In anticipation of the release of my new book, Sometimes, Church Hurts, my devotional book, Thoughts For The Journey (Kindle Version) will be free through Friday.  Follow the link and pick it up free from Amazon.  I hope it will be a blessing to you.

The print version of Sometimes, Church Hurts will be available Friday.  I will share the link on Friday morning.

It is with great excitement that I announce the upcoming print release of my new book, Sometimes, Church Hurts.  I have been working on this project for many months now and it is the culmination of many years of writing and work put into this book.  I am waiting for the final proof to be approved and then the print version will release.  The Kindle version is already available for download if that is the format you prefer.  Otherwise, the print version will be out within the next week.

Sometimes, Church Hurts is written to encourage people who have been hurt in church as well as challenge all believers to work together to live in unity within the body of Christ.  This book is written from nearly 19 years of pastoral ministry and working with Christians who have been hurt and who have hurt others.

In anticipation of the release of Sometimes, Church Hurts, my other book Thoughts for the Journey will be available free on the Kindle App for three days starting Wednesday, January 21.  I pray these books will be a blessing to you.

If you would like a copy of the Kindle version of Sometimes, Church Hurts, Click Here.  The Kindle version is available for $3.99.  Please write an honest review on Amazon of either book. I would appreciate it.

I came across this interesting article concerning fasting.  Since, we are in day 2 of our 3 day fast, I believe it might give us some insight into some of our common misconceptions concerning this time set apart to seek the Lord.  My prayer is that our time of fasting will draw you closer to Christ and spark a fire within your soul.

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Excerpt from the book Fasting is Not About Food:

Every January, I’ve watched countless people embark on their fasting journeys, proclaiming how the three-, 21- or 40-day fast was going to change their lives forever. Within days, their enthusiasm vanished and many abandoned the call of fasting completely. Here are some common fasting myths that ultimately cause heartache:

Myth #1: Spiritual fasting is about food. If eating a watermelon the size of a toddler is considered your morning snack, you probably aren’t fasting. Sadly, I remember overeating fruits and vegetables while on a so-called Daniel Fast. However, fruit binging is not spiritual fasting. If you are setting up a buffet of every fruit and vegetable known to man or juicing twenty-seven times a day, it probably isn’t a spiritual fast. You can’t be focused on God much if you are constantly cleaning your juicer of pulp or cutting up the next fruit and veggie buffet. Fasting is not about food. Selah.

Myth #2: Accidental eating ends a fast. I can’t count the times I’ve forgotten I was fasting and taken a bite of something scrumptious. As you taste the food, you never think, ‘Oops! I’m fasting; I’ll just set the rest of that down and go back to prayer.’ No, you take a bite and think, ‘Oh no! I’m fasting! I can’t recover from this! I might as well start stuffing my face with the entire fridge.’ Whatever was accidentally bitten into will be devoured in seconds. One bite of food doesn’t have to derail your fast. Please see Myth #1.

Myth #3: The longer the fast, the more spiritual I will be. Fasting is about quality, not quantity. I am saddened at how many Christians shun the idea of fasting one meal as they embark on another strenuous, but fruitless, forty-day fast. The quality of the fast is much more life changing than the longevity. I could fast one meal and watch God move more powerfully in my life than most do in forty days. Why? Relationship. I fast by means of my relationship with God; not for a relationship with God.

You might be wondering, “How can I fast powerfully and see God move on my behalf?”

Here are some pointers that transformed my prayer life:

Start with a relationship and developed prayer life with God. Have some maturity in your walk. Don’t start a 21-day fast while still learning how to love God. Get to know the one you’re praying to! Fasting is an intimate act of a believer who knows his or her God. Consider jumping into a three-day fast only after you have mastered one meal.

Partner with God. Let God know you are joining with Him on behalf of yourself, others or a situation. Prayer and fasting moves you into your rightful place as a joint heir, and you begin to hear the heartbeat of God.

Make confident declarations! Start to courageously declare who God is and what you believe He will do in your life! Begin to speak the Word: ‘God, You are faithful! You are my healer! Your plans for me are prosperity and health! You are my God!’ And then, believe your words!

When I look back on my life and realize how I’d made fasting and prayer a bondage, I yearn to see those chains broken off of others. I thought fasting was a deep ritual; that if I finally did it the right way, I could experience God. Instead, I was missing such a powerful opportunity.

Spiritual fasting is a gift—God is not taking food away from me. He isn’t bearing down on me, showing me how many things I need to give up to have Him. It’s a gift to get so close to the heart of God that you don’t want to eat. My mind has been transformed in such a dramatic way that I now realize I don’t have to fast, but I get to fast with Him.

I urge you … no, I implore you, to start slowly. Start with fasting just one meal. Yes, one meal. Not forty days to be more like Jesus. God is not impressed by your numbers. He’s motivated by your relationship with the Him. He is the one who activates your prayers and fasting.

In Isaiah 58:8-9, the benefits of fasting beautifully unfold:

“Then your light shall break forth as the morning, and your healing shall spring forth quickly, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your reward. Then you shall call, and the Lord shall answer; you shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am.”

Darkness might be permeating every area of your life, but with the activated power of God through fasting, light bursts forth! Nothing can hide from His glorious brilliance! His salvation breaks through, and our wounds are healed! Righteousness wins. Justice comes. God surrounds your steps and paves the way, bringing light to your path! While you fast, your enemy only sees God surrounding you with His righteousness, justice and glory!

Start the New Year right! Develop an intimate relationship with God, and then when you fast, His light and salvation will burst into your life, His righteousness and glory will surround you and you will hear the Lord say, ‘Yes, I am here.’

Excerpt from Heather Eschenbaum’s book, Fasting Is Not About Food. Heather has been the Director of The House of Hope and Healing for the last 12 years and teaches at the World Revival School of Ministry.

Today is day 1 of our beginning of the year fast.  Fasting is difficult for nearly all of us, however, the benefits far outweigh the struggles.  As I was thinking of our fast, I was reminded of something I wrote some time ago, about fasting.  It is taken from my book Thoughts For The Journey.  It is relevant to what many of us will feel the next three days.

“What is it like when you try to fast?

As the death angel loomed over my bed, I could sense the end of my short life drawing near.  My head wracked with pain and feeling nauseated, I pled with God to take me home.  I then drifted off to sleep and awoke in the morning, to my surprise.  What happened to me?  Why was the death angel at my door?  It is called fasting.  Though I exaggerated a great deal, I did experience a lot of hardship.  After all, crucifying the flesh is not easy. 

For all of you super spirituals out there who can fast without it even affecting you, you might not want to read this.  For those of us that it does affect, take cheer; it is natural.  Fasting is helping to subject your flesh in order to give God more control.  Do not get this confused with punishment. 

A fast is where you decide you are going to give up food, in order to draw closer to God and seek Him.  It is not an easy doing.  It was always easy for me to fast two meals, but to go for three, it was like pulling teeth with no anesthetic.  I LOVE TO EAT and so does my body, however, by fasting you show God you mean business.  Now I don’t suggest to anyone fasting a whole day until you can fast a meal.  Likewise don’t go on a forty day fast unless directed by God Almighty.  This is serious business.  As I awoke that morning after the fast, somewhat refreshed but weak, I wondered why did it affect me like this? 

My conclusion is that we are so used to food and all the preservatives, caffeine, and much more, that our body has withdrawals.  The more you fast the more your body will become adapted to doing without those things.  It should never become easy lest it lose its meaning.  It should get to the place that it can be more spiritual.  It is tough for me to pray with a migraine and hunger pains.  I pray better when I have eaten.  We should never fast out of ritual but always with a goal of what we want to see accomplished.  Do not fast just to fast.  Fast for a deeper knowledge of God.  For all of you who can sympathize with these same traits of fasting, can I get an AMEN?”

If you are fasting food, you might feel like this by Wednesday.  If you are fasting others things, you will have some type of withdrawals.  Or at least we should. If we fast something that we won’t miss, is it really fasting?

I am believing God to move in our church and in your lives as we fast and pray. Let’s expect great things from the One who is Great!

As I was reading through my grandfather’s old Bible, I was once again convicted. At the bottom of one page was written, “Dry eyed Christians will not win a world to Christ. ”

Where has our tears for the lost gone? How often do we become complacent and apathetic concerning the lost? My prayer is that  God would once again stir our hearts to pray for and to seek the lost. Our eyes should be full of tears when we think of lost humanity.  When we weep for the lost we share the heart of God for He weeps over the lost as well.

Last night we had our annual trip to Fayetteville  Square. We start by seeing Santa at the mall, followed by dinner then to the square.  We had a great family night.

RFA had a great day of JBQ today. All teams placed first. We had alot of top scorers. I’m proud of all of the kids who participated.

Hannah had her best day quizzing today. She was the top scorer in the 3-4 grade division. After she received her medal she looked at Sonya and I and said, “This is my dream come true.” We are very proud of our girl.

Also want to give a shout out to the first year coach of the 3-4 team, none other than Sonya Cheney. I’m proud of my ladies.