Most of you know that my wife and I are starting a new church in Bentonville. This has been a very fun ride so far! We started on New Years Eve with an 80's bash. Why move to the future when you can bring back the past? Right?! We have been meeting on Sunday nights at Kennedy Coffee since then (3 weeks) in a Bible study format. It is going great!

I am doing a community survey that Rick Warren put together years ago when he started Saddleback Church. It is very simple, only 5 questions. I am going door to door in Bentonville with it and having great results! One of the people who took the survey yesterday afternoon even came to church last night!

Even if you don't live in Bentonville I would love it if you would copy and paste the survey below and e-mail it to me. philipbecker@cox.net

1. What do you feel is the greatest need in this area?
2. Do you attend church anywhere?
3. Why do you think most people don't attend church?
4. If you were looking for a church what kind of things would you look for?
5. As a Pastor how can I help you? What kind of advice can you give to a minister who wants to be helpful?

Thanks for taking time to send this to me; this will be very helpful!

What are you eating?

Are you on a new year diet? Maybe you were, but you've quit it already. What is the point of a diet? Most would agree that it is to get healthy, lose weight, gain strength or to just look and feel better.

Why do so we want to be healthy? I can't answer for you, but for me I want to live longer. I want to be happier. I want to feel good and full of energy. Most of us probably don't want to be overweight, tired and sick.

What would happen if we ate junk food all of the time? What would happen if we never, or rarely engaged in physical activity? Well, have you seen the movie "Wall E"? I had mixed emotions about this movie. I had heard good and bad about it. Not really knowing what to expect we tried it out. Have you seen it? If you have; picture the people in the space ship. Do you remember what there bones were like because of their inactivity and weight? Do you remember how large they were? Very unhealthy.

Most of us would probably agree that we would not engage in this style of lifestyle, and if we were getting close, we would change.

What about spiritually? I would guess that a lot of us look like those people in Wall E; unhealthy, over weight...clueless! Many of us are feeding ourselves unhealthy TV and books. We are not being nourished, instead we are having spiritual "junk food".

What do you want? Sure, you want to be close to Christ. You want to be fulfilled spiritually. Why aren't you? You may be clueless! What time is it? It is time to wake up!

See here's the deal. If you pollute your body with unhealthy food and inactivity you are going to live a fat miserable life.

If you pollute you spiritual body with unhealthy TV, media and books and you don't seek nourishment from the Lord. You are gong to live a fat miserable life!

What do you choose today? Fat and miserable or fit and healthy? "Ask and you shall receive!

Isn't it interesting how you probably just thought about sex!?

We live in a society where many different people do many different things. Most of us are very different and unique from each other. Therefore, we have different strengths, talents and abilities. Some people are good at repairing cars. Some may be good at home repairs. While others may be great encourager's. Maybe some are the perfect person to hang out with because they get discounts everywhere.

We are all unique! God made us unique intentionally. No accidents for God!

What friend are you being a friend to because of the benefit they offer you?

If they could no longer offer that benefit, no matter what it is. Would you still pursue their friendship? Throw the auto yes aside and think about this one.

People, including you, don't want to be used. We all want to be loved. Make a list of your friends, list the benefits they offer you, then be intentional and thank them for that benefit and their friendship.

What benefit are you offering your friends?

Read back over the past few chapters of your life. What kind of benefit are you offering your friends? Are you an encourager? Do you have a certain skill you share? Once you determine your benefit. Give it generously and freely! (If it is your livelihood, use discernment).

If you don't want to give your benefit. You should cut yourself off from using your friends.

Have you ever been taken out physically? Maybe someone gave you the old "1,2"? I haven't. I guess I have never been in a real fist fight. I have walked from two fights, neither of which I felt were worth fighting back.

How about verbally and emotionally? Do you remember that statement..."Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me."?

Right and wrong! Sticks and stones can break our bones, that is true. However, "words can never hurt me" is not true.

Since you will most likely get arrested if you throw sticks and stones at people, what can you do? How about throwing insults and demeaning comments? You might as well call words "sticks and stones" as well. They can do the same damage, only in a different way. The damage words cause is on the inside, it is longer term, it takes more time for healing.

Just think, if someone beats you with sticks and stones you will be seriously injured. A few weeks later you will be better. If someone hurls insults at you, trash talks you, brings you down and hurts your feelings you will be severely injured. This injury takes more time to heal.

I have been trash talked, insulted and brought down verbally. Even though I have forgiven the insulter and given the situation to God; the insults, trash talk and verbal abuse still come to mind at times.

Take a moment to remember a time where someone hurled verbal sticks and stones at you. Now, make a commitment to never allow yourself to do this to others. See, we never want to receive verbal abuse, but at times we dish it out and don't think twice.

Let's go to another comment I heard from my mom when I was a child. "Think about what you say before you say it."

Moral of the story: Sticks and stones can break bones- words can break hearts. Hearts are harder to repair. Don't throw verbal sticks and stones.

"I am what seems to be good. I am where you don't expect me to be. I say what you want to hear. I work with other people to get closer to you. I hide out waiting for you. I sneak around. I put secrets in your ear. I scheme and plan. I try to be with you all of the time, if I'm not with you, I'm working for you, doing what I do. I whisper. I am most certainly cautious. I do my job well, I work hard. My job could be easier if you would only help me. Give up, work with me, give in. Be my friend."
Sincerely,
Angel of Darkness

Have you seen the enemy working in your life? The Word tells us in John 10:10 that the "thief comes to destroy." Keep in mind, your demise can come slowly. It may not happen over night. The good news is in the rest of John 10:10 where Jesus says that He has come to give life to the full or in abundance.

The enemy will use whatever he can to get to you. He may even use people you would have never expected him to use. Prepare yourself, this is more than possible. Things might be difficult, they might be hard. Don't give in! Next time you face the enemy, embrace John 16:33. The world has already been overcome! Victory is yours!

I am a football fan. I LOVE football! My team..yes it is "my" team, I own them...just kidding. Anyway, my team is the New York Giants. I am so stoked that we won the Superbowl last year and hoping that we will make it again this year. Sorry Dallas, I think we will take you this Sunday! Booyah!

As a NYG fan I do different things. I watch as many of their games as I can, I support them by wearing NYG apparel, I defend them to other team fans. I Check their web site and keep up with as much as I have the time to keep up with. I even have a NYG sticker on my car! Are you a football fan? Have you seen people like me before? I'm sure you have. Maybe you are one.

Let this question soak in your for a second: Would I be considered a "real" NYG fan if I never watched their games, didn't wear their shirts or didn't care about their victories? What if sometimes I even went for the other team?

Most will agree that if I didn't watch their games, didn't wear their shirts, didn't support them and so on that I was not a true fan. Fair statement.

What about Jesus? What if I don't pursue Him every day, read His Word, go to His church and genuinely seek after Him? What if I just went to church every week or two, or three? What if I didn't talk about Him? What if? Would you consider me a "fan" of Jesus? Let's take this further...Would you consider me a "follower" of Jesus?

I hope that you answered "no!" If I didn't pursue Him in every way possible I would be no more than the person on the apposing team.

I really like the New York Giants, I will most assuredly never cheer for the apposing team.

I LOVE Jesus, I MUST live fully for Him, and Him alone.

So many people claim to be "Christians", that is what has inspired this post. I am a Christ follower, that means I FOLLOW Him. My prayer for you today is that you would shift from where you are into a full blown relationship with Christ, so much so that you would follow Him in everything.

"Obedience is to do what you are told, when you are told, with a happy heart!"

Have you heard that before? I must have heard that a million times when I was young because it still rings loudly in my mind.

I am constantly reminding my daughter of this statement above. See, she is a really good girl, but being 4 nearly 5 she is learning how to obey and how to obey the right way. See, sometimes she will do what she is told to do but she complains, shrugs her shoulders and hesitates to do it. Sometimes, she wants to wait, she wants to put it off until, well, until she wants to do it or it is more convenient for her. The challenge is that this is not true, pure obedience. This is disobedience.

I find this to be true for me today. On a different level, of course. My instructions aren't necessarily coming from my parents any more. I have many different people that I am responsible to. Mostly, I am responsible to God.

I find myself struggling to obey with a "happy heart" all of the time when God gives me instruction. Sometimes, like Carmen (my daughter), I struggle with doing what God tells me to do when He tells me to do it. For some reason I think I may have better timing or something. I have told Carmen to do something that would pull her away from her toys and she struggles with that. In the same way, God tells me to do things that pull me away from things I like or enjoy. Sometimes God gives me instruction that doesn't seem to make sense for my timing, I struggle with that.

God has revealed this statement to me: "Obedience is to do what your told, when your told, with a happy heart."

Regardless of my agenda, my plan and my priorities. I have to be obedient. Why? For the same reason Carmen has to be obedient. If she isn't, discipline will inevitably occur. I hate discipline just like Carmen does. The good news is that when she is obedient she is rewarded - blessed. Same for me, when I am obedient, I am rewarded and blessed.

We have two choices: 1. Obedience. 2. Disobedience.

Which will you choose?