'Now when he (Jesus) had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.' (Luke 5:4) 

'Great things will happen only as we launch forward in our service to Christ. Without Spirit-led, Spirit-filled action, our lives and ministries will become spiritually stagnant. Like Peter’s disappointing night of fishing, our attempts to serve the Lord in our strength will yield empty nets every time. As we heed Christ’s commands, however, we will experience miracles made possible only by the hand of God. Are you ready to launch out?' -- (Dr. Paul Chappell)

Center Stage

Devotional inspired by the song, Clear the Stage by Jimmy Needham

http://bit.ly/HEqmOT 

When we think of “exiles” we often are reminded of the Israelites who were exiled many times in biblical history.  Or, we may think of the thousands in Sudan who are being exiled for their faith along with Christians in Syria, Egypt, and many other places around the globe right now. While our forefathers may have been exiled for their faith from Great Britain at the founding of our nation, in the U.S. today we do not usually think of ourselves as having been exiled from one land to another. Yet in a sense, until we are with the Lord in our heavenly home Christians are all exiles in some foreign land. Are you in exile for God?

Blessings(Listen and meditate on the message of this song before we begin), Blessings by Laura Story  http://youtu.be/4mmgV6mPvb0

This song has been a favorite of mine since I first heard it several years ago. Our son in law Kraig was discouraged because of his physical heath and this song brought comfort and continues to today.

Reflecting on events from the past, each of us can claim disappointment and sorrow, but today let’s again ask ourselves these questions.

Some years ago while serving on staff of a local church with all of its many daily leadership responsibilities, our family had a crisis that set us on our heels emotionally and spiritually.  The situation was so devastating we were almost blinded and rendered immobile by the overwhelming emotions and spiritual implications. At the time it did not appear as if there would ever be a good way through this crisis. And, as is so common to those in crisis, we were so shocked all we did was focus upon the crisis itself.

It was in this crisis moment, my pastoral mentor prayed with us and challenged us to read stand on Psalm 91 each day. I learned to trust God in a new way and Psalm 91 was an integral part of the journey back from the spiritual precipice to a secure place in the shelter of God’s arms. We literally read it over and over again every day until the peace that passes understanding came to us. And, now 18 years later, what was once a huge daunting crisis has now been turned for good to them who love the Lord. Ever since that time, Psalm 91 is my “go to” place when I sense my emotional and spiritual security compass may be getting jostled. Here is why Psalms 91 is so powerful for me.

During National Preparedness Month FEMA Deputy Administrator Tim Manning stressed that most emergency management professionals believe that his agency has made significant progress since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. However, Manning also argued that most Americans are not sufficiently prepared for natural disasters.

While Manning does not support his view with specific data, CEN would share his opinion. CEN recognized that the Church itself did not have a heart problem in wanted to respond and it did not even have a resource problem at the local level, but the Church has a huge “FACILITATION” problem in harnessing its own resources and leveraging them with the Gospel. This is why CEN created the ReadyChristian, ReadyChurch and ReadyCity programs to assist the Christian community in biblical readiness and response for such a time as this.

 “But I cannot afford it!” How often we hear that answer. Yet, many believe mistakenly that they cannot afford to prepare. Having an evacuation communication plan with your family and rinsing out used milk containers then filling them with water is not a matter of cost. It is a matter of attitude followed by action. Picking up one more can of beans and stocking up for a couple of months is not costly since you rotate out the item and will use it anyway! This is why CEN offers ReadyChristian online training FREE so no one is unable to become biblically ready to respond.