Last night was an AMAZING time of worship, fellowship and life-change at Rocky River Church. We baptized 21 people and had a GREAT time. Here are some of the highlights.

GOD IS GREAT!
Jimmy

Hey! I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who came out today to help plant trees and work on the mulch at the church. You guys and gals did a FANTASTIC job! It is appreciated more than you know. Again, thank you and I love you!

"Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord..." Ephesians 6:7

I pray that the Lord will bless double your energy, time and blessings for your great work today!

Jimmy

One of my favorite pastors for many years now is Chuck Swindoll. God willing, Karen and I will be going with him and a group of folks to Greece in August of this year to walk in the footsteps of Paul's missionary journeys. Anyway, he preached a message several years ago called "Boars In God's Vineyard." It was preached to a group of pastors but I believe it should be heard by every Christian - every leader - every churchman. Why? Because most church folks have NO idea the hell and havoc some people can be in a church for pastors and the pastor's families. Most church members have no idea that there are those (not many - thankfully) who make it their mission to make life hard on the pastor. And if he/she can't get to the pastor directly they will go after his family. I have seen this over and over again through the years to other pastors and their families and I have experienced it personally. This message has helped me heal over the past several weeks.

I could say a lot more but I'll let Chuck take it from here. He says what ought to be said much better than I can. As a pastor I plead to you on behalf of your pastor to give this a listen. But don't listen passively. This is too important. Satan attacks pastors and their families through these "boars." There are pastors being attacked right now - perhaps your pastor. He is hurting in ways that you perhaps cannot see. See, these boars attack the pastor and his family like one skilled in abusing. Like a father who abuses his child and hits her in places where clothes hide the wounds so that they are not visible, these abusers are skilled at keeping their slaps under wraps.

This is important to me. It is very important to me. It should be important to all of us because our churches suffer because of the hurt of a very few. One of my major regrets in ministry, not as a pastor but as a young deacon, is that I let a two boars roam free in our church. I let two men on our deacon board bully our pastor and his family. I should have protected him but I had known these men for years and respected them. On the outside - where everyone else could see - these men were loved and seen as "solid" churchmen. But they were different behind closed doors in meetings where the congregation could not see. Shame on me. Shame on our deacon board. And shame on all of us for letting the boars hurt those who heal us.

I simply want to invite you to join us this Sunday at Rocky River Church. It is going to be a powerful day of faith. God is at work here. He is changing lives at Rocky River Church.

I hope to see you Sunday!
Jimmy

Don't become like the person who hurt you. If a snake bites you, don't become a snake. We are to be like Jesus. Here's what He says about how to treat those who hurt us:

"27 But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you." -Luke 6:27-31

Hey to all my pastor buddies out there. Nelson Searcy is giving away a free copy of his mini book "How To Handle Criticism." We all know that criticism - unfortunately - is a regular part of being a pastor. This mini book (less than 25 pages) is packed with practical, helpful information for handling criticism and it is available RIGHT NOW. Get your copy here http://www.churchleaderinsights.com. BTW, it is only free until Thursday so don't wait. You guys can thank me later. :)

To terrorists and freedom hating people all over the planet: BEWARE! We are Americans and we are ALL "BOSTON STRONG!" Don't you for one minute think that we will not unite to destroy you if you come into this country to destroy us. Don't confuse our hospitality and our concern and care for others as weakness. If you hurt us, we get MAD and then we go get you.

When you mess with one of us - like you messed with our neighbors in Boston - you have messed with all of us. When you hurt one of us you have hurt all of us. We have our differences, for sure. We Americans are red, black, white, brown, yellow and other colors too. Some of us eat grits and some of us don't. Some of us like our pizza Chicago style, some New York style, and hey, some of us eat it with a fork. Some of us like Hockey, and some of us don't know a blue line from a clothes line. My point is that we have our differences but we will unite to defend one another to the bitter end - YOUR END. We will not - NOT - put up with your savagery.

So, wherever you come from - Chechnya, the Middle East, Far East, or if you are homegrown, BEWARE! We are not the pansies you've mistaken us for. Oh yeah, we are also armed.

GO BOSTON! Your city is our city! We are proud of you and the job you've done to get these creeps. God bless you all! AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!

Hey. I just wanted to share with you my message and thoughts from Tuesday night's prayer service at Rocky River Church. I think they are even more important now in light of the tragedy in West, Texas. God bless.

JAMES 4:13-17 (NIV)
"13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them."

THREE MAJOR THOUGHTS:

1. Don’t plan your life without God. Most people live life as though God doesn’t matter. We just go about our lives doing what we think as best without even giving God any consideration in how we ought to go about our lives. The person James talks about in verse 13 has a business/life-plan that did not include God at all.

As I am posting this blog I am working from my home office. The news is on and they are showing the "joint faith service" from Boston that includes our President. The reality is that God is only an afterthought for so many after something like this happens. That church/cathedral is full today but I'll be it was like most churches in our country last Sunday - empty. It is full today because we feel like we need God today. God should just be an afterthought for our lives. We don't just call on Him when we need Him.

It is sad enough that people who don't know Jesus live that way, it is even worse when "Christians" live like this.

Our leaders are calling on us to pray for our nation. My first thought is how often they pray for God's guidance in their everyday leadership of our country.

2. Don’t presume tomorrow. None of us know what tomorrow will hold for our lives. We have today and we should make the most of it.

•Life is unpredictable. On Monday afternoon people were cheering in Boston for their loved ones finishing the Boston Marathon never imagining in their worst nightmares what terrorists had planned for them in a roadside bomb. And just last night in West, Texas people were going about their lives never imagining the terror and destruction of a warehouse fire that would reshape their lives forever. Life is unpredictable.

•Life is also brief. In Monday's bombing in Boston one of the fatalities was an eight year old boy. EIGHT YEARS OLD! James says our lives are like a mist. That is so true - whether we live 8 years of 85 years - life is short. Don't just live for this life but live with the next life in mind. This life is short, but the next life is forever.

3. Don’t put off doing good. Do good things now while you have the opportunity. You may not have the opportunity tomorrow to love your family so do it now. You may not have the opportunity to trust Christ as your Savior tomorrow, so do it today. You may not have tomorrow to share Jesus with those you love, so do it today. Do good today. Live like Jesus today. Point people toward Jesus with your life and words today. Today. James says it is a sin to wait until another time.

I hope this was helpful. Please continue to pray for the folks in Boston, West, Texas, our leaders and our nation.

BTW, This Sunday at Rocky River Church I am going to teach our folks how to have "Unshakable Faith" from the life of Abraham - Lord willing.

God bless!
Jimmy