Daryl Strickland

Is there a fire in your gut? Are you passionate about something? Anything? That is my burden right now. I want to see people that are fanatical about what they do and who they are. When I see people go through the motions of life it makes me feel nauseous and angry.

Having said that, here are a few things that are burning in my gut right now:

• Helping Lifepoint prepare for what God has in store. I believe with all my heart that the only thing that will keep us from growing and pointing more people to life is us! I feel like we need to sure up our net in a few places and continue to strengthen the line in all areas and God will meet us there. However, if we bring a mediocre effort to the table, that’s all we give Him to work with. That’s BURNING IN ME.
• Helping others catch on fire. As I stated above, it upsets my stomach to see people with potential that are fine with mediocrity. I not only want to see them meet their potential and be on fire at what they do, I want to help them. This is BURNING IN ME and I have to be honest, sometimes I just want to throw up my hands on this one. I want so bad to encourage and inspire and sometimes I just want to lay into people (which is not a bad thing). I am seeking God in this area of leadership.
• Here is another thing that is burning in me. Since coming into ministry full time, I have done a poor job of protecting my family time. As TD Jakes says “I have loved His bride and fed mine” and God calls us to do the opposite. It is BURNING IN ME to be a better husband and father, to do a better job at leaving it at the office. I have told myself for years that it is just different in ministry and in certain areas it is but I am my wife’s only husband, my kids only dad and that’s got to come before ministry.
• Face time with God. Jeff inspires me with this one but it is BURNING IN ME to spend more and more time with God. I don’t ever want to lean on my abilities and strength. I have been there, done that and I ain’t that good. I need God more than ever in my life and daily routine. My goal is to spend and hour in the morning and an hour at night alone with God.

That’s what is BURNING IN ME right now.

This was part of blog post from Perry Noble that spoke straight to me. You can read the whole post here.

Be who God called you to be…take risks…pray “stupid” prayers…ask people for commitment…believe in those no one else dared to believe in…PREACH JESUS…listen to the Holy Spirit…give everything your best…spend time BEGGING God to change lives…understand that God wants your church to grow more than you do…stop trying to make people happy…take some time for yourself…hire the people God tells you to hire…LEARN DAILY…spend whatever amount of money you need to spend to grow…develop your strengths, delegate your weaknesses…ignore your critics…STOP trying to be someone else…HONOR GOD’S GIFTING AND CALLING ON YOUR LIFE!!!

If you fall in one of the following categories you need to listen to this message:

• If you are alive and can click on this link
• If you think you know what repentance means click on this link
• If you have no clue what repentance means click on this link
• If you are thinking about going to see Sex and the City click on this link
• If you think mega churches water down the gospel click on this link
• If you are wondering what is holding you back in life click on this link
• If you think your sins only affect you click on this link
• If you are wondering how to go where God wants you to go, click on this link.
• If you want to see what John The Baptist looked like when he was 27, click on this link.

Once you get to the site, it is week 4 of Old Time Religion (Alter of Repentance). You can watch it our listen to it.

I was just watching TD Jakes and this stuff was to good not to share:

Here is some of what he shared:

• Dare your cancer to come to church with you today cause Jesus is in the house. I could be healed today, I could be revived today.
• If Jesus is in the house, something is going to happen.
• God needs something to work with. Bring some expectation with you. Enter His house with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Don’t come laid out like a mummy, expecting a miracle.
• Wherever there is a promised move of God you can expect opposition.
• You face your greatest opposition when you are closest to your biggest miracle.
• Faith must always past the test of discouragement.
• You have to go through a period of wanting to quit.
• If you are in anything and have never wanted to quit it, you are not in much.
• If you understand what I am saying you don’t shout when you get the miracle, you shout when you get the opposition.
• He is hurting me now. He just said most of us get stuck in the first dimension of faith (Simply Saved).
• Second dimension of faith. ARISE (live in victory in all areas of your life).
• Salvation is the root…Resurrection is the fruit. You can’t be saved and be flatlined.
• Third dimension of faith. You take hold of the things that had hold of you.
• He just said that’s so good, I’m going to get the tape myself.
• More on this one later.

This is better that biscuits and gravy!! Maybe it’s just me.

Read Perry’s notes from PDC at Saddleback.

link

How do you know that you are making a difference?

At Lifepoint we judge success on stories. Here are a few from this week:

• Got a prayer request Monday and things looked bad. The doctor said this persons baby had a badly deformed face (in the womb) and they should see a specialist. We prayed, she went to the specialist with her Bible in hand and guess what… They can’t explain it but the baby is fine.. I can.
• Got this comment from a new tithing family: “Earlier this evening my daughter was observing that everything at Lifepoint was free. She said her tithe must be helping to pay for it. My wife says she is as analytical as her father. I love LIFEPOINT! (I love this guy!!)
• Here is one from one of our guys that arrive at the office a 5:30am and pulls a trailer. He was coming out of his pocket to equip his truck to pull one of our new trailers (that was given to us!!!!). Here is his email: “My wife and I struggled with paying for the re-fit, but not that much, we just didn’t feel it was right for the church to have to pay for this and though it was somewhat of a stretch, and not in the Dave Ramsey budget, we agreed to do it and felt really good about it. The bill came to about $200. I had to go pick up one of my boss’s associates today in Charleston, and what the heck, no big deal, my boss is paying me and if this is what he wants me to do with my day I’ll do it.When we got back to Wilmington the guy dropped me off at the truck place where I had left the truck to get it rigged and against my protests he gave me $200.

  The Lord’s pretty cool ain’t he? However it took my wife to point out the association for me between the $200 and how much the truck cost.

• Heard word through the grapevine that some Lifepoint folks are helping a family out that is going through an incredibly rough time. They are providing meals, doing yard work, etc. and this family has never stepped foot in the doors of Lifepoint (that’s cool and that’s Jesus).
• Here is one that was sent to my wife: “Kelli, We just wanted to thank those on Sunday who ran out to help in the rain. The heart Lifepoint has for service speaks so loud to us. Please know how grateful we are for the acts of service you have shown to us and our community. It truly is the picture of Jesus! Thanks so much!!

I am digging this song by Daniel Doss. It’s called Great God also check out God In Me.

I was reading my devotional tonight and this rang out loud and clear:

Psalm 127:1 Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Unless God remains at the center of your efforts, you labor in vain.

This is my biggest fear in life. I never want to be a part of something that God is not in (been there, done that) and I don’t want to lead anyone in a direction that God doesn’t want them to go.

So how in the world do you stay relentlessly centered of God? Read this post it’s a good start.

One of Satan’s BIG weapon’s is deception and he is good at this. He picks the right time, he says the right things and before you know it you actually believe the garbage he if feeding you.

This has been so real to me in ministry and I don’t think this is unique to full time pastors but to anyone who follows Christ. There are times when you have been running hard and you are a little tired or there are times when things are great and you let your guard down and here is what he starts saying:

• You’re not making a difference
• You’re not a fit here
• You’re not qualified
• You’re not as good as you think you are (this one is usually true)
• Nobody appreciates or needs what you do
• You’re not effective
• You don’t love them anymore
• Blah, Blah, Blah

And if you lend him your ear you will start to believe that these things are true. You can actually fit your life into his made up story and it makes sense to you, then you start to feel sorry for yourself and want to quit. Then you mope a little. Then you have a bright idea… I will read my Bible and pray!!! Voila, you recognize that this story is fiction and God is doing some really cool stuff in your life, in your ministry and you feel like a dork for wasting your time listening to a smack talking, defeated foe.

Maybe I am the only one this happens to but I admit it happens. Sometimes, I recognize it quick and I capture that thought and give it to God and sometimes I am slow and struggle with it a day or two but the big thing is that you never give in. You have to fight for the truth and you always have to recenter back at the Cross.

Here is somethings that I have learned to combat attacks like this:

1. You have got to have someone in your life that you can go to and share what you are thinking and feeling. This person has to be a strong Christian and they have to have permission to tell you to get your head out of your butt and look at all that God has done in your life and look at God’s Word.
2. You need to list all the things that you are thankful for like: Salvation, Spouse, Kids, Job, House, Food, Air, Health, etc.. Get this list out and pray through it often.
3. Never, Never, Never, Never neglect your quite time. If you compromise here, you will find your self on the pity potty a lot.
4. When a thought comes in your head that doesn’t go anywhere positive, give it to God. Do not spend anymore time on it.

Jeff already posted this but I had to put it on here as well and no, nothing is wrong with the color, we are purple. One of my friends and a fellow Lifepointer John Fialo wanted to get baptized this week before he left for Iraq. What better place than the ocean right? One problem, January. The water was 52 degrees and the outside temperature was 46 degrees. I later read that it would have taken a whole hour to kill us in 50 degree water so we were fine.

All kidding and freezing aside, this was a highlight for me. This guy wanted the world to know that he is playing for the home team and he loves the coach with all he has.

I wish they would have gotten a picture of everyone on the shore, they looked like Eskimos with bomber jackets and hoodies.