WFMP GO

WFMP

Nehemiah is one of my favorite books in the Old Testament. He was a man who saw that things were not the way they should be and stepped aside from his great job, responsibilities, and pace of life to make things different for those in difficulty. Each Sunday 70% of people choose not to go to church anywhere. Going to church is not the main point. The point is they are choosing not to be part of the Body of Christ. I believe if Nehemiah heard this news he would WFMP. This is what we should do. If we will WFMP we will find ourselves following God into a radical life. Jesus was radical. The WFMP was not a plan it was an immediate response. That would reveal his heart. So as we consider how many people choose not to be part of the body I pray we WFMP then Go. So today, weep, fast, mourn and pray then go and live a radical life for Christ. It’s a heart thing. "Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established" (Prov 16:3, ESV).

Read Nehemiah 1

R U Available?

There are times when someone brings a great message, sings a great song, lives an exemplary life, acts in generosity, or sets an example in some godly manner and people will express their gratitude and appreciation for being an instrument of blessing. I remember as a young preacher I would have people come out and shake my hand and say that was a great message (that is what people say when they come to shake the preacher’s hand at the door). I felt uncomfortable with such comments as most people do. I would give the spiritual answer, “It’s just God!” as most people do. Now, that sounds spiritual, but it is not the whole truth. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine a you are the branches he who remains in me and I in Him will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing.”

So, with that in mind we do play a apart. We are to abide. We are to make ourselves available for His use. I can assure you that no man can preach a great sermon, sing a great song, live an exemplary life, act out of generosity or set an example without God, but God also has chosen to use men and women, boys and girls. He will demonstrate His power through people that have been grafted into the vine. On our own we are “NOTHING” but with God we can do all things through Christ our Lord. Make yourself available today.

Mid Weed Blogs

Wednesday - Not much to say, but much moving in my mind.

Thursday - Less to say, but more moving in my mind

It's A Monday

Yesterday morning as I entered a local restaurant to meet with a couple of pastors I asked the kind people behind the counter if they were having a good day. There reply was, “It’s a Monday!”. What does that mean exactly. Are Monday’s harder than other days of the week? I know for me Monday’s are the hardest day at the gym. Could it just be that when we get out of bed we begin to tell ourselves that its Monday and we are going to have a Monday. We spend the weekend not wanting to think about or talk about Monday. Monday means work, routine, and making up for stuff that happens over the weekend. Then there is the weekly post by some, “TGIF”. I do not think they mean “Thank God I’m Forgiven”. I think they are saying “Thank God It’s Friday”. So, Friday we are excited and Monday we are not. Why? I believe it is because we feel free on the weekends. We can do what we want. We do not have to be at a certain place at a certain time. We are free. Freedom brings a multitude of responses: joy, reflection, celebration, relief, etc. “It’s a Monday” could become a positive statement if we could find a way to make it a time of freedom. So, this week seek to change your mind. See everyday as an opportunity to be a child of God revealing the loving nature of His father. We don’t have to go to work. We get to go to work. We don’t have to have a routine. We get to have a routine. We don’t have to go to school. We get to go to school. We don’t have to go to church. We get to go to church. We don’t have to enjoy Monday. We get to enjoy Monday. “Let this mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Phil 2:5). Change your mind and realize what you get to do today and enjoy the freedom.

How About a Gift Card to Cracker Barrel?

Friday I posted the following statement on Twitter and thus Facebook. “Agape is something we know how it is defined, but do we know how to express it?” Agape defined simply: “a willful others centered love”. Yes we could give a definition that is more comprehensive but that is it. “A willful others centered love.” Matthew 22:37-40 says we should love God and others with agape. I believe most of us have the definition in our memory, but do we have the lifestyle? How far will you go for someone else? I do not mean this in any disrespect but we will send $10 to Haiti but will we give the homeless that same amount of money? Will we buy a case of water to give to the thirst in the hot summer? Will we give a gift card to a transient to Cracker Barrel (they can find them beside the interstate all over the south)? Will we forgive someone who hurts us? Will we go the extra mile? If we are not doing these things what is the problem? I submit the problem is that we have not given ourselves to God first. God is jealous and wants to be first in your life. God does not want anything before Him. The commandments whether Old or New Testament say give yourself to God first. So, today give yourself away to God. Release it.

Who Are You?

It is in the most difficult situations that we really find out who we are. The church at Corinth had experienced some tough times. Paul writes of a group that just simply did not have much means. However, they begged to be part of the great work of Paul. When was the last time you begged to be part of God’s work? I have heard people through the years say they had not been asked to do this or that in the church and so they were hurt. These people were “begging us earnestly for favor in taking part in the relief of the saints”. WOW! However, notice this point, “They gave themselves first to the Lord”. I guess when you give yourself first to the Lord you cannot help but beg to be part of His work. Last thing! “Then by the will of God to us”. They gave themselves to Paul and his disciples. These were begging followers of the Lord. WOW! AMAZING!!!

2 Cor 8:4-5 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Is the End In Mind?

Begin with the end in mind. I have heard this statement all my life but have not adhered to it in many areas. If I had many things would be different. I would weigh less than 200 pounds, I would be debt free, my children’s college would be paid for, my wife would not have to work, I would have led more people to Christ and in a deeper relationship with Him, I would have spent more time with my mom, dad and brother. I have seen the movie It’s A Wonderful Life, so I understand that side of things. But what if we approached our Christian life with the end in mind. I want to be a faithful follower of Christ. I want my wife to be a faithful follower of Christ. I want my children to be faithful followers of Christ. I want my friends and family to be faithful followers of Christ. I want to see our community become faithful followers of Christ. But, from where I stand it does not appear that these things just happen. Our church needs to approach every move we make with the end in mind. What is the end? Following Christ in all areas of life. Jesus, Paul, Peter and many more clearly understood the end and made their decisions with the end in mind. I go to the gym with the end in mind. I change my eating with the end in mind. I study God’s Word with the end in mind. On a day-to-day scale I see little change but as I look at it from a broader perspective there is a difference. Today, begin to live your life with the end in mind.

Plans Change

Do you ever have plans that you know are good? They may even be godly but God changes them? There have been times in my life when I knew I was headed in the right direction but God changed it. Sometimes I just do not understand why God is changing them and sometimes others do not understand why they change. Is it that we simply were not listening? I think not. Paul had made plans to go to the Church @ Corinth but God led him a different direction (1 Cor 1:12-24). It was not that He was not listening to God. He was making plans that excited him. He was looking forward to seeing the grace of God do more work in Corinth. However, God changed His direction. He was listening to the voice behind him (Is 30:21) that was telling Him which way to go. He begins his letter to Corinth with an explanation as to why he did not return. You and I can live our lives with good and godly plans but we should always give God the latitude to change those plans as He see we can be most useful for His glory. Plans Change.

You Can Do It!!

People can do amazing things. As we look back in history, people just like you and me were able to accomplish some pretty great things. The Bible was put written by ordinary men moved by the Holy Spirit. James wrote, “Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years” (James 5:17). He is speaking about the prayer of an ordinary man. Nehemiah was an ordinary man who was able to lead the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem in 52 days. He used ordinary men and women, dads and moms, boys and girls to accomplish this great feet to restore a region. Shamgar was able to kill 600 people with an oxgoad (Judges 3:31). History gives us so many stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. God is calling me and you to do some extraordinary things. You can do it! You have the power of the Holy Spirit working within you. You are more than a conqueror through Jesus Christ our Lord. This week take care of what God puts in front of you and do not worry about what He puts in front of someone else. Let us rebuild the walls.

How Can I Pray for You? Specifically?

Part of the prayer ministry at the church is to pray daily for specific people. When we left church last Sunday I began seeking what people would have me pray for them. Sometimes it seems we think we know what people need more than they do, so the people were encouraged to ask. It has really opened up some dialog with some people. Some want to keep it very superficial while others go to great detail. It is amazing what people will tell you when you ask them how specifically you can pray for them. I love the way The Message puts the introduction to the Lord’s Prayer. "Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. (Matt 6:6, MSG). When you focus on the needs of others and when you simply and honestly as you can manage come before God it changes your prayer life. Ask someone today how you can pray for them in a specific manner. You might be surprised.

Frozen Ponds - Frozen Lives

Today is the first time I have seen a pond that was frozen close to my house. This has been the first time in the 22 years I have passed that pond that the top was frozen. Now, this is because we have experienced sub-freezing temperatures for a few days now. I began to think about these things from a spiritual and life viewpoint. The reason the water froze is because it is not a flowing stream. Yes, I know there are times when streams freeze, but just stay with me a minute. Look at our lives. How do we keep our lives from becoming frozen? I believe the Word of God, the Holy Spirit and our personal relationship with Christ keeps us in an ever-changing mode. You cannot stay the same and continue to walk closely to Christ. We are going be ever growing in our relationship with Christ. Paul wrote, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Eph 4:15-16). So, don’t freeze.

What Is a Friend?

My son Luke addressed the topic of friends on his blog www.thelwproject.blogspot.com . It go me thinking and I posted the following response. I hope you will read his blog and give friendships some thought. Who are your friends? How long will they be there?

This is a deep thought. I do not know of a place where the Bible speaks of seasonal friendships. Jonathan was a great example of a friend to David (1 Sam 18:1-4). He was committed to David to the point of death. He was there no matter what. A friend loves at all time (Prov 17:7). Space and time do not separate friends. Now, I do believe we might have a messed up definition of a friend that gives way to seasonal friendships. There are those "friends" who are conditional friends and there are those "friends" who are unconditional friends. Conditional friends leave you when the conditions are broken. Unconditional friends are still there when you make mistakes, do wrong, go against them, hurt them, etc. Now, this explains why we have so few lifelong friends. Lifelong friends requires forgiveness. How many times do true friends forgive? 70 times 7! So with all that being said, I believe you have people come into your life for a season and you have lifetime friends. That statement is based on a strong definition of friend. It could be that the seasonal friends are really acquaintances. I am a friend of God and He will always be my friend.

Have You Changed?

One of the best books I read in 2009 was Crazy Love by Francis Chan. It prompts me to ask this question of you today. “If you stopped believing in God today how much different would your life look?” Has God really changed the way you live your life. Is your life more concerned with Him and others? Do you love the least? Do you love who everyone else has rejected. I have recently met a family that has changed my life. They have put me on a course to learning to love everyone. Have I arrived? No! Am I moving? Yes! Why does God tell us over and over to love one another? Because we learn we loveable by others loving us. The New Testament says at least 14 times “love one another”. Let us look different as we make a difference. “It is not scientific doubt, not atheism, not pantheism, not agnosticism, that in our day and in this land is likely to quench the light of the gospel. It is a proud, sensuous, selfish, luxurious, church-going, hollow-hearted prosperity.”[1] Be careful how you live. God told His people in Haggai 1:5 and 7 to "consider your ways". Take time to read Haggai chapter 1 today and consider your ways.

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[1] Frederic D. Huntington, Forum magazine, 1890. As quoted by Frances Chan in Crazy Love, p. 63.

It's My Birthday

Well, today is my birthday. I have had many people wish me a happy birthday today and I plan to make this day happy. I have been asked do I feel older – NO. How old are you – 47. One responded to that number with – WOW! I do not feel 47, ever how that is supposed to feel. I see people my age and I think they look old. My 47 years has been an adventure. I grew up in a family that had then had not. A family that was happy then divorced. A church centered family to a country club centered. A home with no alcohol to one that had a cabinet full. Drank my first beer at home and saw my first girly magazine at home. Was a bad teenager. Always seeking to fit in. Met my wife, had three wonderful children, built a home, youth ministered, pastored, started a church, went to college, seminary, seminary again, spent money, saved little. Been to South America, Central America, Mexico, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Houston, somewhere in Mississippi, New Orleans, Disney, the beach, Washington D.C., and many more places. My favorite is NYC. Would love to go to Hawaii with my wife (if someone wants to give that as a 47^th b’day present it would be nice). I have enjoyed this 47 years. I feel young. My mind still dreams. I look forward to more great adventures. There are times when life seemed hard but it really was not. There have been times when it seemed easy but it really was not. Many of the things I thought I hated I really liked. But sometime today 47 years will have been spent by Daniel Ferrell Williams. Where has it gone? More places than I ever thought it would. It has been spent with great returns. I have the greatest family, friends and memories. If you have been part of it, thanks. If not, maybe we can make that happen in the next 47. That would be 94. That has a good ring to it. How old are you? 94? No, but I am halfway there. Enjoying the ride. Working on the dash (1963 – ). Age is nothing but a number. I will LOVE and LAUGH and LIVE.

Side Effects

2 Corinthians 7:8-11

Have you ever listened to a commercial about a medication when they start taking about side effects? The possible side effects are sometimes very concerning. Some of the side effects bring a since of laughter while others bring great alarm. I heard one last night that was temporary blindness. Now that is something to think about as you take medication. We think of side effects in regard to medicines but most of the decisions we make in life have side effects. Side effects are effects other than the desired effect.

Godly repentance has so many side effects. Godly repentance is done to right a relationship with God, but look at the side effects.

The Message puts it like this in verse 11, “you’re more alive, more concerned, more sensitive, more reverent, more human, more passionate, more responsible”. Wow, now that is some side effect list.

I want to encourage you to take time to repent as you become aware of sin in your life and enjoy the benefits.