The Deception of the Dark Side

 

I was a teenager when Stars Wars first appeared on the big screen. I remember being in awe of the cinematography and special effects. The youngsters of today look at that movie and laugh at the special effects. But, at that time, we had never seen anything like it, so back off youngsters (saying this in my best Adam Sandler voice). Lol

As many from my generation, I was hooked on Star Wars from that point. However,  some how the 2005 movie "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith" escaped my attention. I guess that was a busy year. How did I miss it on TNT or on a long flights to and from Asia? 

Whatever happened, I made amends a few nights ago and watched it on TNT. The movie focuses on Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader. As I watched it something immediately jumped to my attention. The Darkside in Star Wars is an excellent example of the dark forces of Satan.

Before you Star War fans get upset, I'm not trying to compare Star Wars to Christianity. I don't think that was the point George Lucas set out to make. There's actually more dualism in the series than anything else.

Young Anakin was supposed to be the "Chosen One" who would bring balance to the Force. Obi-Wan Kenobi trained him in the way of the Jedi. Things were going well. Anakin was learning and the Force was strong within him. He discovered his wife was pregnant and they were excited about the future.

That's when things started going in a different direction. Long story short, he becomes friends with Chancellor Palpatine. During that time, Anakin dreams about his wife dying during childbirth just as he dreamed about his mother.

Palpatine started planting seeds of deception in Anakin's mind. He began separating Anakin from his mentor and those on the Jedi counsel. He planted seeds of doubt in Anakin's mind about their commitment to him. Palpatine then reveals that he is on the Dark Side and he can give Anakin the power to save his wife's life.

As we know, Anakin succumbed to the lure of power and joined the Dark Side and became Darth Vader. His wife does die during child birth, and Palpatine, who is now Darth Sidious, tells Vader that he killed his own wife. Deception leads to death ... both physical and spiritual. 

What jumped out at me was how evil can look so good and lure us into its trap. Satan can make sin look so appealing. If we allow deceptive thoughts to enter our minds we start to focus on them until they consume us. Then we're trapped.

Satan has many weapons of deception at his disposal - lies, money, power, sex, drugs, and alcohol just to name a handful. Our appetites can quickly change to desire those things, which will eventually destroy us. Do not be deceived. Satan's desire is to destroy as many of us as he can. 

"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour," God warns us through the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5:8. Once we slip into the darkness, we begin a journey to eternal destruction.

However, there is a way out, and it's the only way. His name is Jesus. We read in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Jesus will bring us into the light as He is in the light. "But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." 1 John 1:7

Luke, Darth Vader's son, eventually saves his father by turning Vader back to the Light Side just before Vader dies. That's Hollywood. What I'm talking about is reality. We have a choice. Do we want Light or Darkness? Life or death?

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." - Romans 10:9-10

I encourage you to confess Jesus as your Lord and believe God raised Him from the dead and be saved today. Heaven and Hell are both real, and those are the only destinations after this life. Heaven is eternal life. Hell is eternal destruction, which will be thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternity. I pray you will choose Jesus, therefore choose life. You can also click on the following link to a page on our website for more information, https://loveinactionministries.com/follow-jesus

If you have any questions or if you made that decision today, please email me at ken.tuck@loveinactionministries.com

Jesus loves you. He loves us all, and He wants to spend eternity with each one of us.

Please prayerfully consider a financial donation

 

God always provides, and He is always right on time.

God's provision comes through His people as He touches our hearts and we respond. That's why we are able to do everything we do here at Love In Action. God touches people's hearts and they respond. That includes financially.

Simply put, it takes money to run this ministry. It's really no different than a business except we are a non-profit who doesn't sell any merchandise to receive financial support. We are totally supported by the generosity of individuals, churches, and businesses.

It's extremely humbling every time we receive a check, cash, and donations sent via PayPal and Venmo. It's one of the most humbling things we have experienced. We are so thankful to everyone who donates to support us. Over the years, we have received gifts from $2.50 to $50,000, and we thank God for each one. The fact that people give so we can proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion is incredible. We can't say thank you enough.

The past three months have been our lowest months in years as far as financial donations. We aren't worried, because we know God is in control and we are doing well.

As we enter into the summer months, we ask that you continue to give. If you have never given please prayerfully consider becoming a giving member of our Love In Action Family. We could certainly use your support and prayers as poverty and homelessness never takes a break.

As inflation continues to rise, people's needs do as well. We expect needs to increase as much as, if not more, in the coming months than they did during the peak of the Covid pandemic. Please keep us in you prayer and please support us financially. If you can't, we understand, and we pray for God to meet your needs as well. If you can give and even become a regular monthly giver that would be wonderful.

There are three ways you can give:

- Mail checks to: Love In Action, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302

- Via PayPal through the link on our donation web page - https://loveinactionministries.com/donate

- Via the Venmo app. Our username is:

@Loveinaction-InternationalMini and also online at www.venmo.com/Loveinaction-InternationalMini

Love In Action International Ministries, Inc., is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, non-profit Christian organization. All donations and gifts are tax deductible. Our tax-exempt Federal ID number is 63-1274627.

As you give, you are storing up treasure in Heaven (Matthew 6:20).

Thank you. May God bless you.

Thank you Dothan Fire Department

The abandoned building next to Love In Action was engulfed in flames this afternoon. We thank the brave firefighters of the Dothan Fire Department for their quick response and for protecting our buildings. We thank God for His protection of the firefighters and our buildings.

We are blessed to live in Dothan, Alabama, for so many reasons. I often tell people from all over the US and beyond that we live in one of the best places in the world because of the people.

Today was another great example as firefighters from the Dothan Fire Department battled a fully engulfed abandoned building next door to Love In Action. Not only did they bring an intense and dangerous fire under control, but they also protected our Love In Action buildings. Thank you, Dothan Fire Department.

Martha and I were out of town visiting our parents when we started receiving phone calls about the fire. The first was Barbie Nolan from Covenant UMC. She saw the billows of spoke darkening the sky near Love In Action. Mayor Mark Saliba called  right after that, and then Dothan Fire Department Deputy Chief Chris Etheredge called me. 

I quickly pulled up our security cameras and saw what was going on. The fire was very intense. I arrived a couple of hours later and they had the blaze under control. As I sat there and looked at the scene I marveled at God's protection. There'a a large oak tree on the other property, but it hangs over the drive thru at Love In Action. It was the grace and protection of God and the hard work of the firefighters that the tree didn't catch fire and spread. Praise God!

Rumors quickly swirled that Love In Action's building was on fire. I immediately took a photo with one of our security cameras and posted to our Facebook page and reported that it was not our building, but the one next door. I then called my brother from another mother, Mark Giles at The Joy FM, and asked him if they would announce the fire was not at LIA and that we were all fine. Russ and Nancy did an excellent job announcing that. 

Martha and I are very thankful tonight for God's protection. Not only did He protect our building, but most importantly, He protected all of the firefighters. We are thankful none of them were injured.

Thank you again, Dothan FD. Y'all are the best. The brave men and women who serve our city as first responders should be thanked often and prayed for daily. May God continue to bless each one and our wonderful city.

Dothan Firefighters working hard to put out the flames. Great work guys! God bless all of you.

Supply chain issues hurting our food ministries

AMX Trucking is such a blessing each month for hauling supplies to us from Orlando.

We reach over 10,000 people every month with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through our food ministries. We cook food and serve it on our campus and take it throughout the community to the homeless and those living in poverty.

We provide groceries for those in need through our food pantry on campus and throughout the community during our community outreaches. We provide food for ministries throughout the Wiregrass to help them share Jesus while meeting vital needs of people in their areas.

Food is a very important part of our ministry. Jesus said He would make us "fishers of men," and food has always been the bait to bring people in to hear the Gospel, while also meeting that vital need of food for those in need. Right now, we are having a hard time getting food for all of our food ministries.

Our monthly food truck from the Southeastern Food Bank in Orlando arrived last week. However, we didn't receive one can of food. There were bulk food items we can use in our kitchen, but only chips, salad dressing, chicken bullion cubes, and some cake mixes came in for our food pantry.

It's not our food bank's fault. It is a struggle for all food banks and ministries like ours around the nation due to supply chain issues. Add to that the high fuel prices and inflation and things have gotten real tough on everyone, including us.

However, we aren't worried. We know God will provide, and He often does that through His people. So, if individuals, families, churches, or organizations would like to do non-perishable food drives to help us that would be a wonderful blessing as we head into April very low on food.

Also, if anyone has or has connections to people with perishable food items, especially meats, we could use the help there as well as we cook a lot of food to serve people each week. 

If you need to contact us about helping with any of these needs, please email Ken at ken.tuck@loveinactionministries.com or call us at 334-494-4995. You can also message us on Facebook.

Please help us with food if you can, and please pass the word to others. Thank you and God bless you all.

We want to thank the Southeastern Food Bank for all of their help over the years. Please include them in your prayers as they are a blessing to so many people, especially in Alabama and Florida.

We also thank our friends at AMX Trucking for hauling our load of food and supplies every month from Orlando. Y'all are a tremendous blessing.

God still performs miracles

 Have you ever heard some Bible experts talk about how miracles were only for the apostolic age? Their reasoning is since the whole Bible wasn't available at that time like it is now, God used miracles to prove the Apostles' message was true.

I agree God does work through miracles. That's one way people believed Jesus was the Messiah. Read John 7:31, "But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, 'When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has done, will He?'"

The miracles we read about in the Gospels show God's love and mercy upon mankind, His prize creation. We read in Acts about the many miracles God worked through the Apostles, and it did confirm their message and people believed.

One issue I have with some Bible experts is I contend God still works miracles today. Hebrew 13:8 proclaims that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever." If Jesus healed when He walked this earth, and He did, then that means He heals people today, and He does. I've seen Him do it.

When a man who is told he will never walk again after being hit by a freight train stands up and walks, you can't convince me that isn't a miracle. I knew this man very well. He was one of my best friends. I knew his condition. I also knew he believed Jesus would heal him, and He did. My friend walked the rest of his life, even in foreign lands to proclaim the Gospel.

When people have cancer and it suddenly disappears, how can anyone say that's not a miracle? I've seen it happen. Lumps disappear without medical treatment. Leukemia goes away without any medical treatment. That's the miracle wonder working power of God.

Why does God still perform miracles today? Because He loves us, and He is still confirming His message to an unbelieving world.

Unscrupulous people disguising themselves as men and women of God have made a lot of money by faking miracles. They will have to answer to God for that. Those people have caused many to doubt in miracles. That's simply Satan at work to confuse and divert people from the one true God.

Let me encourage you. Don't seek the signs. Don't seek "miracle workers." Seek after the Messiah, Jesus Christ the Son of God. When we seek Jesus first, we find Him. God tells us in Jeremiah 29:13 that when we seek Him with all of our heart we will find Him.

It's not that He is hiding from us. In fact, we see in Genesis how God looked for Adam and Eve after they sinned. He didn't ignore them. They hid from God, but God looked for them.

If you need a miracle in your life, ask God for it in the name of Jesus. Trust Him. I'm not guaranteeing you a miracle will happen. They don't always happen. I have no idea why one person is healed from cancer and another isn't. All I know is we have to trust God and believe He is doing what's right, because guess what, He is.

When we truly follow Jesus and obey His Great Commission, we will see amazing things happen. Remember, Jesus tells us in Mark 16:17-18, "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

He wasn't just talking about the Apostles. He was and is talking to all of His followers. Let's be Great Commission Christians, and as we follow Jesus we will see miracles happen. But, most of all, we will see people give their lives to Jesus. That's the greatest miracle of all. Thanks to Jesus, eternities are changed from an eternity of total separation and torment in Hell to an eternity in paradise, Heaven with Jesus. 

Love In Action School of Discipleship opens

Group of brothers and sisters who helped us dedicate our newly
remodeled Suite 1 to God. This suite houses the LIA School of Discipleship.

Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, was a big day in the life of our ministry at Love In Action as we held a time of prayer to dedicate suite 1 on our campus to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

This suite will house our Love In Action School of Discipleship.

The remodeling work is complete and it looks great. We have already started two new discipleship classes in the suite - Training for Trainers (T4T) and 50 Commands of Christ. Praise God!

We need this area to put an even greater emphasis on discipleship and prayer, and house it in a building where we will not be disturbed during class and prayer time.

This suite provides a beautiful place of solitude, which is perfect for teaching and training disciples who can make disciples and for prayer.

We thank Barbi and Juan from Covenant UMC for joining us to dedicate the building. Covenant is a wonderful ministry partner and financially supported the remodeling of this suite. Thank you Covenant. You have been and are a wonderful blessing to us and those we serve.

We thank Wiregrass Church for also donating to help make this project a reality. Wiregrass Church is another wonderful ministry partner and we cannot thank them enough for being such a blessing.

Also housed inside this suite will be a studio for Ken to record messages for "Sunday Morning with Love In Action" and the "Love In Action Minute," all of which airs on The Joy FM 94.3/96.1/101.7. The studio will also be used for podcasts, video podcasts, and filming testimonials.

Speaking of The Joy FM, we thank Mark Giles, GM of The Joy FM for joining us for the prayer dedication. Terris, actually kicked off our time of prayer by praying for us on the radio.

The Joy FM is such a wonderful ministry partner. We cannot say thank you enough for all they do for us, those we serve, and for our whole community.

It's easy to see what happens when the Body of Christ works together. Souls are being saved and disciples made. Now, the discipleship process will jump up to a whole new level. Making disciples who make disciples has been a long-time focus for us, and now we can fulfill our Lord's Great Commission even more and do it more effectively.

The LIA School of Discipleship is open for anyone who wants to get involved and go through some great teaching and training. Click on this link, https://loveinactionministries.com/school-of-discipleship to learn more about the classes we offer.

If you are interested in going through the LIA School of Discipleship, please email Ken at ken.tuck@loveinactionministries.com

Following our initial time of prayer dedication, we continued in prayer for those who could stay, and it was awesome! Ken and Martha thank Shaun, Suhail, Pierre, Paula, and Nayaar for staying and praying for another 2.5 hours. It was very powerful. To God be the glory!

It was a great start to the Love In Action School of Discipleship, and it will only get better from here. Praise Jesus!

One of the training rooms in the LIA School of Discipleship.

Prayer room inside of the LIA School of Discipleship.

One of the training rooms in the LIA School of Discipleship.

Library being set up in the LIA School of Discipleship.

A powerful time of prayer.

First time of prayer in our prayer room within the LIA School of Discipleship.

23 Decisions for Jesus

 

Are you tired of hearing bad news all the time? I know I am. Every time you turn on the TV and watch the news or read articles online or pick up a newspaper (some people still do that), most of the news is about murder, mayhem, protests, and politicians being, well, politicians.

Here is some good news for you - 23 people have made decisions for Jesus Christ so far this year, and five people have been baptized. Of those five who have been baptized, four were Muslims before giving their lives to Jesus. Praise God!

One person has completed our Training for Trainers (T4T) discipleship class, and five more have started T4T. Three people have started our 50 Commands of Christ discipleship class. That is the second class in our discipleship process. Check out our Love In Action School of Discipleship web page for more information on our discipleship process, https://loveinactionministries.com/school-of-discipleship

We are only seven weeks into 2022, and look at what God has done so far. Praise Him! We know the best is yet to come. We have seen people come to Jesus on campus and during our community outreaches.

We have also seen God's "growth" from our planting and watering of the seeds of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

Each day we plant and water seeds of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the hearts of people. Sometimes we see God give the “growth” (people giving their lives to Jesus), and sometimes we don’t. Last week, we saw a beautiful example of the importance of planting and watering.

Two years ago a woman who came to Love In Action for help was addicted to drugs. We planted and watered seeds of the Gospel in her heart.

We haven’t seen her in about 1.5 years, until last week. She is now saved and has been sober for six months. Praise God! She told me, “I kept thinking about you and your wife. Y’all never judged me and kept loving me. Y’all told me there was a better life for me.”

A jail chaplain saw God bring the growth as he faithfully shared Jesus with her. Today she has hope of a better life and the assurance of eternal life with Jesus. She made our day. To God be the glory!

This past Saturday was saw another increase from our planting and watering.

Last Fall, we started going to a mobile home park in Kinsey. We have been loving on people there and planting seeds of the Gospel into the hearts of people.

On Saturday, a woman who lives there came to Love In Action for help with groceries, hygiene items and clothes. She left with all of that, but most importantly, she gave her life to Jesus. Hallelujah! She was so thankful for all we have done for her and her family through our outreaches to her neighborhood. She was thankful and all smiles about being saved.

Praise God! We thank God for letting us see those seeds take root and see her surrender her life to Jesus.

See, there is a lot of good news out there. We just have to keep our focus on Jesus, who is the source of Good News. He's is the best news. Now go tell people about Jesus and share the Good News with others.

Let's shine brightly for Jesus

I often hear people say, "How can I pay you back for all you've done for me?" My answer is always, "Live for Jesus." That's it. 

That's why we do everything that we do at Love In Action. We want to lead people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. There is no amount of money or anything else that is better than seeing a life transformed. 

Sometimes we lose track of people we minister to. The reasons vary from they moved away, are in prison, a rehab, or many other things happened. What is great is when we run into them during our community outreach, and we see their lives are turning around. 

We started going to some different mobile home parks in the rural Houston County last year for our community outreach. On our first visit we knocked on a door and a young woman answered. We first met her when she was homeless, and she would come to our campus for a shower, food, clothing, and other needs. 

"I don't know what I would have done without y'all," she said. "Y'all were a lifesaver." 

This past weekend we encountered another former homeless person. Martha and I knocked on a door in a mobile home park in Cowarts. A woman answered. We knew her because she gave her life to Jesus the first time we visited there last year. 

As we said our hellos, I heard a man ask, "Is that brother Ken?" Years ago, we met him when he was homeless living next to a dumpster. Today he has a home, his own car, and a job he has worked consistently for the past year. Praise God! 

“I wouldn’t be here if not for y’all,” he said. To God be the glory! It was all Jesus, not us. That made our day. He has an interest in singing and wants to sing for Jesus, so we encouraged him in that. 

Seeing him reminded me that we don't always see the difference any of us can make in a person's life. If we will just follow Jesus and let Him love through us, He will work through us to touch lives. We don't always see it, but when we do, it does something to us. 

It makes me want to serve harder and love deeper. To see people successfully come out of homelessness is exciting. To see people surrender to Jesus and live for him is powerful. 

I've said the following over the years because it's true. The ones who truly surrender to Jesus and live for Him are the ones who successfully come off the streets. 

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16 to, "let our light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven." 

When we let the light of Jesus shine through us, darkness flees, and people can see that Jesus loves them. When they truly see the Light, their lives are forever changed, and our Father in Heaven is glorified. 

Let's shine brightly for Jesus everywhere we go. When we do, lives are changed.

An encouraging start to 2022

This new year is off to a great start. It's been a very encouraging start of what I'm expecting to be another tremendous year of growth in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, making disciples, and meeting needs of the homeless and poor.

God knows how to encourage us, and that's what He did in the first week of 2022.

Let me start with a young man He directed to Love In Action for the first time. Abdul Karim is originally from the country of Turkey. About two years ago someone in North Carolina told him about Jesus and led him to give his life to Jesus. However, that was it. There wasn't and hasn't been any teaching about what to do next or how to live this life for Jesus.

Bro. Suhail started talking with him and teaching him about Jesus. Suhail told him about baptism and he immediately said he wanted to be baptized. I was in the warehouse at that time, so Suhail brought him to see me. This young man was excited to be learning about Jesus, and when I said let's fill up the baptismal trough and baptize him, he started clapping his hands and saying, "Yes! Yes!"

I told him I wish everyone was as excited as he was about following Jesus in baptism. Suhail and I baptized him. I believe in baptizing as soon as possible, and since he understood and was so excited, there's no way I could put his baptism off. He had gone two years without knowing anything other than he prayed to surrender his life to Jesus.

He is excited about starting discipleship classes and going with us on outreaches to learn how to pray with others and share Jesus with others. Please keep Abdul Karim in your prayers. He is homeless, but he has a car and is excited about getting a job and moving forward in Jesus. And, praise be to God, he was hired for a new job yesterday.

One More Soul came to Jesus and was baptized yesterday (Tuesday, Jan. 11) at Love In Action. Praise Jesus! After he prayed to surrender his life to Jesus, Bro. Suhail talked to him about baptism. Our new brother, Abdul Karim, encouraged him by saying, “You need to be baptized today!” Abdul Karim is so excited about Jesus. He is telling others about Jesus and says, “I love Him so much.” He even helped in the baptism yesterday.

God is touching hearts and lives are being transformed. This is another reason we are remodeling Suite 1 to turn it into the Love In Action School of Discipleship.

Then on Thursday God encouraged me again with two individuals who are at The Ark. We hold our Samaritan Clinic for the homeless on Thursdays, and on the first Thursday we start with patients from The Ark. These men and women are trying to put their lives back together, and it all starts with a solid foundation built on Jesus Christ. So, to further encourage them, we set a day and time aside for them.

As I walked out of Suite 6 last Thursday, I heard, "Bro. Ken." It was a man I knew from the streets. He had been homeless, and like so many of our homeless friends, he was spinning his wheels trying to do things his way and not taking the time to let Jesus transform his life.

He said, "I've finally made it here." I am so thankful. We encourage our homeless friends to go to The Ark, which is a Christian ministry with a 12-month in-house program. I hugged him and encouraged him to stay with the program and let Jesus do a great work in him."

Then, there was a woman who we knew for the past 3-4 years. She had been in and out of homelessness. We had encouraged her several years ago to apply for The Ark's women's program, but she didn't. Thursday was the first time I had seen her in a long time, and it was so good to see she made the decision to get the help she needed.

Both, the man and the woman, thanked us for all we did for them while they were homeless. They remembered everything, even what we might think are little things. It was a reminder that everything we do matters. Everything we say and do should always bring glory to God and give grace to others.

Goals for 2022

Have you set any goals for 2022? I'm not much on New Year's resolutions. Those are made to be broken. What's the use? Goals, on the other hand, are achievements we strive for ... something we are intentional about, put effort into.

I have set some personal and ministry goals for 2022. One of those is this blog. It's been a while since I've been intentional about writing blog entries. Why is that a goal? It's two-fold. I studied journalism and graduated with a degree in it from Troy State University. I know the "State" isn't in the institution's name any longer, but it's still on my diploma. 

I pursued a career in journalism afterward, and enjoyed a 22-year career in a field where I wrote and edited stories daily. Writing is in my blood. It's also therapeutic. I'm just weird that way.

Secondly, this blog helps further shine the light on what God is doing in and through Love In Action. It can give more insights to the move of God, upcoming events, and needs of the ministry.

Other personal goals include seeking and knowing God more and more throughout the year. To accomplish that I'll be even more intentional in my daily Bible reading. I read God's Word daily, but I desire to study it more. I've read through the Bible a number of times. That's a great thing to do, and I encourage it. But, it's also good to slow down and take your time going through books of the Bible.

My friend Dr. Dave Smith, professor of Bible at Indiana Wesleyan University, presents a challenging way to study the Bible. He encourages and teaches that we should make time to read entire books of the Bible in one reading. Some books are more challenging to read through in one sitting than others. You can try to impress others by telling them you read the entire letter of Jude without taking a break. As long as they don't know Jude is only two pages they'll be impressed.

My goal is to take each book of the New Testament and read them all, one at a time, in one reading. You better understand the context of the Word doing that. Digging deeper and deeper into God's Word is my forever goal. We can never dig too deep.

Other goals are a stronger personal time of prayer, leading more people into a relationship with Jesus and making more disciples who make disciples. In other words, to be even more intentional on living out my Lord's Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15)

My prayer life is something I really need to be intentional more about. I pray all the time. Often very short prayers throughout the day. The Apostle Paul tell us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). That's having a mindset of prayer throughout each day and praying often. What I need to work on is spending more time in prayer; talking and listening for longer periods of time with my Abba Father. 

You notice my personal goals all deal with spiritual growth. Material things are inconsequential. As my pastor, Ralph Sigler, says, only things that we do for God last for eternity. So, I choose to focus on the eternal. Of course, if Alabama wins another national championship I'll be good with that, too. LOL

Goals for Love In Action include reaching more people locally and around the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to see more people enter into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. As they do, I desire for us to make more disciples who can make disciples. That's why we have started the Love In Action School of Discipleship and are currently remodeling suite 1 on our campus to host this school. I'll write more about that in another blog.

I believe God is wanting to further expand our food ministry to meet many more needs. You might not realize it, but there are a lot of people out there who have very little to no food. I'll blog more about the food ministry expansion later.

I also believe God is leading us to do more with video blogs and video testimonies. People engage with videos. That's our culture. Being able to show what God is doing through videos will add another layer on shining the light on what God is doing. I think it encourages people to see and hear life-transforming testimonies. I pray God will use those testimonies to lead people to Jesus. 

We are going to be more intentional about prayer at Love In Action. Within our School of Discipleship will be a prayer room. We will have focused times of prayer, strategic times of prayer. Prayer is too important, and as the family of God, we need to be more focused on praying together.

I'll end this blog entry here. It's already getting long. If you haven't already, I encourage you to sit down and make goals. Pray about them. Make them realistic, but also challenging. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can do this.

Happy New Year, everyone. May it be a year of knowing Jesus more, sharing our faith with others, and making disciples who can make disciples.