Living Life!


“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not what he is capable of receiving.” ~ Albert Einstein

“It is the mark of a true saint that his sorrows remind him of his sins, and his sorrow for sin, drives him to his God.” ~ Charles H. Spurgeon

“If your Gospel isn’t touching others, it hasn’t touched you!” ~ Curry R. Blake

“Adversity is another way to measure the greatness of individuals. I never had a crisis that didn’t make me stronger.” ~ Lou Holtz

“If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.” ~ Vince Lombardi

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” ~ Goethe

“There are a lot of people that want to be a chandelier in God’s living room, but they are not willing to be a night light in His hall.” ~ T.F. Tenny

“A man who won’t die for something is not fit to live.” ~ Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” ~ Tommy Lasorda

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” ~ Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” ~ Tolkien

“Anything God has ever done, He can do now. Anything God has ever done anywhere, He can do here. Anything God has ever done for anyone, He can do for you.” ~ A.W. Tozer

“Holding grudges is letting someone live rent-free in your head. Space is limited, so let it go!” ~ Unknown

“You can get everything in life you want if you help enough other people get what they want.” ~ Zig Ziglar

“There are seldom, if ever, any hopeless situations, but there are many people whose lose hope in the face of some situations.” ~ Zig Ziglar

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead a second-rate version of someone else.” ~ Judy Garland

“Worship leaders are change agents! ‘Let me write the songs of a nation and I care not who writes the laws.’” ~ attr. to Plato

“You cannot make the weak man strong by making the strong man weak.” ~ Abraham Lincoln  (People who make over $250 provide most of the jobs.)

“It is weak and despicable to go on wanting things and not trying to get them.” ~ Joanna Field

“The vision must be followed by venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps, we must step up the stairs.” ~ Vance Havner

“A vision without action is only a dream; action without a dream is drudgery. ~ Ike Reighard

“There are no victories at bargain prices.” ~ General Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation.” ~ Zig Ziglar

“Most people who succeed in the face of seemingly impossible conditions are people who simply don’t know how to quit.” Reverend Dr. Robert Schuller

“Live out your imagination, not your history.” Stephen Covey

“Don’t make circumstances or the opinion of others the source of your joy; keep focused on pleasing God, the source of unending joy!” ~ Reverend Ben Daily

“Significance trumps success.” ~ Neil Kennedy

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” ~ Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“You generate the results in your life that you think you deserve.” ~ Dr. Phil McGraw  (We need to raise our personal expectations.)

“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” ~ Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money and talent are all you need in life.” ~ adapted from P. Miller

“When the illusion of control disappears, we become men and women of prayer.” ~ Unknown

“When you look at the possibilities instead of the problems, the future is filled with endless opportunities.” ~ Zig Ziglar

“Beware when personal desire trumps the will of God.” ~ Missionary Bill Moore

“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” ~ Helen Keller

“Discover what your organization is best at and focus on it! Avoid attempting too many projects.” ~ Chris Forbes

“Lack of motivation comes from a lack of hope.” ~ Dave Ramsey

“Mountaintops inspire leaders, but valleys mature them.” ~ Sir Winston Churchill

“We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

“Leaders must be close enough to relate to others, but far enough ahead to motivate them.” ~ John Maxwell

“Leaders will not experience long-term success unless a lot of people want them to.” ~ Dr. John Maxwell

“If anything becomes more fundamental than God to your happiness, meaning in life and identity, then it is an idol.” ~ Tim Keller

“A happy person  is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes.” ~ Kelly Gutierres

“The individual activity of one man with backbone will do more than a thousand men with a mere wishbone.” ~ William Boetcker

“The right man is the one who seizes the moment.” ~ Goethe

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the actions.” ~ Confucius

“Two sure ways to fail: Think and never do, or do and never think.” ~ Zig Ziglar

“There is a lot of blood, sweat and guts between dreams and success.” ~ Paul Bryant

“The day our memories become larger than our dreams, is the day our soul begins to shrink.” ~ Ike Reighard

“He who has done his best for his own time has lived for all times.” ~ Johann von Schiller, Playwright

Cowardice ask: Is it safe?

Consensus ask: Is it popular?

Character ask: Is it right?

~ Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Well, my 2010 has not started as I had planned. As a matter of fact, I really haven’t started my new year at all! I have been home since Christmas week. Sick! No, not “Sick!” as in “good,” or “cool.” But “Sick” as in “I have been sick with pneumonia for over two weeks now!” So, as the world has celebrated the new year and started their New Years Resolutions, I have been home praying every night that the next day I will be able to begin mine.

I went back to the doctor this past Thursday and there it was as plain as day, pneumonia still showing up in the x-ray. I have a large mass of pneumonia in my lower right lobe/lung.

New medication. “Well man, you’ve been on the wrong medication.” This is what my family doctor told me. The Rheumatoid doctor placed me on a medication that wasn’t effective for the area of the pneumonia that’s inside me. “RA docs aren’t as up on antibiotics because they don’t deal with these issues everyday,” so my family doc says.  So, I am on a new round of high power antibiotics which should work, and if they don’t? A Brother has to visit the hospital for a few days. These medications better work!

Having Rheumatoid Arthritis, which causes your immune system to eat your joints, I have to take medications that will suppress my immune system. Thus, infections are very common. Actually though, I have been very blessed. I have not had an active immune system in two years, and this is the first time I have been sick. But boy when I do it, I do it up right!

I am praying for my complete healing, and I believe with every cell that is in me that God is able to heal me completely. I stand upon God’s promises.

Well, God knew I would be getting pneumonia at this time in my life. Why He allowed it, I do not know; however, I pursue God in every way that I am able. While at home I am praying and reading. I am at least soaking up information that will help me when I am able to begin my new year.

So now, we move forward. I have realized that there are some things in my life; things from my past, and some old ways of thinking, that I cannot take with me into this new year. I also realize that there are some things that God is wanting me to change about myself as I enter this new season of life. I have to do the hard work of making these changes so that I can please God and live in His blessing!

What about you? What do you need to forget? What do you need to change? What do you need to add to your life? Pray about it; consider it and do it. You know, I trust God and I believe in me and you to make these changes. 2010 will be a better year!

My prayer is that God will richly bless everyone whose eyes fall upon this blog.

Good Morning and Happy Sunday to you all!

Pastor Gene

Hello Friends:

Excuses First.

First, let me apologize for not blogging more frequently. It has been a crazy three weeks. The following is why I haven’t been better about blogging in the recent past.

Three weeks ago, I had members in hospital and a funeral on Friday. I flew out on a Saturday to Michigan for a Writer’s Conference; was gone a week and had absolutely no time to blog during that conference which had sessions morning, afternoon and night. I came back home to more folks in hospital, then the internet on our church campus went down for about a week. This week has been more hospital time, surgeries, a death and a funeral. During this time, however, I have been keeping notes and do have some information to share. I hope to get it out soon.

Today is Saturday, July 4th, and I finally have some time that I hope I can fill with writing. I actually hope to post at least one other blog this afternoon.

Independence Day!

I was raised to be patriotic; my parents made certain that my sister and I had a clear understanding of our American blessing. My Grandfather Dodd was a career military man. My Dad served in both the Army and Marines. I have a host of other family members who were soldiers. I absolutely understand and appreciate my freedoms as an American citizen. I love Lee Greenwood’s song and would like to quote the chorus for you here today. I suppose it sums up my feelings about this grand Independence Day.

And I’m proud to be an American where at least I know I’m free.
And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me.
And I’d gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today.
‘Cause there ain’t no doubt I love this land God bless the U.S.A. 

I sign off now with this quote from our beloved President Ronald Reagan. “Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom, and then lost it, have never known it again.”

Thank you for following along with me. Have a great Fourth of July weekend.

God bless you and may God bless America!

Pastor Gene