LIVING THE GREAT ADVENTURE

Invite God

2009-01-22T11:07:00.000-08:00

God is AWESOME! We are currently in a 21 day fast and prayer time. God is doing GREAT things in all who are participating! He is changing me! His PEACE is an AWESOME thing! Have your way in me Lord! God wants to show up if we will let Him! He is waiting for the invite. Have you invited Him today?

Where in the World is Pastor Bill Been?

2008-09-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

I have been BUSY!
3 Kids crusades this summer.
Moved into a new house.
Weeks vacation at WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!!!
We just got back from the Magic Kingdom and the other parks. It was WONDERFUL!
I will try to add some pics later.
Keep in real for Jesus!
PB

Welcome Back

2008-04-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

It has been over a month since my last Blog entry.
I have been SUPER BUSY.
I hopefully will try to post something else soon.

Quote for the day

2008-03-01T18:04:00.001-08:00

I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do every thing, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do. - Helen Keller

Divine Partner (written by Trudi Blount)

2008-03-01T18:01:00.000-08:00

I am sharing this Blog written by Trudi Blount. This is Challenge and Inspiration for us all.- Bill

DIVINE PARTNER

Posted on 2/28/2008 by tblount

I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do every thing, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do. (Helen Keller)

The Bible says it even better.
Philippians 4:13I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens (empowers) me.

Although you may be just one person, when you are in Christ, you take on the strength and power of God.

But let me reiterate, it must be through Christ.

One of the things I see in people today is just a lack of courage and determination. They get hurt, or something didnt work out so they run to a corner and quit.

So what if something failed or a door slammed in your face. Many times a better door is to be opened. Dark times come to everyone, but the key is not to get the attitude that youre facing something no one else has.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man.

Helen Keller became blind and deaf at the age of two after a high fever. She persevered and became the first deaf and blind person to graduate college.

The most interesting thing to me about her story is the person who taught her. The family found a teacher named Anne Sullivan. Miss Sullivan herself had been blind, but had an operation and regained her sight. She understood what Helen was feeling.
When Helen went to college, Anne went with her. Helen Keller was successful because of her determination. But the most important person in her life was Anne Sullivan who stayed with her for 50 years.

This is a natural story about two natural people.

But what about us? Our helper, the Holy Spirit, is supernatural.

He is our teacher, our guide, our comforter, our counselor, and our divine partner.

But He wont do it for you. Anne Sullivan couldnt have done a thing for Helen Keller if Helen hadnt made her own mind up not to quit.

Rise up in who you are in Christ.

Be determined.

Make your life count.

Quit fretting over what you cant do and focus on what you can.
As Helen put it, I will not refuse to do the something I can do.

What can you do today?

What is in your world that you can change?

You can do ALL THINGS through Christ, which empowers you.

MESSAGE and METHODS

2008-02-27T12:11:00.000-08:00

In our ever changing world we as ministers are challenged to present the word of God in a relevant and current way. Henceforth the Message does not change, that we know. It is eternal and everlasting! However the delivery is not. It changes with the times to be better received. The message does NOT change just the METHOD of delivery must.

Technology and advancements therein have allowed us to present the Gospel in an ever changing environment. SAME MESSAGE WITH DIFFERENT METHODS or VEHICLE!

Be challenged to use the methods or vehicle at hand to minister the eternal message.

Quote for the day

2008-02-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

“If we hope to impact the the changing world around us, we must hold on to our beliefs and values while turning loose of ministry methods that no longer work.” - Roger Fields contributing Editor for K! Magazine.

Quote for the day

2008-02-25T17:01:00.000-08:00

If Christians want us to believe in a Redeemer, let them act redeemed”

Voltaire ,French philosopher writer

Let the redeemed of the Lord Say So!

2008-02-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

Psalm 107:1-2 says this..."O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;"

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! If you are redeemed
then SPEAK IT! SAY SO!
Do you know who you are in Christ Jesus? If not, find out! It's written in the word.
When you find out what the word says about you and what Christ has done for you, then you will...Say So!
When you KNOW then You will SPEAK and then you will SEE!

Quote for the day

2008-02-23T04:58:00.000-08:00

“ And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. “ ~Abraham Lincoln

Seize the Day!

2008-02-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

“CARPE DIEM” a phrase from a Latin poem by Horace, popularly translated as “seize the day” .

I believe that God wants us to make the most of every day and every opportunity.

I believe He holds tomorrow. That’s why I hold His hand.

This life is a Wonderous gift from God, we need to make the most of it, each day!

Live it to the fullest! Thank God for LIFE!

Quote for the day

2008-02-20T08:16:00.000-08:00

" It is a true saying that a man must eat a peck of salt with his friend before he knows him." - Miguel de Cervantes, author 'Don Quixote'

Are you Salty? Are you God Seasoning?

2008-02-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

In Mathew 5:13 we are told...."Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage."

We are to be SALT. The seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.
We should be examples of God's influence each and every day. God's influence on us should season all of those we come in contact with. We should live that "salty flavor" in their life making them "THIRSTY" for the God relationship that they see in us.
What a great testimony for someone to say to you.."I want what you've got, I want to have that relationship with God that you have."
Stay close to God,obey His word, walk in His ways and be the salt seasoning so others will be thirsty for that same relationship you have with God.
I want to be useful. I want to be GOD SEASONING to this earth. Let's walk as salt together!

Quote for the day

2008-02-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress.
Working together is success.” - Henry Ford

We Need Each Other

2008-02-18T13:13:00.000-08:00

We need each other. In Ecclesiastes 4:11-12 NKJV it reads...
"Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
There is strength in numbers.
It is important who we are linking ourselves with also. Mathew 18:20 Jesus said.."For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Now that's power in agreement. Get together in purpose for God and Jesus is there too.
I am so very thankful for the connections in ministry that God has made for me. I am associated with an incredible group of people who work with me in Children's ministry. I NEED each one of them! I could not and would not do what I do alone. No man is an island. We need networking and connection in the body of Christ to function properly. Hands, feet, eyes, nose ,ears, and toes etc. ALL equally important.
1 Corinthians 12:14-31 in the Message Bible says...

14-18I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, "I'm not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't belong to this body," would that make it so? If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

19-24But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn't be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, "Get lost; I don't need you"? Or, Head telling Foot, "You're fired; your job has been phased out"? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the "lower" the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it's a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn't you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

25-26The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.

27-31You are Christ's body—that's who you are! You must never forget this.

Well, we need each other!
I am thankful for all of my co-laborers in Christ! I APPRECIATE each of you!
Together we will walk the road ahead that God is leading us on.
We are Living the Adventure, Together!

I am challenging all who read this today...Hook into the Body! God has designed a place for you to be ALL he needs you to be! When you get connected and begin to see the workings of a fully functioning body, the way he intended, then you will experience the greatest satisfaction in knowing you are where you are supposed to be, doing what only you could do, to see his will accomplished!

Tap in to the PowerSource

2008-02-15T13:51:00.000-08:00

Helpless, Hopeless, Confused, Don't seem to have the strength to go on.....
You need to tap into the PowerSource!
Sometimes our way of thinking gets "short circuited".
We feel depressed, drained and discouraged.
Our thinking has become cluttered.
We begin to doubt.
We need to "Tap in to God's PowerSource."
Get into the word.
Pray and Praise God.
RENEW and REVIVE!
Remember who is on your side, and what He's done for you!
Listen to Philippians 4:7-9 the Message Bible version...
"7And God's peace [shall be yours, that ^[a]tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall ^[b]garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

8For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

9Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace (of ^[c]untroubled, undisturbed well-being) will be with you."

If you know God, and know His word, then you KNOW how He says it is.

Tap into Him today. Let Him POWER you UP! Let His word dispel any lie!

KNOW the TRUTH and it will be your FREEDOM!

Check out Romans 12:1-2 in the Message Bible...

" So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

WOW , Fix your attention on God and you will be amazed at the way it will cause you top think and act. PLUG IN! EXPERIENCE THE POWER!

Quote for the day

2008-02-14T06:38:00.001-08:00

" We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them." - Kalil Gibran

CHOICE

2008-02-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

Choice.
Without a doubt the most awesome responsibility we as individuals have been given.
God loves us so much that he has given us CHOICE.
Accept Him or reject Him, your choice.
Believe Him or doubt Him, your choice.
Obey Him or Rebel against Him, your choice.
Live with Him or die without Him, your choice.
Walk in the wisdom and provision of His word or walk in your own wisdom and ability,
your choice.
What will you do with what you've been given? USE IT WISELY!
It's YOUR CHOICE.

Quote for the day

2008-02-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only LIGHT can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only LOVE can do that." - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Light & Darkness

2008-02-12T13:12:00.000-08:00

The Battle onward rages. Light vs. darkness. WHICH SIDE WILL WIN?
DUH!
There is an old saying , "It is always darkest before the dawn" It is true. At the point when you think it is the darkest, THERE IT IS.... The SUN!
Today I want you to remember this, when you think it is the darkest LOOK - THE SON!
We have already WON, Light overcomes the darkness EVERY TIME! It is God's LAW!
Jesus OVERCAME for us!
We OVERCOME because HE lives in US! 1 John 4:4 ."Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world ".
Take a look at John 16:33 in the Amplified Bible. "I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]"

Walk into a pitch black room, where you can't see your hand in front of your face. Light a match, turn on a small flashlight, what happens...THE DARKNESS CAN'T STAND AGAINST THE LIGHT! Take courage,and be confident, knowing that God is on our side. We have already WON! Stand in the victory provided by Jesus.

Redeeming the Time

2008-02-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

Time is a fleeting commodity. Some days you seem to never have enough of it. Is it because of management issues or obstacles unforseen? What ever the reason, we must strive to use our time wisely. Eternity is waiting and there is no time issues in eternity. We are not there yet. Until we are we must deal with Time. Ephesians 5:16 says "REDEEMING THE TIME FOR THE DAYS ARE EVIL" The Message version says it like this...1(1-16) "Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.

Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!

We have better things to do with OUR time. What are we doing for eternity's sake today?

All things are Possible

2008-02-08T13:24:00.001-08:00

Mark 9:23 says.. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. WOW! Some things? A Few things? HE SAID ALL THINGS. The key is to BELIEVE.
God's word is true- BOTTOM LINE. Accepting it as fact and then walking in it takes FAITH. The Believing without seeing thing. If it were not possible, He would not have said it WAS possible. Can we take him at his word? Do we have the faith? Peter stepped out of the boat and did the seemingly impossible. He walked on water. Yes he eventually sank, but that was because he got his eyes off of Jesus the one who said "come". Circumstances, opinions,obstacles that would try to keep you from doing the impossible, will always be present. We must keep our eyes on the TRUTH and believe and see the possible. Where is our focus? LOOK TO JESUS!

Quote for the day

2008-02-08T13:23:00.000-08:00

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney

Who Holds Your Hand?

2008-02-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

Who Holds Your Hand?
Who Holds Tomorrow?
Who Holds the Answer?
Who Holds the Key?
Who Holds Eternity?
Who?
Job 12:7-12 (Message Bible version) says..
7-12 "But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you;
let the birds tell you what's going on.
Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics.
Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories.
Isn't it clear that they all know and agree
that God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand—
Every living soul, yes,
every breathing creature?
Isn't this all just common sense,
as common as the sense of taste?
Do you think the elderly have a corner on wisdom,
that you have to grow old before you understand life?

Who are you holding on to?

Quote for the day Thursday 2/7/08

2008-02-07T06:51:00.000-08:00

"A man should never neglect his family for business." - Walt Disney

Quote for the Day Tuesday 2/6/08

2008-02-06T14:58:00.000-08:00

"I had nothing but a dream from God when I began"
- Pastor Willie George Church on the Move Tulsa OK.

Get Rid of the Root of Bitterness

2008-02-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

Bitterness will steal your Joy. Ephesians 4:31-32 tells us to GET RID OF IT. If it says to get rid of it then it is possible for us to do it. If it were impossible it would NOT say GET RID OF IT! OK I know gettin' rid of bitterness anger rage brawling slander and every form of malice isn't easy BUT it IS POSSIBLE! check out verse 32, Be kind & compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you. well it looks like Love is the key factor is making the seemingly impossible POSSIBLE. Take the shovel of love and dig that root of bitterness up and get rid of it!

Quote for the Day Tuesday 2/5/08

2008-02-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

"Love never fails" - Bible - 1 corinthinas 13:8

Outreach

2008-02-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

What do we think when we see the word "outreach"?
Is it a program or an organization that comes to mind? Do we think that it is someone else's mission. OR do we simply look at the word for what it means, to...REACH OUT. And reaching out is something we all do. We reach out for friendship, love, acceptance, answers, etc. We are always reaching out. Today I challenge you to REACH OUT to someone else with something , instead of FOR something. Reaching out is a GIVING thing. God's Love is the ultimate motivation for outreach. REACH OUT with God's Love today.

Quote for the Day for Monday 2/4/08

2008-02-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

"The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

- WALT DISNEY

Lord change Me

2008-02-04T12:34:00.000-08:00

In this life we often look at others and think "God they really need a change" We look at others and think how they don't measure up. WHOA! Hit the Brakes! How "Messed" we can be in our own self righteous thinking.
WE ALL NEED JESUS! We haven't arrived, and I believe the term Perfect could only be attached to one earthly person, namely the one, Jesus Christ.
My prayer today is Lord change me. Help me to be MORE LIKE YOU!
WOW that will wake you up and smack you in the face. Realize we ALL Need the change in our lives that only Christ can bring.
He's still working on me. How about you? When I think about it that way I believe I can have a little more understanding and trust we are all works in progress.
"Lord don't stop on me!"

Quote of the Day for Thursday 1/31/08

2008-01-31T10:35:00.000-08:00

I will try to share with you a NEW "Quote of the Day". Something to inspire and cause us to think.
Today's QOTD is...
"To do a common thing uncommonly well brings success" - H.J. Heinz

Living the GREAT ADVENTURE

2008-01-31T08:56:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of my Blog page. I have never Blogged before. This is a NEW ADVENTURE.

Our Children's Church Ministry is called "ADVENTURE CHURCH".
In the following days we will LIVE this Great Adventure together.
I am excited about sharing my thoughts and experiences with you.
I will keep you updated on the happenings here at ADVENTURE CHURCH.
If I can use my 25 years of Children's ministry experience to help you, let me know.
Maybe we can learn some things together.
I believe this will be a GREAT Adventure for all.