Prayer is so important in our walks with Christ today. So much is going on in this world one can't help but ask, is God listening? I asure you that He is listening! He hears the prayers of all His children. The Bible says that "if only my children would cry out to me, then I will hear them, come to them, and heal their land." Prayer is like having a conversation with a friend. Except with this friend we know that He truely is listening. Jesus thought it was importnant to pray. In fact He laft alone several times to pray by himself. In Matthew 14:23 it says that "after He had dismissed them, He went up on the mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came He was there alone." If you are a Christ follower, then follow Christ example and go to your prayer closet by yourself and pray! It is so easy to pray in a crowd when others are doing it but if Jesus did it alone, how much more do yout think we need to?
Pastor Andrew "09"

The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident. One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling. PSALM 27:1-5 What factors your fear? What are you afraid of today? What ever it is remember that Jesus is on the throne! If we should fear anything it should be God! In fact the Bible says that "the fear of the Lod is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous."
Don't forget the FEAR FACTOR EXPERIENCE Wednesday night @ 7:00!
Pastor Andrew "09"

If you are reading this blog first read Luke 24:13-35

When Jesus reveals Himself to you, will your heart be burning within you? What will your heart reveal? My prayer is that we be a generation who is completely on fire from the inside out for God!

Pastor Andrew "09"

Being a new Father I tell you their is nothing like seeing your son come into this world for the first time. My son is just over 7 months now and growing fast. I can remeber that night he came, so clearly. The painful time my wife went through, and the overwelming feeling that I had and not to mention the 9 months we had to wait. But we always forget about someone. What about the baby? How did the baby feel to be born? To come from the womb to the world! There is nothing like being born! You know Jesus said in John 3:7 that "you must be born again." Think what is must feel like to start a whole new life. Think of having a clean new slate. Think of passing into a whole other realm. That is being born once again. Being a child of God is being born once agian!  You see the problem is that sometimes we don't make the new birth in Christ very clear to our listeners. I don't think we tell them that the 2nd birth is no less dramatic then the 1st. Do they realize that they are about to enter a new family, and that they are passing from death into life? To be born again means to be inwardly affected, and to experience a fundamental change of Character. Like is says in Ephesians 5:8 "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light."

In Luke 17 Jesus was on His way to a village in Jerusalem when He saw 10 men who had leprosy. They stood at a distance because they were considered unclean and not worthy to be in anyones presence. He told them to "go and show themselves to the priest" and as they began to walk away they were cleansed and healed. As all ten started off 1 of them turned back around and fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him. Jesus was concerned about the others and said "Were not all 10 cleansed? Where are the others?" You see just like these men we are not worthy to be in the presence of God, and we were once in need of cleansing. When Jesus came into your life did you fall at His feet and thank Him for cleansing you or healing you or forgiving you? Yes, but are you still falling at His feet today? Are you grateful for what God has done in your life?

All over the news people are saying that we are in a drout caused from lack of rain. I know my grass isn't green. Anyways they say that we are running short on drinking water and the main source in Tampa is drying up. I started to think about this today and I wonder is sometimes we feel like this Spiritually? Do you ever feel just Spiritually drained like you have dry bones and you are thirsty, but everywhere you look to try to remedy the situation it is not working because the world is all drinking from the same dried up source? John 4:13 says "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thrist. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Amen!!!! So stop looking else where for satisfaction. If you thirst in life, seek God!
Pastor Andrew "09"

I think about the calling on my life to serve God in Ministry as a Youth Pastor. I think about where I was 7 years ago and I never thought I would be who God has made me today! I wasn't exactly Pastor material and I wasn't a good speaker at all, but I have come to learn something the past 7 years and that is that God doesn't call the qualfied, He qualifies the called. Look at David as a shepherd boy. Scripture says he was small, ruddy and fine in appearance. On the outside he did not look like King material. His brother Eliab did because Samuel saw him and said "surely the Lord's annointing has got to be upon this one." Then God said "Do not consider his appearance or his height for I have rejected him, The Lord does not look at the things man looks at, man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart." Then when Samuel saw David God said that he was to be King. You see what I am trying to say is that if you have a calling on your life, do not doubt that calling because you think it can't be done, or someone tells you, you can't. Because God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called! Respond and be obedient to God's call.
 
Pastor Andrew "09"

IN MATTHEW 9:9-13 JESUS CALLS MATTHEW TO BE ONE OF HIS DISCIPLES. MATTHEW WAS A TAX COLLECTOR WHO PEOPLE HATED BECAUSE HE WOULD OVERCHARGE AND KEEP THE PROFITS. HE ALSO SUPPORTED ROME. JESUS WAS WALKING BY AND SAID "FOLLOW ME." SCRIPTURE SAYS THAT MATTHEW LEFT HIS LUCRATIVE CAREER TO FOLLOW A MAN HE HAD ONLY HEARD OF! THEN IT SAYS THAT JESUS WAS EATING DINNER WITH MATTHEW AND OTHER SINNERS. OH BUT THE PHARISEES OPPOSED JESUS SAYING WHY IS HE EATING AND SOCIALIZING WITH SINNERS AND TAX COLLECTORS? THEN JESUS RESPONDS, "IT IS NOT THE HEALTY WHO NEED A DOCTOR, BUT THE SICK. FOR I HAVE NOT COME TO CALL THE RIGHTOUS, BUT SINNERS." SO, JESUS NOT CARING ABOUT HIS REPUTATION CHOSE TO ENTER INTO THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE SINNERS AND IN NEED OF A SAVIOR! JESUS DIDN'T STOP AND TELL MATTHEW, "HEY, CLEAN YOURSELF UP AND THEN FOLLOW ME!" HE DIDN'T SAY "NO I CAN'T EAT WITH YOU CAUSE YOU ARE SINNERS!" INSTEAD HE MET THEM RIGHT WHERE THEY WERE AT AND LOVED THEM JUST THE SAME! I AM SO GLAD JESUS WAS WILLING TO COME INTO MY LIFE AND MEET ME WHERE I WAS AT, CAUSE HEY, AFTER SPENDING TIME WITH JESUS, YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WAY YOU LIVE ANYWAYS!

PASTOR ANDREW "09"

Matthew 5:13 says "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled on by men." What doe that mean right? Well, let me tell you. Notice how we always like to put salt on everything to bring the flavor out, or to give it flavor? Have you ever tasted a french fry without salt on it? "Very Bland!" If a seasoning has no flavor, it has no value. If Christians make no effort to affect the world around them, they are of little value to God. If we are too much like the world, we are worthless. Christians should not blend in with everyone else. Instead, we should affect others positively, just as seasoning brings out the best flavor in food!
 
Pastor Andrew "09"

I used to watch a show on MTV called Made. It is a show about ordinary people who want to be someone or something else. For instance, there was a girl who was heavily into rock/heavy metal music and drama. She was the kind of girl you would see most likely hanging out with people who wear a lot of black. "Nothing wrong with that!" She wanted to be made into a cheerleader. So they brought in a specialst to train her, change her, and make her into someone she is not and was not intended to be. Then there was a guy who wanted to join and be apart of the football team, but he was very small, loved math, and carried a calculator. "Once again, nothing wrong with that!" I guess the point I am trying to make here is that why do we strive to be like other people and in the end we don't find happiness. I believe it is an acceptance issue! Psalm 139:14 says "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, your works are wonderful, I know that full well." You see God made us the way we are for a purpose. So.... be happy for who you are. As children od God, made in the likeness of His Son Jesus!
 
Pastor Andrew "09"