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May 15, 2008

Jubilee TV

Saints of God,

I've been praying and thinking about a way we as a church can reach out. About 10 months ago I believe the Lord directed me to develop an Internet congregation of people who relate to the church through the Internet. This didn't seem very feasible to me without the use of video, especially live video. Well today I finally got all the bugs worked out of our live video stream and now, anyone anywhere in the world can watch our services, live via the Internet. I'm very excited about the potential that lies before us as a church.

The limitations of geography are now non existent and the potential to reach thousands of people is now well within the realm of possibility. Please pray with me that this new ministry is fruitful and God blesses his word and our efforts.

There are some bandwidth limitations the way things are currently set up but with God's help we can expand our capabilities as the Lord directs us.

Excited about the ever increasing Kingdom of God,

Pastor Tony

Jubilee Family Church

May 9, 2008

The Manifest Sons of God

I believe that Almighty God wants everyone on the Earth to know him personally. Because I believe this I also believe that there's a plan in the heart of God to get this vision of His to unfold. I believe his plan is to use people who have his heart, character and spirit in them to impart the essence of Heaven into the realm of the Earth. Jesus did teach his disciples to pray, "Thy kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." So we know that Jesus Christ wanted us to come into agreement with the will of His Father that there would be a divine collision between the stuff of Heaven and the stuff of Earth. When this happens the hearts of people become open and receptive to the redeeming message of Jesus. Outreach and evangelism in the presence of the miraculous is much more effective, fun and easy than when our gospel message is a "sales pitch". I would like you to pray with me that you and I would begin to be divine channels of blessing to a lost and fallen world desperately in need of a savior. God has given us the City we just have to step into the revealed strategy he's given us and walk it out in obedience. I'm so excited about the potential that we have within us to influence a region for God. Thank you for being obedient to the heavenly vision and playing your role to establish the rule and reign of Christ in our area of influence. I believe that the events in the book of Acts are really just the beginning of the acts of the Holy Spirit. There are more acts to this play and you and I have a part to play in expressing the Kingdom of God.

Romans 8:19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

Jubilee Family Church

May 7, 2008

Johnny's Family Fiction

Jubilee Family Church

Hey, it's Johnny. For those of you who remember the stories I used to write for the church, you will now have an outlet to read them and new ones. Pastor Tony has allowed me some space to share stories that I write. I have a blog page called Johnny's Family Fiction. Please feel free to check it out. It is my hope that these stories can open up new times of devotion with the whole family. Some of the stories will be geared to younger readers, and some toward the older ones and any in-between.

PS, if any of you have copies of stories that I did in the past, could you pass them along to me. Moving around has caused some things to get misplaced. :-)

johnny

Lessons from the Square Watermelon

I received an e-mail and thought I'd share it with you. I thought it was good.


Japanese grocery stores had a problem. They are much smaller than their US counterparts and therefore don't have room to waste. Watermelons, big and round, wasted a lot of space. Most people would simply tell the grocery stores that watermelons grow round and there is nothing that can be done about it. That is how I would assume the vast majority of people would respond. But some Japanese farmers took a different approach. If the supermarkets wanted a square watermelon, they asked themselves, "How can we provide one?" It wasn't long before they invented the square watermelon.


The solution to the problem of round watermelons wasn't nearly as difficult to solve for those who didn't assume the problem was impossible to begin with and simply asked how it could be done. It turns out that all you need to do is place them into a square box when they are growing and the watermelon will take on the shape of the box.


What does this have do with anything besides square watermelons? There are a few lessons that can you can take away from this story which help you in all parts of your life. Here are a few of them:

Don't Assume: The major problem was that most people had always seen round watermelons so they automatically assumed that square watermelons were impossible before even thinking about the question. Things that you have been doing a certain way your entire life have taken on the aura of the round watermelon and you likely don't even take the time to consider if there is another way to do it. Breaking yourself from assuming this way can greatly improve your overall life as you are constantly looking for new and better ways to do things. This was one of the most difficult things for me to do because most of the assumptions I make, I don't even realize that I'm making them. They seem perfectly logical on the surface, so I hav e to constantly make an effort to question them.

Question habits: The best way to tackle these assumptions is to question your habits. If you can make an effort to question the way you do things on a consistent basis, you will find that you can continually improve the way that you live your life. Forming habits when they have been well thought out is usually a positive thing, but most of us have adopted our habits from various people and places without even thinking about them. I have changed a large number of habits that I have had after taking the time to question them and continue to do so. Some of them I have know idea where they came from while others I can trace to certain people or instances in my life. It's a never ending process, but by doing this, you can cons istently strive toward making all aspects of your life more enjoyable instead of defaulting to what you have now.

Be creative: When faced with a problem, be creative in looking for a solution. This often requires thinking outside the box. Most people who viewed this question likely thought they were being asked how they could genetically alter water melons to grow square which would be a much more difficult process to accomplish. By looking at the question from an alternative perspective, however, the solution was quite simple. Being creative and looking at things in different ways in all portions of your live will help you find solutions to many problems where others can't see them. I am not a creative person, but I've found that the more that you look at things from different perspectives, the more creative I have become. It's a le arned art and builds upon itself.

Look for a better way: The square watermelon question was simply seeking a better and more convenient way to do something. The stores had flagged a problem they were having and asked if a solution was possible. It's impossible to find a better way if you are never asking the question in the first place. I try to ask if there is a better way of doing the things that I do and I constantly write down the things I wish I could do (but currently can't) since these are usually hints about steps I need to change. Get into the habit of asking yourself, "Is there a better way I could be doing this?" and you will find there often is.

Impossibilities often aren't: If you begin with the notion that something is impossible, then it obviously will be for you. If, on the other hand, you decide to see if something is possible or not, you will find out through trial and error. Take away the lessons from the square watermelons and apply them to all areas in your life (work, finances, relationships, etc) and you will find that by consistently applying them, you will constantly be improving all aspects of your life.
Nothing quite like out of the box thinking that puts a watermelon into a box.


May 3, 2008

Godly Prosperity

I believe God wants the believer to prosper in every way so that the Christian may have the ability to meet any need that comes up. This ability to meet needs creates thanksgiving toward God. God wants you to prosper spiritually, mentally, physically and financially. If you'd like to know more about how God wants you to do well, thrive and be healthy, come to Jubilee Family Church for the next 4 Sunday's May 4th, May 11th, May 18th, and May 25th at 10:00 AM. We discuss our Sunday messages each following Wednesday also. Each week I'm going to be covering the different ways God wants you to have an abundance. When we know God's heart and we choose to line up with God's ways we stand on a tremendous amount of authority to accomplish whatever it is God wants us to accomplish. You are blessed if you're walking in obedience to the Lord. Remember, you can't give what you don't have.