

This week I just want to challenge you (along with myself) to be a Misfit for Christ and live Completely Abandoned to yourself for Christ.

This is a video of my Worship Leader Jimmy Farrell singing an original song Completely Abandoned. I think it fits perfect for this post. Enjoy!

Re post from Perrynoble.com

Jesus made it pretty clear in John 13:34-35 as to how the world would know we are His disciples…notice He did NOT say, “They will know you are my disciples…

#1 – By the way you forward really stupid, ridiculous emails to one another…and if you refuse to forward them to everyone you have in your contact list then you don’t love me.

#2 – By the way you yell at people who don’t know me for living as if they don’t know me.

#3 – By your T-shirts and bumper stickers!

#4 – By the music you listen to!

#5 – By the political party you support.

#6 – By the denomination you belong to.

#7 – By the way you protest.

#8 – By the products and companies you boycott.

#9 – By the way you look down on those whom you perceive aren’t as good as you.

#10 – By the way you take from one another!

Nope…John 13:34-35 is clear, Jesus didn’t mix His Words…we are called to live this out.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-12

In 1980 doctors diagnosed Chris, a seven-year-old boy, with leukemia. Chris wanted to be a motorcycle police officer when he grew up. A friend of Chris’s family spoke to a member of the Arizona Highway Patrol about the boy’s dream, and a few days later several motorcycle officers stopped in to meet Chris.

But after the meeting the officers wanted to do more. They arranged for Chris to ride in the department’s helicopter with a local news reporter, who filmed Chris’s dream coming true. Eventually the boy also received a ride in a patrol car, a ride on a patrol motorcycle with sirens blaring, a custom-made uniform and even a battery-powered motorcycle to replace his wheelchair. Later that year, when Chris succumbed to the Leukemia that had ravaged his body, the motorcycle officers granted full department honors to this fallen “officer” who had touched them so deeply.

However, the dreams of this boy didn’t die with him. They live on in the Make-a-Wish Foundation, an organization that helps fulfill the wishes of thousands of children who suffer from life-threatening illnesses.

Its amazing how one person’s quiet suffering could grow into something so gigantic.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian believers to praise the amazing expansion of their faith. In fact, it wasn’t just their faith that had grown. So had the love they demonstrated toward each other. This increase occurred despite the suffering they were enduring as both Jews and fellow Gentiles persecuted them (Acts 17).

Or did this amazing growth occur because of that suffering and persecution? When we suffer, God remains in control. In good times and in bad, he doesn’t leave us to our own resources. Rather, he provides the strength that allows us to hold on. God sometimes permits us to suffer because by carrying on we gain strength and moral character.

The great C.S. Lewis once said, “God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you to go through it, not without pain but without stain.”

Are you suffering?
What amazing thing does God have in store for you?
God will walk with you as you struggle through each agonizing step, enabling you to grow in faith and to demonstrate love toward those around you.

Without a test, there is not testimony.

Just one more quote….”They gave our Master a crown of thorns. Why do we hope for a crown of roses.” Martin Luther

First off…
I DID NOT WRITE THIS!
There are some things in this article that I agree with and some that I don’t!
I personally DO NOT drink. But it’s not because I think if a person of age does drink that he’s committing a sin. I’m simply posting this because I would love to hear your opinions on this. That’s all! No arguing. Just your opinions.

By Jason Boyett…
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/features-reviews/life/1539-alcohol-a-commentary

Question: Which is better? Fishing with one Baptist or two Baptists?

Answer: Two. If you take one, you’ll have to share your beer. If you take two, you’ll have the beer to yourself, because Baptists won’t drink in front of each other.

I’m not much of a drinker. I didn’t drink alcohol at all until I was 22 years old. And these days, I might have little more than the equivalent of two 6-packs over the course of a year. A Coors or Shiner Bock when I play poker with my brother’s friends. The occasional mixed drink when hanging with another couple from our church. And should I find myself in the Caribbean, I’m man enough to admit I really like banana coladas—not the virgin ones my wife prefers, but the real thing. And that’s pretty much it.

Other confessions: I like to smoke when I go fly-fishing, because campfires are better with a good cigar, and mountain air is fresher after a cigarette. Furthermore, I play cards, invest in the stock market, let my wife manage our family’s finances and used to watch “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with devoted regularity.

Next time you’re in a church service, fold a paper airplane out of the bulletin, give it a good toss, and chances are you’ll hit someone who thinks at least one of the activities above are sinful. Problem is, none of them are expressly prohibited by anything in the Bible, unless you do tricky things with the language or remove things from context. That’s one of the big struggles with being a Christian in a society two millennia removed from the time the last of our scriptures were written—all the gray areas. Jesus never said, “Disciples, don’t drink alcohol.” He never told any parables about the effects of R-rated movies on his followers. He never chastised the Pharisees for spending too much time playing video games. Of course, he was pretty clear on things like adultery and divorce. And he really got worked up when the religious folks passed judgment on those who didn’t live up to their lengthy lists of societal and religious rules

When Jesus walked around Palestine, the people who most upset him were the Pharisees. Why? Because they focused on their petty, pseudo-religious rules while losing sight of the important stuff like loving God and loving people. We do the same today. Lots of the “rules” of our comfortable Christian subculture are based more on tradition than the Bible. They have more to do with the notion of “being separate” from the world than being made in the image of Christ. And how significant is it that this attitude of separation places great emphasis on some issues of outward appearance (alcohol, smoking, tattoos, entertainment) and not others (unthinking consumerism, gluttony)?

Which brings us to the issue of drinking alcohol. Many readers strongly believe the Bible is clear in its prohibition of alcoholic beverages. Others believe Scripture doesn’t precisely disallow it, but feel it’s best in today’s society to abstain. And there are still others who think there is absolutely nothing wrong with drinking, while recognizing that drunkenness is very much a sinful act.

Some Christians go even further on the issue and don’t condemn drunkenness. A good friend of mine got to spend an evening with the members of a notable hardcore Christian band. After a concert at a local Christian venue, they all proceeded to a local bar and got plastered—the band, their management, the venue’s promoters, everyone. My friend ended up actually escorting the entourage around that evening because she was the only one in any condition to drive. Needless to say, it was a very long, weird night for her. She wondered if her local Christian bookstore would still display their huge cardboard cutout of the band had they known what went on that evening.

That’s all there is to the story. You’re wondering who the band was, aren’t you? Why is that? Is it so you can judge them? Pray for them? Join them? What’s the Christian response to that kind of story?
Let’s leave those questions aside and just look at some of the issues regarding the Bible and alcohol.

2 Corinthians 4: 1-18

When a young man gets down on one knee; reaches into his pocket; pulls out a small, velvet-covered box and opens it, the wrong response from the young woman before him would be, “Oh! What a pretty box!” If she utters those words, there’s something seriously wrong with her perspective.

The box holding the diamond engagement ring isn’t meant to draw attention to itself. The box exists solely to make the ring look good. You might describe ring boxes as plain and nondescript, yet simple and elegant. Inside, the ring tucks into white satin or black velvet to allow the beauty of the diamond to shine forth.

Paul uses a different object to communicate a similar lesson. When he observes that “we have this treasure in jars of clay” (Verse 7), he’s declaring that we’re ordinary “packages,” not ornate glass vases. Paul urges us not to live in a way that draws attention to ourselves. Instead, we are to seek to showcase the brilliance of the One who lives within us.

These are sobering words in an age in which even some preachers wear diamond studded watches, fly in private jets, arrive in a motorcade of limousines and highlight the vast influence of “their” ministries. The apostle Paul probably wouldn’t have impressed these Christian “celebrities.” What’s attractive about a man who describes himself as “hard pressed,” “perplexed,” “persecuted” and “struck down” (verses 8-9)?

But remember, the apostle Paul existed to make Jesus look good. As he sought to bring people to Christ, Paul didn’t want them to overlook Christ and fall in love with himself instead. What a goal!

I recently attended a Leadership Conference at a Church and the entire Church embodied this mission that Paul is speaking about. It was so refreshing to see a “Mega Church” who was completely humble, have a servants hearts and who were ALL ABOUT PEOPLE MEETING JESUS!

It’s my prayer that we could all learn to function the way that Paul was explaining and that all Church’s could resemble the Love and Grace of the Church I attended.
To live simply as Jars of Clay, desiring only to attract people to the incomparable treasure we hold inside and be completely abandoned to ourselves no matter our situations.

”Humility is the true proof of Christian Virtues; without it we retain all our faults, and they are only covered with pride to hide them from others, and often from ourselves.” Francois De La Rochefoucauld

Daniel 4: 28-37

If you’re a football fan, you know that no one celebrates a touchdown quite like a wide receiver (Chad Johnson). In the past, most receivers simply spiked the ball to add an exclamation point to a reception in the end zone. Then came the dance moves—a shuffle here, a slide—step there. With each passing season the celebrations grew more and more elaborate. Some players even began stashing props in the end zone to incorporate into their touchdown routines.

That’s when the penalty flags began to fly as referees became more willing to call this kind of activity “unsportsmanlike conduct.” If only more of these players had been like Barry Sanders, who in his ten-year career with the Detroit Lions scored 109 touchdowns—and afterward simply handed the ball to the referee and jogged off the field.

Fact is, these elaborate touchdown celebrations ignore some of the other people actually responsible for the touchdown—people like the quarterback throwing the ball, the offensive lineman creating time for the quarterback to throw, the coach calling the play and the assistant coach spotting a defensive weakness to exploit during film sessions the week before the game.

If life were fair we’d see highlight clips of offensive coordinators spiking their clipboards and high—stepping down the sidelines after plays they’d created had resulted in touchdowns! But life isn’t fair. So wide receivers get the glory—not to mention big contracts and product endorsements opportunities.

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had somewhat of a wide receiver’s mentality when it came to his kingdom. While surveying his empire from a rooftop one day, the king let his ego get the best of him. “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” he bragged.

Huge mistake. Before the final boastful syllable had left the king’s lips, God pronounced judgment on him. He banished Nebuchadnezzar to the wilderness to live like a wild animal for seven years. God punished the king for trying to steal something that belonged to God—his glory. Nebuchadnezzar had taken credit for God’s accomplishments.

God has defintely been serving me some of my least favorite desert lately to remind me that this life is all about him…And that desert would be Humble Pie.
No matter what we’re good at in life, if we look closely enough we’ll realize that our accomplishments really belong to God. Everything we have we have because he has allowed us to have it. We’re just a vessel he’s using to help bring glory to his name.

Listen and learn from Nebuchadnezzar’s words: “Those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” And, as this ancient king learned the hard way, God often does just that.

Imagine it. A blinding light from heaven. Men falling to the ground all around you. The voice of the risen Christ calling you to a mission that will change the world forever.

Okay, so this drama seems unlikely to take place in your life or maybe it’s just unlikely in my own. But Paul—or Saul as he was known at the time—certainly didn’t expect such a scene either. He set out for Damascus to oppose the Christian movement and returned a spokesman for it. He set out on a mission against Christ and returned the most influential Christian missionary the world has yet seen.

While the dramatic events of Paul’s conversion aren’t likely to happen to us, something similar actually takes places when we’re called to the Christian life.

Consider…

Leah, a Public Speaking teacher at a local high school.  But she views her job as a ministry of helping young men and women have the confidence in their speech to go out and share the Gospel.

Mike, a career counselor, advises men in transition. He also affirms their worth and value when they begin to doubt it themselves. He prays for each man with whom he meets.

Mario, a plant manager, wants his company to show a profit. But he also wants his customers to receive quality goods and his employees to find fulfillment in their work and receive fair compensation.

These men and women and others like them realize that their call from God doesn’t mean that they must become a missionary like Paul—or serve as a pastor, or undertake any other full-time “Christian” profession. They understand that their calling means following God’s will in their daily tasks. They approach their work with the same kind of dedication about which
Paul later wrote: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Colossians 3:23).

As Christ followers we can’t make the mistake of thinking that reaching the lost is all up to the Pastors/Worship leaders. Most of the people who can have the biggest influence for Christ aren’t the people on stage at Church every Sunday. Everyone has a chance to spread the Gospel we just have to keep our eyes open for the chances.

Those chances could be at your daily job like Leah, Mike and Mario. Those chances could also come from things like bumping into a random person at a store, seeing someone sitting alone somewhere and striking up a conversation with them. There are so many times in our life that we have the opportunity to minister to people and we miss it. We just have to open our eyes, hearts and get out of our comfort zone so that we can allow God to use us despite our fears, failures and faults.

Tomorrow when you go about your day, open your eyes to chances to speak life into people and share the Gospel.

“If you cannot sing like the angels.
If you cannot preach like Paul.
You can tell the love of Jesus
And say he died for all”

“He must become greater, I must become less” John3:30

Ecclesiastes 5

When you get on a plane to travel, whether across the country or across an ocean, what do you hope will happen? Do you wish for lighting, turbulence and a seat mate who has a nasty cough or horrible gas? No, when you fly, you want a predicable and routine trip. No delays, No hair-raising episodes or near-death experiences–even if those events might later make for a good story at a get-together. No, you seek an uneventful flight. Downright boring suits you just fine. The only thing you hope is exciting is that the food is a party in your mouth!

Some people attend church hoping for the predictable and routine, the uneventful and boring. Author and Pastor Max Lucado writes, “People on a plane and people on a pew have a lot in common. All are on a journey…For many; the mark of a good flight and the mark of a good worship assembly are the same. “Nice,” we like to say. “It was a nice flight/it was a nice worship service.”

Many people go home from church unchanged and unaltered. A few, however, long for something better than “nice.”

Solomon reminds us that when we worship we go on a journey. Worship leads us to encounter and experience the living God. As worshipers, we do our best to prepare ourselves–purifying our hearts, clearing our minds, opening our ears, keeping our promises and humbling our posture before God.

What are a few tactics to prepare oneself for worship?
It could be coming to Church early to pray that people meet Jesus in a strong way during the service. We show up early for Football games and sporting events because we’re expecting an awesome game. Why not show up early for Church to pray and expect a move of God?
It could be getting out of our comfort zones to meet and encourage people in the Church that we’ve never met and that don’t look like us.

Let’s even go a step farther than just worship at Church. What about worship being a lifestyle? Worship is also everything you do throughout your day. It’s how you live your life! In Galatians Paul tells the church of Galatia to watch me as I stand up and have the courage to live for Christ! That’s something I try my beset to remind myself of daily and I think as Christians we should all try to stand up and live our lives in worship to God!

The next time you attend a worship service, remember the admonition of verses 1 through 3. Prepare your heart so that the offering of worship isn’t just so much wasted breath. Focus on the reality that “God is in heaven, and you are on earth,” understanding that you’re entering the very presence of a holy and awesome God who listens, watches and loves to hear our worship. A heart that’s properly prepared for worship doesn’t simply endure the journey. It hopes for the memorable, not the mundane. It prepares itself for a marvelous adventure in the presence of the God of the universe, and it expects and works toward a deeper relationship with the Creator.

Hi, my name is Adam Smith and I’m the author of http://jackalopekid.com. I’m here to talk to you today about compassion. No, I’m not talking about Compassion International, even though they are pretty awesome. I’m here to talk about the ACTION of compassion towards others. Actually, this is to challenge the church and myself as I write this to show compassion to anyone. I/we need to be the church and do something outside the four walls of the church for a change. When I think of showing compassion it ends up being about the homeless and my brain shuts off there. I want to think of something fresh and new and this is where you, the blogging community, come into play.

Can you help me out?

What are some ways we as the church can show some compassion towards others?

A heartfelt tale of inspiration, hope and redemption, Letters to God is the story of what happens when one boy’s walk of faith crosses paths with one man’s search for meaning—the resulting transformational journey touches the lives of everyone around them.

Tyler Doherty (TANNER MAGUIRE) is an extraordinary eight-year-old boy. Surrounded by a loving family and community, and armed with the courage of his faith, he faces his daily battle against cancer with bravery and grace. To Tyler, God is a friend, a teacher and the ultimate pen pal—Tyler’s prayers take the form of letters, which he composes and mails on a daily basis.

The letters find their way into the hands of Brady McDaniels (JEFFREY S.S. JOHNSON), a beleaguered postman standing at a crossroads in his life. At first, he is confused and conflicted over what to do with the letters. Overtime he begins to form a friendship with the Doherty family – getting to know not just Tyler but his tough, tender yet overwhelmed mom (ROBYN LIVELY), stalwart grandmother (MAREE CHEATHAM) and teen brother Ben (MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER BOLTEN) — who are each trying to stand strong against the doubts that come with the chaotic turn their lives have taken.

Moved by Tyler’s courage, Brady realizes what he must do with the letters, a surprise decision that will transform his heart and uplift his new found friends and community –in an exhilarating act of testament to the contagious effect of one boy’s unwavering faith against the odds.

Inspired by a true story, Letters to God is an intimate, moving and often funny story about the galvanizing effect one child’s belief can have on his family, friends and community.

A few powerful and sobering photos from the Chile earthquake

Author Gore Vidal once confessed, “Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies.”

Admit it…you know that feeling. Maybe a coworker gets the promotion you were hoping for. Or a colleague receives all the credit for a project you worked on together. Where it’s a slight on the work site or a career-altering incident, it gnaws at you. But why? What makes us fume when others get ahead?

Consider Aaron and Miriam. They could only stand by and watch as God lavished favor on Moses, their humble brother. All those private encounters with the Almighty on Mount Sinai. The power to perform jaw-dropping miracles. Escalating influence. Growing acclaim. Moses enjoyed all these advantages and more. Why him? Why not them?

So, in a desperate attempt to build themselves up, the siblings tried to take their brother down a few notches. They ragged on him and bragged on themselves. They recited their own spiritual resumes to all who would listen. Quickly God stepped in. Sternly he reminded them that he alone decides what blessings people will enjoy and where they’ll serve.

If we’re not wise, we’ll learn from Aaron and Miriam. Pride is like a spiritual cancer. Unaddressed, it spans envy. Unchecked, it consumes our hearts and minds. Don’t be deceived. If you think too highly of yourself you run the dangerous risk of thinking too little of God and others. Jealous people accuse God and attack his chosen servants.

Instead of obsessing about others—his calling, her gifts, their advantages—focus on your own God-given resources and roles. What gifts, talents and opportunities has God given you? Take inventory. Stop comparing yourself with others. Quit competing. Fight the urge to question God’s wisdom. Then start serving with all the strength God gives you. Let him promote you, if and when he chooses, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James4:10)

“Pride gets no pleasure out of having something; only out of having more of it than the next man…It is the comparison that makes you proud; the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.” C.S. Lewis

This is a blog that Pastor Craig Groeschel of Life Church in Oklahoma wrote that goes along with this…

I’ll never be as a great a leader as Bill Hybels.
I’ll never be as deep as John Piper.
I’ll never be as smart as Mark Driscoll.
I’ll never be as creative as Ed Young.
I’ll never be as passionate as Steven Furtick.
I’ll never be as funny as Perry Noble.
I’ll never write like Erwin McManus.
I’ll never preach on one point as amazingly as Andy Stanley.
I’ll never have as big of arms as Bishop Eddie Long.
I’ll never be as Purpose Driven as Rick Warren.
I’ll never be as positive as Joel Osteen.

Thankfully, I’m not called by God to be any of those people!

And neither are you!

Although I can’t be them, God has created me with the ability to:

* Cast a compelling vision and move people radically toward Christ.
* Recognize talent and gifts in people most overlook.
* Reach people for Christ who are far from God.

This world needs to see YOU!! You’re the best you that’s ever been created!!
We’ve got to start completing one another and stop competing with one another!