The Beatles were Right

All we need is love ... 1 John 4:7-8 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

Love is the #1 trait that should be present in a Christian's life.

Also, just FYI ... if you ever see a person holding a sign that says, "God Hates ..." and they are claiming to be a Christian ... they are nuts!

Pumpkin Spice & All Things Nice

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

I truly wish you the best this season has to offer ... here are a few things I have learned about HOW TO ENJOY this time of year:

1) Actually Take Off - on Thanksgiving shut the lap top, cell phone, blackberry, or any other device you have that may distract you from your friends and family! PS, that means DON'T GET ON facebook either!

2) Forget About Work - If you are one of those lucky people who work retail, and black Friday is your big day ... don't even think about it till you wake up on Friday.

3) Give Yourself to Your Family - if you are married, then give yourself to your spouse (not just in that way guys! There are other ways to "give yourself to your spouse" ... but nice try!) If you are single, give yourself to your parents ... if you are the parent ... give yourself to your kids ... and finally if you are spending Thanksgiving with friends ... give yourself to them and deepening your friendship!

4) Make God A Priority - We sometimes we wonder why this season is so awesome? It's because of Jesus ... remember Him!

5) And finally, Let Your Hair Down (if you have any ...lol!) - Just have fun ... be crazy, laugh, drink (Vitamin Water of course!), frolic, tell jokes, make up jokes, be goofy, eat, be merry, make a snow angel in your boxers only (j/k!) ...

Enjoy!

Change

Proverbs 22:3 "A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it."

The word CHANGE is to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone. To transform or convert.

There are many times in our life that we must take a hard long look at various aspects of our life and ask; How is it going? If not well, why? What can I do about it? What needs to change? How do I change it? Who can help me change? Etc. Then we must face the fear and take the risks necessary and move forward.

The challenge is that we often get comfortable with the status-quo and say, "well this is the way we've always done it." Even though it's not working, we continue to think that "this time it will be different", and it never is... because "if you keep doing what you've always done you'll keep getting the same results you've always gotten."

So, is there anything in your life that needs to change for 2010? Do you want something to be different in your life? If so, don't be like the "simple" person who just keeps going in the same direction! Be prudent and CHANGE! You will be glad you did!

Church is a Community of People ...

...Not a Building!

Hi, my name is Timmy Gibson and I am a pastor of a mobile church, meaning we do not own a building, we actually rent a school building where "our church" gathers for our weekly worship service.

More and more I am beyond frustrated that people still feel that church is a building. A building with a steeple that is used for church purposes is just a building with the CHURCH meeting there! You take away the people and you just have a building, that's it!

Jesus never said anything about a building being important ... it's people who are important and its the relationships within the church between those people that are truly important and it's people who make up the church!

- I have never known of a church building to stop by the hospital to visit the mother of a newborn!

- I have never known of a church building to come to the hospital to visit the parents of a sick child.

- I have never known a church building to prepare a meal for someone who had surgery and couldn't get around.

- I have never known a church building to go to the graveside of a young couple who had to bury there 1 year old child.

- I have never known a church building to pray with a family who has filed bankruptcy and is unsure of their future.

It's PEOPLE who do that ... PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP THE CHURCH!

When Life Hurts

What do you do when life hurts?

Great question! I know for me I like to draw close to my family and friends, and most importantly I draw close to God... okay and slam a few shots of Tequila and smoke a pack of Camels. (I am totally kidding about the Tequila and smoking camels... it's what you call a joke ... though no judgment to those who do find that comforting.)

HERE ARE TWO VERSES TO ALWAYS REMEMBER

Matthew 28:20 "...lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Hebrew 13:5 "Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you."

And when life hurts, God is there to hold us.

Thanksgiving with Crazy Family

Thanksgiving is just days away, and Christmas is soon coming so I felt it appropriate to share a few thoughts on HOW TO GET ALONG WITH YOUR CRAZY RELATIVES DURING THE HOLIDAYS!

Every family has it's issues! Let's just be honest here. We are all dysfunctional in some ways... yes, even you! I know that most of my family lives here in KC, or at least within a 30 minute drive from here and there are two Thanksgivings going on because certain relatives can't stand to be in the same room with each other. I feel like I am in grade school again sometimes. I know you know what I am talking about.

Q: So how can you get along with relatives ... even the crazy-nutty ones?

1) Do not bring up touchy subjects! You know what they are... stay away.

2) Refuse to argue. Even if they try to start something, don't! It takes two to argue ... if you refuse to engage them, then they just look the fool.

Romans 12:18 "If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men."

3) Know that you are not going to change them, nor get them to see the light ... no matter how bad you want them to be normal ... they won't! Probably never! Get used to it.

4) Talk about happy subjects. Don't grip, complain, slander, or bad mouth any family members ... even if others do it, you be the bigger person and don't go there.

I love this quote: "Small people talk about other people, big people talk about plans, dream and goals"

5) Stay out of negative town ... that just brings the mood low... it's the Holiday Season ... just enjoy.

6) Most important: Remember that Thanksgiving and Christmas are all about JESUS! Need I say more?

Addicted to Connected

I heard a DJ on a local radio station here in KC talk about a caller who had called in complaining about her husband spending too much time on his cell phone (Blackberry is what she said actually). She went on to say that he is constantly checking it, sending texts, receiving texts, emails, etc. even while they are out on a date. She said he even sleeps with it under his pillow at night.

Okay, I use my phone a lot ... but I do not use it while on a date, nor do I sleep with it under my pillow for heaven's sakes. This caller's husband has an issue in my opinion. I think we may be a overly Addicted to Connected here.

I heard it said that years ago all the technology advancements were going to make it possible to get 40 hours of work done in 30 hours or less ... because all the "tools" and "advancements" were going to FREE US up ... our time that is... I have to laugh! All these advancements have only busied our lives. It has bettered our lives in many areas too, but like with most things good we must learn to steward them well.

So, are the "tools" to help free up your time doing that for you... or are they stealing time away from you, your spouse, your kids, your friends?

CONFESSION
Sometimes at the end of a long day I am tired, and was busy all day messing with the "tools" that really didn't help me accomplish my goals ... but I was busy!

In all things BALANCE!

Charity: Water

Those of you who follow my blog know that I have never asked for anything from you! I just give freely; well today I am asking you to join me in giving just $10 to build a WELL that will provide 250 men, women and children with CLEAN WATER to drink in a Third World Country.

LET’S JOIN TOGETHER AND GIVE A CHRISTMAS GIFT THIS YEAR THAT COUNTS!

I am calling it the MERCY Church Clean Water Project; we can build a well for just $5000! Here is the cool thing - 100% of your donation goes to actually building the well, then after it is built we will see pictures and be given a location of the well so we can google earth it to actually see what we did together!

Just click HERE, you can give online!

Helping husbands

Husbands, I don't want to burst your bubble but, housework is not the wife's job! Now of course if she is a stay-at-home-mom, okay yes, she would be the primary caretaker of the home, just as you are the primary income earner. Though let's be honest here guys ... you couldn't do what you do without her!

RECENT SURVEY SAYS

Are husbands sharing the household chores with their wives? Research shows that married men are not pitching in.

Husbands create extra work for wives. A University of Michigan study reports having a husband creates an extra seven hours a week of housework for a woman. On the other hand, a wife spares her husband from nearly one hour of housework each week. So, the man gets the better deal no matter what.

I am not dogging husbands here; but especially if the wife is working outside the home we husbands should help with the household duties. I am not perfect here, but I mop, clean bathroom, do dishes and YES I PUT MY DIRTY CLOTHES IN THE DIRTY CLOTHES HAMPER! I've got two good arms!

TIPS TO HELP

1) Have a talk about household chores - list ALL the duties, divide them up "his job", "her job", make sure you both agree, then do it! Remember marriage is a TEAM EFFORT!

2) If you see something needs to be done guys, do it! Don't think or act like, "that's her job."

3) No nagging! Guys hate being nagged ... just tell us what you would like us to do ... don't withhold sex to try and teach us a lesson ... communicate!

4)Husbands, show appreciation for all her work around the house - a little Thank You would go a long way! Don't be a ungrateful jerk! I would recommend not only giving verbal "thanks" but also cards, notes, flowers, you call and say babe I've got dinner tonight ... (make sure to call her early enough in the day so she doesn't start it and your phone call actually upsets her cause it's 6pm and she's already pre-pared dinner)

On of the funniest lines from a movie I've ever heard was from the kid's movie Barnyard when some dude asks Otis (the cow) to help him do something and he says, "Sorry dude, I'm a no-helpian ..."

Don't be like Otis guys!

SECRET

I will close with this: When we (guys) do household chores ... it's a huge turn on for our wives (not saying you should do it for selfish reasons...) I am just saying ... nothing says I LOVE YOU more than a guy vacuuming the living room or loading a dish washer. Lol!

Angels & Demons The Truth

I did a message entitled Angels and Demons The Truth on Sunday, November 8, 2009 that you can view www.mercychurchKC.com/media or look for it on our iTunes account under "Mercy Church KC". I did the message because of the popularity of the low budget movie, Paranormal Activity.

I always talk to my Jana (my wife) after my talks to see what she thought about my delivery, content and what I could improve and she said I should have (or could have) better clarified my statement that "we open ourselves up to the devil by sinning." I agree, so here is my clarification on that statement.

I believe that statement to be true NOT in the sense that if I sin, the devil can or will come in and make my car break down or something like that... what I mean by that statement is that when we open ourselves up to sin we open ourselves up to feel more comfortable with continuing to sin, for example: If I (as a married man) allow myself to think (or dwell on) about other women in an improper way, that could lead me to looking at porn, which then leads me to look at more porn, then this could lead me to improper interactions with women, then ultimately lead me to having an affair. There is no married person on planet earth who has ever had an affair without FIRST thinking about it! You don't trip over a shoe and fall into bed with someone! Hello!

So, all that said... THAT is what I was saying when I said that when we chose to sin when are opening ourselves up to further sin and being comfortable with making bad choices. I believe we become hardened towards God when we RESIST GOD and His leading in our life.

Side Note: Every human (that would be me and you) have a good side and a bad side ... we must FEED THE GOOD side in us and the best way to do that is to follow God's will for your life. Doing good is addictive ... the closer you draw to God, the closer He draws to you.