Snow Plow for Jesus

I love winter, and I especially love the snow. I have always said that if you are going to live in this area, you have two choices – enjoy the snow or move. I have chosen to enjoy it. I know I’m a little odd, but one of my favorite things about the snow is plowing. I like shoveling, I like using the big snowblower and I especially like driving the plow truck. I sometimes get to plow the church parking lot. Not because no one else will do it. I do it because I enjoy it.

One snowy Sunday, very early in the morning, I was over at the church driving the truck and a few of us were working pretty hard to clear the parking lot and sidewalks so people could get in the building. As I was plowing the Lord taught me a wonderful lesson.

I was clearing the snow away for one simple reason – so people could safely and easily get into the building. The hope is that once they get in there, they will grow closer to Jesus through a variety of means. My job as the plow guy is to make the path easier.

That’s exactly how it is with our lives. Our lives should be a pathway to the Lord Jesus. Everything about us, our walk and our talk should be pointing to Christ. You see, there is a blizzard that has dumped a pile of snow between most people and a loving God. Our call is to shovel the snow.

John the Baptist said that he was a “voice of one calling in the desert, “Make straight the way for the Lord.”” May we also be that voice.

Most people have no idea the name of the guy who plows their road, but they are sure thankful that someone does. May we each be that person who clears the way. May we be a snowplow for Jesus who makes the path to Him easier for someone else to follow.

A Job Description for Jesus?

In all our jobs we all have some kind of Job description. Is it possible that Jesus also had one when he was on earth? This Sunday, Pastor Ed from Gateway Church taught at PF out of Is. 61:1,2 . He said this is Jesus' job description.

Here it is: He was sent to:

1. Bring salvation

2. Heal the broken hearted

3. Bring physical healing

4. Bring freedom for the captives

5. Set at liberty those who are bruised

6. Proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Hope)

That's a pretty awesome job description. This isn't a list of what He might do if He gets around to it. This is what He came to do. And if the Church is His Body, it is also the call on us. Wow! May the Lord continue to walk out this ministry through us, His Body.

Memories from Elim

Today I went up to Elim Bible Institute to join them in their annual week of prayer. This is a week they set aside every January to seek the heart of the Father. In the three years that Sandie and I attended there from 96-99, those were some very special weeks. It is always good to go back and spend time in the place where I met God so many times. We had chapels in the Tab four days a week and He was so faithful to let His glory be evident to all. I walked around campus today and as I looked at buildings, the lawn, classrooms and even our little apartment, I was drawn back to those precious times with Jesus.

As I drove away I was reminded by the Lord that as excited as I am about today and about the future I should never lose sight of the past. We should always be remembering those times that God showed Himself faithful over and over again. I hope you have memories of precious times with Jesus. And I hope that the things happening in your life now are producing memories that in ten years you will back upon as being very precious.

And, by the way, if you are looking for a good Bible School, Elim is one of the best. :-)

Worth listening to

Worth listening to

More Dan Mohler teaching

A response to Jim's blog

Pastor Jim, who works with the youth at PF asked a bunch of youth leaders in the area to get to the core of their strategy and purpose in working with teens. You should go to Jim’s Blog and check out the comments that the other youth workers gave. They are really thought provoking. Below you will find my response as I think about my own ministry to teenagers.

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Wow, these are great answers to a hard question. Like my brother, I have been working with teenagers a long time. I jokingly say that I have either been a teenager or ministered to them since 1983. :-)

I can sincerely say that at the core of everything I have done in youth ministry has been to help them to understand that they are loved, they are wanted (acceptance) and they are needed (valuable).

I feel those are the overriding needs that every young person is trying to have met and only Jesus provides genuine answers. So, my job in loving teenagers is to do everything I can, with every tool at my disposal, in all the power of the Holy Spirit to have them understand how Jesus sees them.

Sometimes it's teaching the Bible, praying and other typical "ministry stuff." But much of the time it's smiles, hugs, watching their soccer games or a host of other seemingly insignificant things

Jim’s Blog