The B-I-B-L-E

If prayer – at its simplest form – is talking to God, then reading the Bible – at its simplest form – is letting God talk to you.

When you really break it down, reading the Bible (like prayer) is communication. And communication is a crucial element in any intimate relationship…including a relationship with God. Without communication, relationships die.

Through the Bible, God speaks to the core issues of your life. He roots out the anger behind the depression many experience. He uncovers the insecurity behind your self-destructive habits. He tells you how deeply loved and accepted you are. He draws you to Himself by explaining the price He paid to know you and to be known by you.

For you to have consistency in your relationship with God, it is crucial for you to have consistent, intimate time with God through reading the Bible.

Here are five easy steps to allow God to rock your wold through the Bible…

GET A BIBLE. Sounds weird, but I meet people all the time who do not own a Bible. Invest in a Bible. Download a Bible app, its free and mobile.

FIND A TRANSLATION YOU CAN UNDERSTAND. There’s the NIV, NLT, Message, TNIV, ESV, NASV, King James, NKJV, CEV, Amplified, NCV, etc…Here’s the point: there are options. Don’t read a Bible you can’t understand. Find one you can understand.

CARVE OUT SPECIFIC TIME IN YOUR DAILY SCHEDULE TO READ THE BIBLE. Find a time that works with your schedule. I recommend either right when you wake up or right before you go to sleep. Be consistent with that time. Combine this time with your prayer time.

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS WHEN YOU PRAY. When reading a specific passage, ask yourself these four questions: What does this passage say? Learn to summarize the Bible in your own words. Why is this important? Understand why you need to know this fact or principle. What should I do about it? Learn how to specifically apply Scripture to your life. How can I remember this? Learn how to not forget what you learned. Memorize a verse, write a verse on a card, share a verse with a friend, etc.

HAVE A PLAN. Don’t just blindly flip through the Bible. Have a plan. Know where you are going. I highly recommend 2 plans: Project345. The average time it takes a person to read a chapter of the Bible is 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Project345.com is a reading plan that gives you one New Testament chapter a day. If you stay consistent with Project345, you will read the entire New Testament in under a year. Proverb-a-Day. There are 31 chapters of Proverbs. The maximum numbers of days in a month is 31. In the Proverb-a-Day plan, match the day of the month with that chapter in Proverbs. Like I always say, “A Proverb-a-day keeps the devil away.”

Prayer

Prayer – at its simplest form – is talking to God.

When you really break it down, prayer is communication. And communication is a crucial element in any intimate relationship…including a relationship with God.

But what happens when we dont communicate with God? We pray a prayer, get dunked in baptistries, or make a one-time commitment to enter into an intimate relationship with God and then never talk to him after making that commitment. And we wonder why we are not close to God.

For you to have consistency in your relationship with God, it is crucial for you to have a consistent, intimate prayer life with God.

A consistent, intimate prayer life with God will…

KEEP YOU CLOSE TO GOD. It’s a proven fact that you are closest to the ones that you talk to the most. The same principle applies to God.

KEEP YOU FOCUSED ON A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, NOT RELIGION. If you do not have any intimate communication with God, he tends to get regulated to a church building and certain days of the week. He becomes a duty. This religious approach is why so many people go to church every week but their lives never change.

HELP YOU REALIZE THE URGENCY OF SPENDING TIME WITH GOD. Many times people do not spend time with God because there is no urgency to do so. Getting to work, school, or practice on time is urgent. After all, if you miss prayer time, there is no immediate consequence. You don’t get fired. You don’t get kicked off the team. You don’t have to repeat a class. You don’t get written up. But if you don’t realize the urgency of spending time with God, you will suffer a consequence eventually – you will not develop intimacy with God.

Here are five things that will help you have a better prayer life…

CARVE OUT SPECIFIC TIME IN YOUR DAILY SCHEDULE TO PRAY. Find a time that works with your schedule. I recommend either right when you wake up or right before you go to sleep. Be consistent with that time.

PRAY “TWITTER” PRAYERS. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to “pray continually”. Other versions say “pray without ceasing”, “pray all the time”, and “never stop praying”. Twitter limits you to updates that are 140 characters of fewer. Pray throughout the day short prayers to stay connected throughout the day. Think texting with God throughout the day.

GET ALONE TO PRAY. Jesus consistently got alone to connect with God. Prayer is a private thing.

BE CREATIVE WITH PRAYER. Pray the Bible. Find prayers in Scripture and pray those. Pray through worship music. Pray through journaling.

BE OPEN, HONEST, AND REAL. GOD CAN HANDLE IT. Share your heart with God. If you’re mad, tell him. If you’re frustrated, tell him. If you’re doubting, tell him. If you’re full of joy, tell him. Wherever you are, be open, honest, and real. God can handle it

20 predictions for the rest of the MLB year

1. San Diego will win the NL west
2. St Louis wins the NL Central
3. Atlanta wins the NL East
4. Cincinnati wins the Wild card
5. The rays win the AL East
6. Minnesota wins the AL Central
7. Texas wins the AL West
8. New York wins the Wild Card
9. Texas beats Minnesota to go to the world series
10. Cincinnati beats San Diego to go to the world series
11. Texas wins the world series with Cliff lee winning the WSMVP
12. The divorce forces the McCourts to sell the dodgers which are purchased by Mark Cuban
13. Cliff Lee stays in Texas with a new 5 year contract
14. Matt kemp and two prospects are traded to Florida for Josh Johnson
15. New Manager of the Dodgers is Bobby Valentine
16. Trevor Hoffman saves 3 more games for 600 saves and retires as the best closer ever
17. Albert Pujols is given a new 8 year contract by the Cards 8 years 225 million
18. David price and Ubaldo Jiminez win the Cy young awards
19. Joey Votto and Miguel Cabrera win the MVP awards
20. I win my Fantasy baseball league… (I am in first place right now so its not far fetched)

25 predictions for the 2010 NFL football season

1. Ben Roethlisberger only misses 4 games and leads the Steelers to a 11 win season
2. With new coaching and a new running back Kansas City wins 11 games and the AFC west
3. Houston beats the colts twice this season and wins the AFC South
4. The Dolphins win the AFC East over New England
5. The Jets win 7 games
6. Pittsburgh wins the AFC North over Baltimore
7. T O and Chad Johnson rip apart the Bengals and they win 6 games
8. Atlanta wins the NFC south
9. Brett Favre does not retire and Minnesota wins the NFC north
10. Washington wins the NFC East over Dallas by one game
11. Arizona and San Francisco both win 9 games tying for the division lead
12. Arizona wins the division because of a harder strength of schedule
13. new Orleans and Green bay win the wild card in the NFC
14. Indianapolis and San Diego win the wild card in the AFC
15. Brett Favre starts all 16 games again and beats green bay 2 more times
16. Andre Johnson wins the offensive MVP
17. Patrick Willis wins the Defensive MVP
18. Matt Shaub leads the league with passing yards
19. Ndamukong Suh wins rookie of the year
20. best team to not make the playoffs: 49ers
21. raiders win total 4
22. LT rushes for 1000 yards with the Jets
23. upset of the season: Detroit beats New England in week 12
24. Minnesota beats Pittsburgh in the Super bowl 35-31
25. I will win my fantasy football league for the first time ever

my favorite moment while in Minnesota

A chapel service at Northcentral

good 2 minute sermon...

saw this and wanted to share...

"To be a survivor in this amazing race with a need for speed you need God's grace. if your desperate like housewives watching days of our lives, you cant come with out hope and that not on a soap. If you look into Oprah or Dr. Phil you can shop non stop or pop a pill. but the void wont fill and the pain wont kill till you love the one who hung on a hill.

Kickin back in your lazy boy easy chair watchin who wants to be a millionaire, na your not going to find it there, no American idol or tribal council has a final answer that will satisfy ya, CSI ain't got a clue, SVU don't know what to do, not even ER, the OC, CD, DVD, or Mp3 can save you and me.

CNN's got no good news, here's a headline... you must choose, its not a simple life Paris Hilton, treading on thin ice, living in sin, you could be an apprentice for Donald Trump or eat fear factor garbage from a dump, you could be a heavy hitter or wheel of fortune winner, a fox news spin zone spinner or a flat out sinner, but you better check this life your livin and make sure your sins are forgiven.

I bet you 50 cent, Elvis done came and went and eventually black eyed peas, Gwen stefani, p diddy, britney and every wanna be on mtv with there icy bling, every dixy chick that sings, there all gonna see the king of kings.

I don't care if your j-lo, Leno or bono, one thing you gotta know is someday your gonna die bro, then where ya gonna go?

hey I'm not talking some punk junk that's irrelevant like your grandmas church from way back when, its not some preacher feature on tbn that you need to be like or listen, the real superstar is Jesus Christ. Hes the way the truth and light. One day hes gonna split the sky, hes the brightest light and the highest high.

So what I came to say and what I'm telling you is don't but that stupid stuff they be selling you. Its all designed to fill your head and waste your space till your dead.

here's the bottom line to this rhyme, Give your life to God while theres still time."