Author Archives: Pastor Dale

What are your goals? Goals are good things. They point us to a positive future. And as long as your goals are consistent with God's goals for your life, they're worth working toward.

But note a key phrase — working toward.

Achieving goals requires work. That's why most people never achieve many of their goals. The effort is not added to the desires.

The human tendency is to always look for the path of least resistance. We want to find the quick and easy way to success. We want to get “there” without doing the work that needs to be done “here and now.”

Effort is something God established as an important life ingredient from the beginning of time. Even before the fall of Adam and Eve, effort was required of them. They were assigned the task of keeping up the Garden of Eden, which involved work — effort. It was a part of God's plan for them. They needed to do something productive. They needed to be a part of the process.

There's something about exerting effort that's good for us. Working hard in your assignments and toward your goals is a positive thing.

Look at the apostle Peter said about this:

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith …” — 2 Peter 1:5 (NIV)

No growth, no addition, no progess is made without you making a contribution to the process. Accomplishing anything great in life requires effort. Don't be afraid of hard work!

Pastor Dale

Monday, September 16, 2013 — a day when bad things happened. Twelve people lost their lives and eight others were wounded when Aaron Alexis opened gunfire at the Washington, D.C. Navy Yard. As the news unfolded throughout the day hearts were stricken with heaviness for the families suffering loss and pain. Questions, speculations and fear gnawed at and gripped the psyche of people in the D.C. area and around the nation. One main question on everyone's mind — why? Why would someone do something like this?

While the motives of Aaron Alexis may or may not ever be fully known, we do know that what he did was horrible, bad, evil — horrendously sinister. Words fail to describe the depth of darkness and derangement at the root of such acts.

Certainly we all would do anything we could to reverse the events of this day. The reality is, it was a bad day — a day when bad things happened. Unfortunately it's not the first day like this, and although we pray and work to avoid these terrible acts and events, this likely will not be the last day like this. As long as evil exists in the world, and as long as brokenness exists in the souls of people, bad things sometime happen.

As believers, as people of faith, what should our response be in times like this? What do we do when bad things happen?

The most important thing to do is to hold on to faith. God never promised a world free from suffering and pain. In fact, Jesus Christ came and gave His life because of the evil and brokenness in our world. He came to change the hearts of people, one-by-one, person-by-person. The Gospel is the Good News — the answer and solution to mankind's deepest problem — sin.

When bad things happen we have opportunities as believers to:

• Pray for the those who have suffered loss and pain.
• Hold on to our hope in Jesus Christ as the answer to the world's greatest problem — the problem of the sinful heart.
• Lean into God as our personal Source of strength, courage and comfort.
• Pray that the message of Jesus Christ would be believed and received — that people would be changed from the inside out by the good news of God's love and grace.
• Be examples and messengers of God's love to others, especially to the troubled souls we encounter in our life journey.
• Continue to live confidently, staying busy doing the good we can do to advance God's Kingdom in our world.

Remember, Jesus came:

” … to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide us to the path of peace.” — Luke 1:79 (NLT)

When bad things happen, keep your head up and your eyes on Jesus.

Pastor Dale

Time is a precious gift. It comes and goes quickly, and when it passes it can’t be recovered. That’s why we need to be wise in the way we use it. That’s why we need to be purposeful in the way we invest it. The way you use your time determines your personal direction and destiny.

Time management is really all about your values and priorities. When you value something, when it’s a priority in your life, you make time for it. It make its way into your schedule. One of the best ways of knowing what’s important to you is to look at how you spend your time.

Think about your own life. Are you spending time on things that really matter?

When God called Joshua to take over the leadership of Israel after the death of Moses, He gave Joshua some advice about how to prioritize his time. He gave him a secret to life and leadership success:

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. — Joshua 1:8 (NIV)

If Joshua was going to have the strength and wisdom he needed to do the work God wanted him to do and have the life God wanted him to have, he needed to make time for reflecting on God’s Word.

I encourage you to do the same! Your joy and success depend on it.

To help you get into God’s Word, we have prepared a new devotional app and book called “Back To The Bible.” It’s available in the Apple and Google Play app stores (search Back To The Bible), in iBooks and in downloadable form at our church website: https://www.church-redeemer.org/backtothebible. It’s also available in YouVersion (by searching Back to the Bible) under Reading Plans.

Get started on a 60 day journey in God’s Word. You won’t regret it.

It’s time to “Get Back To The Bible!”

Pastor Dale

You’ve heard it before — “Winners never quit and quitters never win!” The famous American football coach Vince Lombardi frequently reminded his players of this life principle — you won’t win if you quit too soon.

There are many victories, breakthroughs, successes and achievements that only come after long seasons of, what seems like, fruitless effort. Tedious research, tireless practice, persistent efforts, patient investment, persevering prayer, long-term labor usually pays off, eventually.

The sad reality is that many of these pay-offs never come simply because people give up — they quit too soon. Days, weeks, years, decades of working and waiting, with little to show for it, can take its toll on your heart and soul. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to keep going when everything inside you is screaming “quit!”

While there are times to “throw in the towel” in pursuit of something, there are many more times when we need to “remain in the ring.” Many people “leave and lose” when victory is right around the corner.

There’s a great story in the Bible that reminds us of the power of persistence, especially in our obedience to God. It’s the Old Testament story of Naaman. You can read about him in 2 Kings 5. Here’s the essence of his situation.

Naaman contracted the deadly disease of leprosy. He was directed to the prophet Elisha for a miracle cure. Elisha gave Naaman instructions that he didn’t like. These instructions confronted Naaman’s pride and tested his patience. He was told to go and dip himself seven times in the Jordan River. God promised that in doing this he would be healed.

After much protest, Naaman finally agreed to obey God’s instructions. Notice what happened when he did:

So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child’s, and he was healed! — 2 Kings 5:14 (NLT)

It’s very important to see that Naaman’s healing happened after the seventh dip. Dips one through six seemed to make no difference in his condition. Nothing improved and nothing changed until Naaman completed his seventh immersion in the muddy waters of the Jordan. But his persistent obedience paid off. On the seventh dip, healing came, breakthrough happen, the victory was won.

What if Naaman had stopped on dip two, or four, or five, or six? His story wouldn’t be in the Bible. We know about this man because he didn’t quit too soon!

What about you? What are you about to quit? A job? A marriage? An exercise program? A commitment? A prayer? A _____________________ ? Think hard before you do. Maybe, just maybe, it’s too soon to quit!

Pastor Dale

Here’s some good advice (actually some “God advice”):

Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble. — Proverbs 21:23 (NLT)

Watch your words and hold your tongue; you’ll save yourself a lot of grief. — Proverbs 21:23 (Message)

The next time you feel the:

• Need to retort.
  
• Urge to gossip.
  
• Desire to dismiss or diminish someone’s success.
  
• Temptation to twist the truth.
  
• Delight in dominating conversations.
  
• Press to express your opinionated opinions.
  
• Prodding to verbally pass on your judgments.
  
• Anticipated pleasure of “speaking your mind.”

Send your tongue to “time out!”

Pastor Dale

Mañana, demain, 내일, αύριο, غدا, amanhã, מָחָר, 明天, domani, завтра, kesho, morgen, huomenna … In English the word is “tomorrow.”

Tomorrow is one of our favorite days. It's a very special day. It's when we plan to do most things. It's the day we spend lots of time thinking and worrying about. Tomorrow gets more attention than any other day of our week, month, year and life.

Tomorrow is basically a myth. It never actually comes. When it shows up, it's no longer tomorrow, it's today!

Enough with the semantics, and on to the point. While every language has a word to describe future days, the only day we ever really live is today. What we do with our “today” is what sets us up and prepares us for what will be “tomorrow.”

Jesus said it this way:

So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time. — Matthew 6:34 (Living Bible)

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. — Matthew 6:34 (The Message)

Here are some personal questions about today and tomorrow that are worth answering:

• What should you be doing today that you're postponing until tomorrow?
• What bad attitudes or habits are you tolerating today that may ruin your tomorrows?
• What disciplines should you embrace today that will increase the possibility of tomorrow's success?
• What potential problems of tomorrow are you wasting time worrying about today?
• What things will you do today to shape the tomorrow you desire?

Remember, your best day is not tomorrow, it's today!

Pastor Dale

When's your birthday? Like it or not, everybody has one per year. The good news about a birthday is this, the very fact that you have one means that you're still around! And as long as you're still around, God has a purpose for your life.

Getting older is actually a good thing. The Bible describes grey hair as “a crown of glory!” (Proverbs 16:31) In a culture that worships youthfulness, it's good to remember that older folks are to be properly honored. And if they have lived their lives wisely and humbly, they have something significant to offer the next generation.

Notice the “IF” in the last sentence. This conditional statement is a key to a successful life. Don't just get older, make sure you're getting wiser and humbler.

Time alone doesn't do this to you. As it's been said, in life you can have 50 years of experience or 1 year of experience 50 times. I have met both kinds of folks. Some people are as foolish and prideful at 80 as they were at 20 or 30. Living long doesn't guarantee wisdom or humility. It simply provides opportunity for these qualities to develop. The acquisition of them is up to us.

Moses was shaped into a usable vessel for God by responding the right way to time. At 80, he was finally wise enough and humble enough for God to use him. At the age of 80, God appeared to Moses at the burning bush and called him to go back to Egypt and lead His people out of their bondage.

When God tapped Moses for this task, he was reluctant to accept God's call. Why? Because he realized his own weaknesses, his inadequacies, and his personal inabilities. At 40 he had been a very ambitious, arrogant young man who was foolishly sure of himself. He thought God's people would soon recognize him as their mighty deliverer. After killing an Egyptian who was abusing one of the Hebrew slaves, he believed it was just a matter of time before his prominence as a leader rose. He was certain that he would soon be admired and followed as Israel's young emancipator. But this didn't happen. He ended up fleeing Egypt to save his own life from the wrath of Pharaoh. For the next 40 years Moses lived in the wilderness taking care of livestock. Quite a turn of events.

But the second 40 years of Moses' life were extremely important years. During these years he gained greater wisdom and deeper humility. Over these 4 decades in the desert Moses was broken, in a good way. He was made into a man God could use.

He was a very different man at 80 than he was at 40. At 40, he had been a high-strung, self-centered, ambitious, passionate “wannabe” deliverer; albeit an unwise and undisciplined one. At 80, his soul was sober and mature. He was no longer driven by ambition for success or by the need to make a name for himself. Time, trouble and daily responsibility had seasoned him. He was older, but wiser and humbler. He was also usable to God. 40 years in the wilderness hadn't hurt him. It had helped him!

What about you? No matter what your age, each year you're getting older. Getting older is inevitable. Getting wiser and humbler is optional. Don't just get older, make sure you're getting wiser and humbler!

Pastor Dale

“No” is a good word. If used it at the right times it can protect you from lots of pain and problems.

We're reminded of the value of a well-timed “no” from the Old Testament story of a young man named Joseph. After being betrayed by a group of jealous brothers and sold into slavery, Joseph found himself in Egypt. By providence, Joseph ended up serving a highly placed official in the Egyptian military named Potiphar. Joseph managed Potiphar's assets and activities so effectively that he was put in charge of all this man possessed.

Things were going great for Joseph until Potiphar's wife tried to seduce him. Joseph faced an intense moral test. He could say “yes” to Mrs. Potiphar and do what his flesh wanted to do, or he could say “no” to his urges and do what was right, knowing that this lady would likely hate him for it.

What did Joseph do?

… Joseph refused … — Genesis 39:8

The Hebrew word for “refused” used here is a strong one. It literally means “to reject; to disobey.“

In the moment of temptation, Joseph’s character shined with a strong, firm “NO!” This well-timed “no” was one of the pivotal points in Joseph's life. Had he said “yes” instead of “no,” his story would probably not be in the Bible, or it certainly would be a very different one. Joseph's future — his destiny — was in large part set by his decision to say “no” at the right time — in the moment of his moral testing and temptation.

What about you? What do you need to say “no” to in your life? What test or temptation is demanding a “yes” from you while wisdom whispers a “no” in your soul?

Go ahead. Say “no” to the things you need to say “no” to. Your destiny depends on it!

Pastor Dale

Sometimes the most powerful truths in life are very simple. This was the case with God's instructions to Jacob after a long season of turmoil and turbulence in his life. God gave Jacob a simple but profound principle:

Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” — Genesis 35:1 (NIV)

God said: “Jacob, it's time to settle and build!”

Here's the life-changing principle:

Settling is a key to building.

You can't build anything significant until you settle somewhere into something. Settling is the first step in building anything and everything that is significant and meaningful in life.

The word “settle” means “to fix, resolve, conclude, come to rest, close out, secure, and establish.” Settling can't happen without commitment. To “commit” is to give oneself unreservedly to a person, activity, place or purpose. Commitments create settledness. Settledness provides the spiritual and emotional environment for trust and constructive contribution. It puts us in a position to grow.

Part of the challenge of our culture is it's unsettled nature. Unsettledness is accompanied by discontentment and restlessness. These attitudes and emotions keep people continually prowling for something “better.” They're a part of the “grass is greener” syndrome. They keep people from putting down deep roots. They keep people “on the run.” When you're unsettled, you're miserable, and you usually try to make other people miserable too, because “misery loves company!”

What a great day it is in a person's life when they settle — when they settle their relationship with God; settle their life purpose and calling; settle in their profession or career; settle into their marriage; settled into a church and community; settle into good and godly relationships; settle the restlessness in their spirit. Suddenly they're in a position to build a fruitful life and an honorable legacy. Settledness is a wonderful thing!

What do you need to settle in your life? When you settle, you can build!

Pastor Dale

Are you angry at someone? About something?

Anger is a common human emotion — something we all experience. In and of itself, it's not wrong or sinful, but it is dangerous. It all depends on how you handle it. Remember, the words “anger” and “danger” are only 1 letter apart. Anger gets you very close to some very dangerous things!

We live in an extremely angry culture. Seething, stewing and spewing are all around us, and unfortunately in many of us. Anger rules lots of people and leaves behind a wake of pain and a host of casualties. When you're angry you often say things you shouldn't say, behave in ways you shouldn't behave and fight battles you don't need to fight.

Angry attitudes and actions mess up marriages, ruin friendships, drain our emotional energy, cloud our judgment, reduce our productivity, prompt bad decisions and even weaken our immunity. Medical researchers have discovered that hostility is horrible for your health — physically and psychologically. It's also one of the main causes of spiritual problems in people.

It's not just the “big anger” that gets us into trouble. Even small amounts of anger are dangerous. Why? Because given the right environment, small anger grows into big anger.

Here's the principle: Whatever you focus on is magnified in your mind and emotions.

The more you think and talk about how badly you feel someone treated you, how unfair some situation was, how rude a person behaved, how irritating or inconsiderate an individual is, the bigger the anger becomes in you. It's called “nursing your anger.” And remember: anything you nurse, grows!

God gives us some valuable advice about how to handle anger:

A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. — Proverbs 15:1 (NLT)

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. — Proverbs 17:9 (NLT)

A wise man restrains his anger and overlooks insults … — Proverbs 19:11 (TLB)

Fools vent their anger, but the wise quietly hold it back. — Proverbs 29:11 (NLT)

If you are angry, don't sin by nursing your grudge. Don't let the sun go down with you still angry– get over it quickly; for when you are angry, you give a mighty foothold to the devil. — Ephesians 4:26, 27 (TLB)

Stop being mean, bad- tempered, and angry. Quarreling, harsh words, and dislike of others should have no place in your lives. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you because you belong to Christ. — Ephesians 4:31, 32 (TLB)

The next time you're angry, apply God's advice and see what happens!

Pastor Dale

Many things in life only come to people who ask. According to the Bible, asking is a good thing.

Most people are familiar with Jesus' words, “Ask and you will receive … ” (Matthew 7:7). When you think about this verse it's important not to speed past the first word, ASK. It's actually a command that also teaches us a life principle. Jesus taught us that “receiving is linked to requesting.“

Lots of things are withheld from us, in all arenas of life, because we don't ask, or don't really know how to ask. There are right and wrong ways to ask, good and bad ways to ask, better and best ways to ask. There are some things we can “be” and “do” that make our asking more fruitful.

There's a great story in Genesis 23 that describes a time when Abraham asked some folks for something. His wife Sarah had died and he wanted to bury her in an honorable tomb. He needed the right place to lay her body to rest, but the place he wanted was owned by someone who didn't seem particularly interested in selling it. But Abraham asked. He made a request. And he received what he requested.

When you have time, read the passage and notice the way Abraham asked. There are some great lessons in the chapter about the right way to make a request for something.

From this story, here are 4 lessons about fruitful asking:

• Ask respectfully. Abraham was very respectful and honoring in the way he made his request. His respectful attitude in asking was genuine and sincere, not manipulative.

• Ask specifically. Abraham asked with clarity and specificity. He had thought about what he wanted and needed as a proper burial place for Sarah, and he asked accordingly.

• Ask selflessly. Abraham's ask was really about honoring Sarah, not satisfying some ambition for himself. The best asks happen when our requests are motivated by something other than selfish ambition. When our requests come from a desire to honor God and serve others, they're a lot more effective. Ask selflessly, not selfishly.

• Be prepared to pay the price that's required. Abraham wasn't making a “I want something for nothing” request. He knew that the land and tomb he wanted for his wife's gravesite would cost him something, He was ready to pay the price. Many people want something for nothing. They're only looking for what they can get out of a situation, not what they can give. Many great requests are denied because the asker isn't willing to pay the price required. Abraham anted up. He paid the price, and he did so gladly.

The right kind of asking is key to receiving. To be fruitful when making requests, follow Abraham's example!

Pastor Dale

The best decisions in life are made when we live by the right principles. While emotions often mislead us, right principles never will.

In Acts 20 we find a great life principle:

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. ’” — Acts 20:35 (NIV)

In these verses Paul reminded us of a life principle given to us by Jesus.

Again, a life principle is a truth that is to guide the way we live — a truth that should direct us in all our decisions.

Here we're taught the “giving principle.”

This life principle has been studied, researched and proven to be true. According to numerous studies, people who give generously and regularly are happier, healthier and less stressed. They report a greater sense of meaning and purpose in life. And they also make a difference with their lives — they live more impacting lives.

This, I believe, is a major reason God gave us the commandment of tithing. His command to return the first ten percent of what He has provided to us gets us started on the pathway of giving. He commands us to do this so that we can't excuse ourselves from the giving act. He knows that once we get started giving, we'll forever be hooked on it and blessed by it.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. — Malachi 3:10 (NIV)

It's true, tithing brings blessings. I recently read a research study that compared people who tithed to those who don't on nine financial health measurements. The tithing group was heathier and stronger in every area.

Giving truly is a blessing. There's great joy in giving!

So how do we experience the joy of giving? Here are 5 things to think about:

1. Believe in the life principle of giving.

Accept it as fact. It's not just a nice statement, it's a true life principle. It is “more blessed to give than to receive.”

2. Personally obey it.

Let it become a practice and guiding principle in your life. It's interesting how many people talk about faith and about doing something great for God, and yet fail to practice this basics of giving. CONSISTENT GIVING PROVES REAL FAITH MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE!

3. Give for the right reasons.

Give to honor God, to advance His church and Kingdom, and to be a blessing.

4. Give wholeheartedly and holistically.

Be cheerful when you give. Don't give grudgingly or in part. Embrace the principle in all areas of your life. Give of your time, treasure and talents.

5. Keep growing as a giver.

Don't continue to live at the same giving level. Enlarge and increase your faith by expanding your giving.

WE ARE NEVER MORE LIKE GOD THAN WHEN WE GIVE!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 (NIV)

Learn the joy of giving!

Pastor Dale

Most people believe in prayer. Research has shown that over 80% of the American population has some degree of confidence in the power of prayer, and practice prayer at times.

Sadly, very few people have thought much about how to pray. Prayer to most is quick words spoken to God in a moment of pain or need, hoping that it might help. For many, prayer is more like wishing for something rather than actually asking God for something or seeking God's wisdom about something with confidence and assurance of answers.

How do we pray in a way that works? We must get some “prayer education.” We have to discover the way to pray.

One of Jesus’ disciples understood this need for “prayer education.” He requested some prayer lessons from Jesus:

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray … ” — Luke 11:1 (NLT)

What does the Bible say about the right way to pray?

According to the Bible, a powerful prayer life happens when we:

Pray daily.

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. — Psalms 5:3 (NLT)

Pray honestly.

O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. — Psalm 62:8 (NLT)

Pray persistently.

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. — Luke 18:1 (NLT)

Pray gratefully.

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Ephesians 5:20 (NLT)

Pray with a surrendered will and a clean heart.

He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” — Matthew 26:39 (NLT)

If I had not confessed the sin in my heart the Lord would not have listened. — Psalms 66:18 (NLT)

Pray with the right motives.

… You don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. — James 4:2-3 (NLT)

Pray expecting an answer.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. — Matthew 7:7-11 (NLT)

Practice prayer God's way and you will see His works in your life!

Pastor Dale

An opportunity is a favorable moment in time when good things can happen. It’s a window of possibility and potential that opens to us. It comes and it goes, and depending on how we respond to it, our life destiny can be determined and the future of others can be affected.

God is an opportunity-giving God. Daily, God gives us moments pregnant with possibility and potential. It might be an intersecting point with a particular person we haven’t seen in a while, a conversation with colleagues, or a professional door that opens to us unexpectedly. It might be an opportunity to share our faith, or to do something kind and helpful for another person. It might be a moment to speak a loving and encouraging word to someone who is hurting and hopeless. It might be a word of instruction or wisdom spoken to us that will shape our character and increase our usefulness to God and His Kingdom.

Opportunities are introduced into our lives, and they linger briefly, waiting for our response. As surely as they arrive, they leave. Seeing them and seizing them is our challenge.

Here’s what the Bible says about this:

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. — Ephesians 5:15-17 (NLT)

To make the most of God-sent opportunities, we must first recognize them when they show up. Too often we’re so preoccupied with the business and busyness of life that we don’t see them when they come our way. Because of our blindness, great opportunities by-pass us. That opportune moment when a gracious act or word from us would mean so much to a struggling soul, or that window God gives us to tell someone about His love will be missed when we’re caught up in our own world.

Not only do we need to see God-sent opportunities, we must also seize them. If we see and don’t seize, the end result is the same. The moment is missed.

Seizing God-sent opportunities involves faith and action. We have to over-ride our inner desire for comfort and complacency. We must suppress our drive for the status quo. We must reach out, step out, speak out and act out our faith and love in the opportune moments God gives us. What we do in these moments matters. See them and seize them!

Ask God to help you see the opportunities He’s sending your way. When you see them, seize them!

Pastor Dale

BTW, here are two incredible opportunities you need to know about:

This weekend at Church of the Redeemer, come and hear a great message from James Brown. James is the anchor sportscaster for the NFL Today on CBS and Inside the NFL on Showtime. He has a strong faith and powerful lessons to share. For campus information and service times check out our website.

If you’re a pastor or church staff member, don’t miss our upcoming United Pastors Network Gathering, May 20-22 here at our church. For all the information visit the UPN website and register today. It’s going to be an amazing time!

Teams are everywhere. There are sports teams, work teams, research teams, medical teams, ministry teams — all kinds of teams. Much of what is accomplished in our world is done by teams.

The Bible extols the value of teams:

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work … — Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NIV)

Two can accomplish more than twice as much as one, for the results can be much better. — Ecclesiastes 4:9 (The Living Bible)

Great teams produce greater results. Teaming up takes things to a whole new level. When we work together it's amazing what can be done. When “we” takes the place of “me,” watch out, good things are on the way! For this to happen there are some things we need to understand about team work and team life.

It's been said that “there's no 'I' in team.” While I agree with the premise of the statement, I would quickly say, “yes there is!” There's an “I” in every team. The “I” is the “individuals” on the team. A team is only as strong as the individuals that are part of it.

Teams are made up of individual people. These “individuals” must bring the right things to the team if the team is going to be all it can be.

Let's take a look at 7 characteristics of a great individual team member.

1. Great team members are COMMITTED to the team.

To be a strong team member you must be “all in.” You must love being on the team. You must be committed to the team members and organization. You must “wear the team colors,” and “sport the team logo” in your attitudes and actions. You must honor your team by your words. There's nothing that lowers a team's morale and effectiveness more quickly than a member who's not committed. You can't be a “lone ranger” and a “team player” at the same time.

2. Great team members CARE about the team's mission.

A mission is a given assignment. It's a set of goals and objectives that are to be accomplished or achieved. A great team member cares about the mission that's been assigned to the team. They're fully invested in reaching the objectives. The goal becomes more important to them than their role. They're willing to do what needs to be done to fulfill the mission. There're willing to dig deep, work hard, relinquish personal ambitions, and remove defensiveness. They KNOW the mission and GO after it wholeheartedly.

3. Great team members are COMPETENT in their CONTRIBUTION.

No one enjoys working on a team where members fail to do their part. While we all have bad days, and need help along the way, we like to know that, in a reasonable way, everybody on the team is “bringing their best game.“

Great team members are conscientious about being their best and bringing their best to the table. They are growing, learning, increasing their competence and capacities. They inspire other members by their appetite for excellence and improvement.

4. Great team members are CONGENIAL and COLLABORATIVE.

There's an old military strategy called “divide and conquer.” What can be “divided” can be “conquered.” That's why team unity is such an important thing. When divisive attitudes, squabbling, competitiveness, contention, and mean-spirited attacks weasel their way into a team environment, the team's in trouble. When team interaction is characterized as cold, calculating, catty, political and territorial, the handwriting is on the wall. No progress happens.

Great teams consist of people who work on their relationship chemistry. They build their “emotional quotient.” They are congenial, communicative and kind-hearted. They work at getting along.

Genuine congeniality brings collaboration. A peaceful atmosphere leads to a productive process.

5. Great team members are CONSISTENT.

Consistency speaks of endurance — continuing undeterred down a pathway. It refers to diligence — staying at the right things without quitting.

A great team member is able to “roll with the punches,” deal effectively with setbacks, and flexibly handle changes. They're not just in for the quick win, they're in for the long haul. They are marathoners, not sprinters. They're the “Ever Ready Bunny!” They keep going and going! They're consistent. You can count on them.

6. Great team members CELEBRATE the abilities and achievements of others.

Jealousy kills teams. When team members have a hard time celebrating the gifts and accomplishments of their teammates, the team will never do it's best work. And when individuals on the team are applauded, but don't understand or acknowledge the contributions of their teammates to their success, team morale is undermined.

Great teams celebrate one another, without jealousy. A win for one is a win for all! This is easier said than done, but powerful when it's done.

7. Great team members have CHARACTER.

Lack of character in team members can be death knell to a team's power and success.

When people on the team are prideful, arrogance, filled with selfish ambition; when they're in it for themselves — using the team to build their personal platform rather than using their gifts and skills to build the team's platform — the entire team is adversely affected. When a team member is disingenuous or deceptive, lacks integrity, is untrustworthy, two-faced, disloyal, or a gossiper, others suffer. Character is critical to a team's success.

There's an “I” in team. The “I” is the individual team members. What kind of team member are you?

Pastor Dale

Have you ever failed at something? Of course you have. We all have.

You didn't learn to walk without stumbling and falling. You didn't learn to ride a bike without some skinned knees along the way. In fact, it's highly likely that your first attempts at most new things failed. Failure is usually a part of learning, growing, of developing abilities and skills.

While it's easy and acceptable to embrace failure when it comes to new learning experiences, we often struggle to get past other forms of failure — failed judgment, failed relationships, failed assignments, failed business. These often leave people with crippling shame and haunting regrets.

There's no doubt that some failures are more costly and serious than other ones. It's also true that certain kinds of failure should be conscientiously avoided. We should never nurse a cavalier attitude about moral and character failures. We should never take lightly the impact of choosing sinful and evil actions over godly and good ones. These mistakes hurt God, us and others. They often carry significant consequences, and rightly so.

So how does a person handle serious and significant failure? What should their response be to the life mistakes and messes they make? How does a person deal with the consequences of their mess-ups without becoming emotionally defeated and spiritually destroyed by them?

They must get up and get going again! While the consequences of certain failures have to be understood and appreciated, and messes have to be handled, staying down does no one any good. Rising up, receiving God's forgiveness, seeking forgiveness from others and forgiving oneself is the way to turn things around.

The only one who wins when someone stays down is the devil. He loves to pound people with the ugly parts of their past. He specializes in grounding people. He's a master craftsman when it comes to condemnation. He sells folks the lie that it's all over. He tries to make your failure final.

Many people in the Bible failed. Did you know that the great Apostle Peter failed miserably? The guy that walked on water messed up! When Jesus needed him the most, Peter denied Him, not once, but three times!

After Jesus rose from the dead, He went to Galilee and found a despondent, defeated Peter, restored him and got him going again. Not too many days later, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, this same man — Peter — preached the first recorded message of the church and three thousand people gave their lives to Jesus Christ. (See Matthew 26:69-75; John 21:1-17; and Acts 2:14-41.) That's a major turn around! Jesus helped Peter get up and get going again.

Someone once said, “I'm never down. I'm either up, or on the way up!”

If you've fallen down, don't stay down. Get up and get going again!

Pastor Dale