Free t-shirt blogger

Hey everybody, here's a chance to win a free t-shirt. The 5 best and most genuine commenters will win. Make sure you include your name. Here's the question:

What would you like to see happen in Lifehouse in 2007? What kind of trips and outings would you like to go on? What changes would you like Pastor Danny and the leadership team to make to the Lifehouse Services?

Have fun- Pastor Danny

Zach-attack

I remember coming home from school about 2 months ago. I walk in through the front door and my mom called me into her room. What she told me was the scariest thing I have ever experienced. She told me there was the possibility she could have breast cancer. She hadn't been to the doctor yet but she had felt a lump in her breast. When I heard, I felt like my eyes shot into the back of my head and my heart sank into my stomach. After I walked out of my mom's room I went into mine. I closed the door, fell to my knees, and prayed to God that I wouldn't lose my mother. What I hadn't realized at the time is that God had been preparing me for this situation. In leadership class Pastor Tim had been talking about how when God speaks to us it isn't always a thunderous voice. Most of the time we'll mistake God for our own thoughts. Also in the bible one thing really stuck out to me while I was reading; Jesus would always say have faith or something along those lines. I felt like God was telling me to have faith. So everyday I would pray something like, "dear Jesus, you knew the circumstance w/my mother, and I'm believing in faith for a healing from God. I know you're the same yesterday, today, and forever, and your word says wfaith the size of a mustard seed mountains can be moved. So Father God I give it to you, it's in jesus name I pray." I prayed that prayer for about 2 weeks until my mom took the tests. The day she went to the doctor's and I came home from school, I was praying all the way from the bus stop. I walked through the front door, went into my mom's room, and she told me that all the tests came back negative. I shouted, "Praise God!" It felt like I could breathe again. It was the best feeling to have faith in God because no matter what, he knows best and he's always there. So whatever comes your way have faith.

Scriptures: Mark 11:22, Matthew 17:20

Zach Stewart

If you want to walk on water... you gotta get out of the boat

Matthew 14:22-33
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

-Some may say, "Peter's a failure. He didn't have strong faith." But I say, "Peter's the only man besides Jesus to ever have walked on the water." Peter saw an opportunity and he took a leap of faith. He made a choice to leave the comfort and protection of a boat and he walked out to where hi God was calling him.

So where is God calling you? What is God calling you to do? Is he challenging you to do something you've never done before? Is he challenging you to "get out of the boat" and step into new and unfamiliar territory?

Life is often comfortable "in the boat". It's safer, more predictable... but it's boring. As long as we're in the boat, we'll never experience true miracles. We'll never be stretched beyond our strength and abilities as long as we stay in the boat. We'll never know what it means to rely on God as long as we're relying on the boat. We'll never see God do the impossible through us as long as we're in the boat.

Take a chance for God. Take a risk for Him. We may ask, "what will happen if I fail?" The obvious answer is that God will reach down and pick us up. However, what we should really ask ourselves, "what will happen if I don't fail?", b/c if we don't fail we become water-walkers. We become people who knows what it means to experience victory, power, and the miraculous.

Get outta the boat! -Pastor Danny