Cue rude awakening!..

When we brought home our new 70 lb full grown Golden retriever (Lacey), I was not prepared for her size or her strength! She lunges at lizards and runs after squirrels, which is fine except that I’m flying through the air right behind her holding on to the leash for dear life! I figured out really quick that this was NOT going to work because I really need both of my arms to be in their sockets. Our little dogs are so small that it’s really no big deal to chase them or be dragged around by them. I wasted no time in rushing to the local pet store to find out what to do, and there it was! A training collar! I didn’t even know there was such a thing! I purchased the biggest one I could find, brought it home, put it on her and voila! It worked instantly! She followed my every command. I couldn’t believe it! She stopped dragging me and let me lead her. Wow! She just needed discipline!

Hmm..that makes me wonder. Am I lacking discipline too? Are there undisciplined areas in my life that, instead of gaining the knowledge on how to fix them, I choose to ignore them? I then asked myself, are there small issues that drag me down every day that I’ve become accustomed to? Are there small areas in my marriage or my ministry that need my attention that I’ve been overlooking because it’s just easier to clean up the mess? Or is it going to take some big giant issue to come my way, that I have no choice but to deal with because it’s too big to ignore? Why did it take me almost losing an arm to learn that there are ways to teach a dog to be a wonderful, gentle obedient companion?
Ok..that’s enough questions.

Here’s the thing..God wants to give us so much more, but in order to handle more, we need to learn to develop what he’s already given us. We can’t allow small issues, wrong attitudes, and unhealthy relationships to continue just because we don’t want to be bothered with cleaning up the messes. Until Lacey, we had lived our lives with 2 sweet (but disobedient) dogs because we never took the time to learn how to train them properly. My Yorkies are so small and adorable, that I’ve just been too laid back and allowed them to do whatever they’ve wanted to. With Lacey, I had no choice but to step up and train her before she pulled me into oncoming traffic (illustration for dramatic effect only). What’s amazing is that now my Yorkie’s behavior has actually improved because they have fallen in line behind Lacey!

By taking a backseat to what you’re supposed to take charge of, you miss out on what God has ultimately designed you for…Leadership! Don’t continue to ignore little problems just because they annoy you. Instead, give them your full attention before they turn into big problems that could potentially lead you off course. You CAN and you ARE designed to be a leader in your family, your marriage, your finances, and your ministry! Find the wisdom in God’s word and know that He’s given us authority over all things! Read a book on leadership or take a class on discipleship, but whatever you do, make a decision today to fix the undisciplined areas in your life. Eventually, what you don’t take authority over, will eventually take authority over you!

There are thousands of incredibly anointed Pastors, Ministers, and Leaders in the Body Of Christ that are full of integrity and I’m thankful for every single one of them! But still I have to ask, that with all that we have seen over the last few years, does integrity really matter to us anymore? The answer is YES! Integrity does matter! We see all throughout the scriptures the price that was ultimately paid when men and women of God chose to do things their own way, and it always led to destruction. King Solomon lost his kingdom when he disobeyed God and succumbed to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-16). The same things that still tempt all of us even today!

There are several distinct qualities that many leaders possess. Some have special creative skills. Some are extremely intellectual and have magnetic personalities. Others may be prophetic and flow in supernatural gifts. Most of the time, when people try to qualify people for leadership and look at great abilities for leaders, they look for things that can be seen. But what really matters are the things that cannot be seen, and no degree of skill or dynamics can substitute for these things. It doesn’t matter who you are on the stage, it’s who are when no one sees you that matters to God!

It’s a dangerous place when your gifts have taken you beyond what your character can handle. The scriptures are full of God’s promises for those who walk in integrity. 1 Kings 9:4-5: “And as for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, with integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you, and keeping my statutes and my rules, then I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever.”

Psalm 41:11-13: “My enemy will not shout in triumph over me. But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.”

Proverbs 2:6-8: “He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.”

Psalm 2:20-21: “So you will walk in the way of the good and keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.”

God promises over and over again in His Word that He will be our shield and protector, and will give us victory if we choose integrity every time and do things His way!

I believe that great leaders are built not born! It’s entirely possible to become the great leader that God wants you to be. EPIC Worship School Of Ministry is a place where you can come and develop the God given gifts that are inside of you. Beginning January 2013, Winter classes will begin for those who desire to develop further in leadership in the areas of character, integrity, and honor. We believe God’s desire is to develop a generation of passionate leaders who are ready to unlock the God ordained purpose and potential inside of them and lead with Integrity!

Over the years I’ve learned that just because I’m excited about doing something doesn’t mean that it’s a God idea. Now I don’t mean that it would be a “sin” to do it, it just may not be the right time for the idea. I’m an idea person and I’m capable of having several ideas a day, but that doesn’t mean that I should change the direction of where I’m headed and dive into something new. But I digress..

It’s amazing to me, that when God asks me to do things that I’ve never done before, He always equips me to do it! I’m grateful for the brilliant people that God has surrounded me with, but sometimes even they feel ill-equipped to do things that will take them into the unknown and beyond their comfort zone.  What’s incredible is that God will never ask us to do something that He won’t give us the power and the wisdom to do. Never..Not Ever! I love that about Him!!

Like I said earlier, I can come up with ideas all day, but in the past it has been the implementation of those ideas that I’ve struggled with. It’s not enough to dream it, you have to do the work to see the dream become a reality! But again I digress..

Now that the decision had been made to move forward with the idea, the work began. When to schedule the conference? Where should we have the conference? Who do we invite to the conference? All of these questions were demanding to be answered. Some of my biggest concerns were; will I answer these questions correctly?..will I make mistakes? I had to come to the realization that the answer just might be yes! I will make mistakes and do things this time that I’ll know better not to do next time. Actually, I wouldn’t even call them mistakes. It’s part of the learning process, and I’m just thankful for what God is teaching me through the process!

After several weeks of planning, the date for our very 1^st Epic women’s conference had arrived! We were all very excited and also very nervous. We had prayed and planned for at least 200 women to come, and by the time it was over we had over 400! For the next 3 days God surprised us in so many ways! Most importantly, His presence was so strong throughout the entire conference! Women came from all over the country to get in God’s presence and learn how to “Fight Like A Girl!” Btw, that was the name of the conference!

Throughout the conference we shouted, danced, worshipped, and received incredible teaching that literally transformed our lives. Lisa Bevere, Mary Alessi, Pastor Riva Tims and so many other powerful women shared their testimonies and helped strip away the masks that separated us from the truth. Women were empowered to be “She-roes” to their children and to minister to their families. We were reminded that women are not a problem…they are an Answer!

All I can say is that when the conference was over, I was overwhelmed at God’s faithfulness and greatness! All I had to do was say YES, and be obedient to the dream God had planted in my heart! God was not worried about how experienced I was, because He was fully prepared to multiply my efforts by His strength! And that’s exactly what He did! I’m still in awe at God’s goodness!

I wish I could say that I never once doubted God had spoken to me, or that I never complained or tried to quit. Unfortunately all of these things are true. BUT, the important thing is I didn’t quit! I kept moving forward. Even when it seemed during the process of planning the conference that things weren’t going according to plan. At one point when things got difficult, it seemed like maybe I was planning something that may have been just a good idea.  That’s when I reminded myself of God’s word that says, “We walk by faith and NOT by sight!” I also remembered that I wasn’t doing this alone. I had the blessing of the people around me, so I pressed on past my negative thoughts and feelings. There are no words to describe how happy I am that I did!  One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned through this process is to not stress too much on whether or not your idea is a good idea or a God idea. Just be obedient and focus on the fact that every God idea is REALLY GOOD!!

Well, today I turn 50 years old..a “half-century”..”the big 5-0!” In the last 6 months or so, as I have been approaching this “milestone” birthday,

I have been reflecting on my life, as I imagine most of us do when we get close to such a significant landmark. I’ve been having the typical “what have I accomplished”..”what kind of impact have I made in the world?”..”what kind of legacy am I leaving?” kind of thoughts that I’m sure most of us “half-centenarians” have.

There are many things that come to mind as I start thinking back..graduating high school close to the top of my class..skipping College and entering the workplace on the ground floor of the retail industry (The big ‘K’) and working my way up to Area Manager after 3 short years..then spending the next 10+ years in the residential construction industry, where I helped build close to 500 homes, some of them Award winners..then subsequently spending the next 15 years helping to build an international music ministry and record label, and along the way collecting multiple industry Awards, accolades, and recognition among my peers.

Some might say from the outside looking in that I have every right to be proud of these so-called “accomplishments”, and let me say before I go any further that God and He alone gets all of the glory and credit for everything I’ve listed up to this point (and beyond!). But in retrospect, all of that pales in comparison to the two biggest accomplishments that I am most proud of; the first one being; meeting, marrying, and spending the last 25 years married to the love of my life and soulmate, my wife Martha, for which I am eternally grateful; to God first and then to her; and the second and probably the biggest and most meaningful accomplishment has to be the awesome privilege of helping raise the 3 precious gifts (our son & two daughters) that God has blessed us with.

We have been parents now for close to 20 years, and I am reminded almost daily of the scripture verse that says, “Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Every day I am amazed at God’s unending grace and mercy as I watch our kids grow and develop into the destiny that God has laid out for them, and just being able to play a part in that makes me proud, and yet is incredibly humbling at the same time. I am extremely thankful and grateful for all that God has blessed me with, and if the first 50 years are any indication, I can’t wait to see what the next 50 is going to bring!!

else to tell us what we can’t do or what can’t be done, because we do such a

great job of telling that to ourselves!

We say, “Oh I could never write a book or preach to an audience. I’m not

qualified to share Jesus with someone because I’m not perfect and I don’t know

enough scripture. I could never share my testimony because that’s just not my

personality!”

When did it become about our personality? If we were really honest with

ourselves, we would realize that most of the things we scoff at are really things

that we are afraid of. We’ve allowed fear to overcome us and rob us of the

opportunity to bless others with the gift that God has given us!

It may not be that you can’t, but that you won’t! Fear is just a big bully that is

easily overcome by doing the very thing that you are afraid of!

When our kids were little, I wanted to teach them how to swim and since we live

in Florida, the earlier the better. Of course like most little kids, they weren’t too

enthusiastic the first time they tried to swim. It was scary and they didn’t know

what to expect.

I was in the shallow end coaxing them ever so sweetly saying, “Just put your feet

in! I’m right here to catch you! I won’t let you fall!”

They would inch closer and closer to the edge but would never take that

leap into my waiting arms. Then the real resistance would begin. They would

plead, “Mommy, I don’t want to! I can’t swim! What if you don’t catch me?”

“Come on in,” I begged. “It’s so much fun! You don’t know what you’re missing!”

No amount of reassuring them would help, so I had to take matters into my own

hands. Yes, I did it. I pushed them in! I’m not completely proud of the fact that

I threw my kicking and screaming children into a giant pool of water, but I did it

and I would do it again! It HAD to be done! I knew there was nothing to be afraid

of, and if they stood crying on the edge of the pool and never got in they would

miss out on an amazing experience!

I can relate to this in so many areas of my life. Letting fear grip me caused me

to miss out on obeying God when He was pushing me to go beyond my fears. I

decided a long time ago that wasn’t going to be me! You can overcome any fear

that is holding you back and experience the exhilaration of obeying God AND

reap the benefits of obedience!

Come on! Let’s go swimming! Jump out into the deep and be an overcomer! You

don’t know what you’re missing!

Recently I was having a hard day and feeling a little discouraged. I was guilty of doing what we all do and I focused on what I didn’t have instead of being grateful for what I do have. Usually, when I’m having one of ‘those days’, I call one of my sisters so they can hear me complain and maybe offer me a word of advice and comfort. On this particular day I called my sister Mary. She’s always an incredible encourager and knows exactly what to say to get me back on track in my attitude, and to help me adjust my thinking. After I spent a few minutes pouring out my heart in detail and hoping she would feel my pain, she stopped and said “God just gave me a word for you! He told me to tell you to KNOCK IT OFF!” What?..Wow! That stopped me in my tracks! I actually started laughing and knew immediately what she meant. She didn’t have time to hear my complaints and I didn’t need to rehearse my problems! I’m so grateful to have someone in my life that will tell me the truth.

In Psalm 77, David was aggravated and upset at his situation, but he stopped and said “I will recount and tell aloud all the good things God has done!” It wasn’t but just a few more verses later that he started prophesying over his future. Praise stirs up power! Praise stirs up faith! It’s the best way to get God’s attention. He really is an awesome God! Sometimes you just gotta take a minute and thank Him for everything he’s doing right now! Even the things we can’t see! So whenever you’re having one of ‘those days’ and you hear yourself complaining about your problems, just stop a minute and say to yourself those 3 powerful words that my sister said to me…KNOCK IT OFF!