Pastor's Book Review- Heaven Is For Real

Let me start out by saying that for the most part, I'm really skeptical of people's personal spiritual experiences that are out of the ordinary. I have to see it or touch it for it to be real to me. When people have these stories of angels and visitations, I don't jump on the bandwagon. 

I think I'm just afraid of being duped. Of being "that guy" that believed something that wasn't true, even though everyone else did. I'd rather stand on the sidelines and watch and save face. I don't want to look bad. 

I know. It's not a great character trait, but its self-preservation. This is me. Welcome to my world. 

Yesterday, we were at Costco, "dorking around" as we like to call it, and I saw that book "Heaven is for real".  Our worship leader, the esteemed Emily Garrett, had read it and spoke of it, so I started to thumb through it. Since it was only 9 dollars, I figured I would buy it and see what it was about. 

I got home, sat on the couch to begin reading it, and about 3 hours later I had finished the book. I couldn't put it down. It was an amazing read. I can't remember a more powerful book (beside the Bible) that I have read in the last 10 years that affected me so much. 

Now, understanding what I've said about my skeptical nature, I need you to understand this- either this book is 100 percent the real deal, or completely false. If its false, woe be to the guy that wrote it, because it is off the charts inspiring. As I was reading it, I laughed, I wept, I praised God, I felt his presence. I don't gravitate towards books like this. I like to read personal growth books. Leave the squishy books to the other guy. Give me a manual. 

I don't want to ruin the book for you, but let me explain- this book, which was written by a Pastor, is the account of his 4 year old sons visit to heaven. It chronicles the discovery of the event, what transpired, and how it affected the boy. 

What affected me the most is the scriptural accuracy of the visit, and the father's attempt to understand what had happened, without feeding his child information. It didn't leave me with many questions about the experience. It was clear that he wanted to get it right. 

You have to read it. 

Here's the deal- usually you would not find me endorsing a book about someones experience, because typically, those experiences lead people in wrong directions. On this one, I'm putting all 250 lbs behind this paperback. I'll take the heat if it comes out bad in the long run, but this book doesn't send your heart any where it shouldn't be. Its solid. 

I realize that this blog typically is about my insight and encouragement, and maybe you're not getting it in large measure today. I'm willing to let that go today to get you to read this book. It's that powerful. 

Be encouraged today. I knew heaven was for real before I read this book, but now, I can see it even more vividly. You will to. 

Be blessed

pastor matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

On a short rope

Today started off pretty fast, so I didn't have the time for a full blog today. I'm writing the blog, from my phone, while Crystal is driving down the highway.

I realize that there is nothing wrong with not writing today, but I would hate for some of you daily readers to be without a bit of encouragement.

There is a bible verse that talks about the gift of encouragement. It says that if that is your gift, to use it. I'm pretty sure God has given me the gift of encouragement, so I want to encourage!!! Its not easy going through without encouragement, and if somehow through this blog I can encourage you, I want to do it.

How? By constantly reminding you how much God loves you and wants great things for your life. He truly does. Remind yourself of that today as you go about your day- God loves you, and desires good things for your life.

Be encouraged today. Encourage someone else also.

Be blessed
Pastor matt
Sent from my BlackBerry- sorry if its brief...have you tried to type on a small keyboard?
www.faithandvictory.com

I'm Not Being Prideful

Have you ever really wanted something in your life? I'm not talking about a product, or a thing. I'm talking about a visceral gut wrenching desire. Something you want so bad it keeps you up at night?

I have. 

There have been many things like that in my life.

I can remember when I got this new job, and got hired as an associate, and had to work to get promoted to representative. It was a sales job, so what you had to do get promoted was to get a lot of sales and work very hard. 

Most of it involved a lot of phone calling and knocking on doors. It was so emotionally painful I can barely describe it. To try to get you understand what it takes to walk through the door of 50 different businesses and make 200 phone calls every week and get rejected is next to impossible. Let me just say, it wasn't easy. 

As I went through my week, I mentally had to force myself to push past my emotional limits. To reframe the rejection in my mind. To decide in my gut to continue on. To grit my teeth and try harder. Man it was hard. 

Eventually, I did it. I got promoted to representative. I was elated. Nice bump in the salary, extra goodies like a car package and sweet commission package. I was on top of the world. 

Then reality struck. 

The pressure after I got promoted exceeded what it was before. How was this possible? I thought when you reached a goal things got easier, not harder. But this is what I discovered- success costs. Progress costs. Doing well costs. I had set it in my mind that things would be easier after, when the reality was that it was doubly harder. I had worked as hard as I could do get where I wanted, but I realized something- I hadn't allowed the Lord to help me. It was all me. I did it on my own.

It is then that I learned to lean on the Lord more than ever. 

Here's the crazy thing about achievement- we can only do so much in our achievements. We can work, we can clamor, we can scrape our way to a goal. But if we don't have the Lord in the midst of it, when we get there, its truly a fruitless endeavor. If we're the ones that are doing it. If we're the ones that are getting it done, then the pressure is all on us. If we allow the Lord to sustain us and help us, when we get to where we want to be, we're working with Him, and we're not on our own. 

Are you working towards a goal? Are you striving for an achievement? Ask yourself if you're doing it on your own, or if you're doing it with the help of the Lord. 

He wants to help you. Honestly, a lot of times he'll do it for you if you'll let Him. 

If you want to go at it alone- He will let you do that also- its just a lot more painful. Choose today to allow the Lord to help you achieve. 

Lean on Him, and achieve!

be blessed

pastor matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

A Burnt Bag of Popcorn

Do you like microwave popcorn? I sure do. We like to buy the "Pop Weaver" brand from Wal-Mart. For us, its the most tasty popcorn we have found, and of course, since its at Wal-mart, its at a very competitive price. 

Typically, our popcorn is eaten in the evening, while watching a program. Now that I think of it, I can't think of one time that I have ever made microwave popcorn and ate it when I wasn't sitting in front of the Television. That would be weird, just sitting there at the kitchen table chomping down on some popcorn looking at the wall. 

I'm rambling.

Anyway, so last night was the season premiere of "Deadliest Catch", and I wanted some corn that was popped. I went upstairs, and put it in the microwave. 

I've got to tell you, for some reason, I like mine a little burnt. Yea, I know its a bit odd, but I do. I've found that in my microwave, if I cook it for 2:20 it comes out normal, but if I cook it for 2:30 it gives me just the right amount of burntness. 2:40 and its a black ball of nastiness. Don't go 2:40, its way too much. 

Such a balance in timing to make the perfect bag of popped corn. 10 seconds up or down and its not what I want. 

As I was standing there in my kitchen watching the bag go round and round, it dawned on me- its kind of that way with most things in life- most things require just the right amount to be right. Not too much, not too little, just the right amount. 

I think the word is balance. 

Its like this- God has given us so much freedom in Him, but He has asked us in that freedom to not take advantage of it to 'indulge the sinful nature'. Finding that balance is hard, believe me, I live my life trying to find it. But here's what I've found- when you find that balance, there is peace and comfort. When you are out of that balance, it is not good. 

I'm sure the Lord in His wisdom wasn't talking about the cosmic timing balance of microwave popcorn, but the principle still applies, doesn't it? The things in our life that are important are found in the 'sweet spot'. The place where God's will reigns supreme, our lives line up with His word, and we experience peace in the Holy Spirit. 

Think on that today. Perhaps there is something in your life that is out of balance. 

Ask the Lord to reveal to you what it is and change it. You'll find that  you have more peace in you spirit about it. 

Find the sweet spot, and live in it. 

be blessed

pastor matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog

Smashing The Cars On I-5

I think on some level, we all have some trust issues. 

It starts from when we are a child. We learn to trust or distrust the people around us based on how we are raised or what we experience. If you get walloped upside the head when you spill your milk as a child, you learn to not spill your milk. Or, you learn to distrust the person walloping you. Seems pretty basic. 

As they say, trust is easy to lose, hard to gain. It takes time to build trust, and it can be washed away very quickly if something is said or done wrong. That's normal. 

Yesterday, the wife and I were driving around and she said something that has had me thinking. She said, "you know, you really have to trust the other people that are driving around you."

I never really thought about that. Its true. When I'm driving on the interstate, I have to trust that the scores of other drivers are going to stay in their lane, follow traffic laws, and be nice. Of course not everyone does that, but its the intent. 

As I was thinking about it, it occurred to me- specifically in the area of driving, I trust thousands of people every day. I trust that they are not going to smash me with their cars. Without even thinking about it- I trust a lot of people. 

Sure, you purists might say that we have safety protections that keep us from being harmed by other people's driving, and that's true, but here's the point that I'm making today- even if you have trust 'issues' more than likely you trust more than you realize. It takes trust to eat out at a restaurant, walk on the road, drink municipal water, pay a bill, send your kids to school, work at a job. 

Trust is everywhere. 

The point? Realize that even if you've been burned or hurt by one experience or person, not everyone and everything cannot be trusted. If you pay attention and look around, you'll see that you probably trust a lot more than you realize. 

Think on that today. Think about how much you do that requires trust. Then, realize how much you actually trust the people around you. Realize that if you can trust at all, anywhere, you can learn to trust God more. 

That's what He wants from us anyway. Not to trust other people, but to trust Him. And if we allow other people to ruin our idea of what trust is, it can effect our trust of God, and that's not good. 

You can trust Him. 

be blessed

pastor matt

Posted via email from Faith and Victory Church Blog