Pizza Ranch Serves

There’s a lot of anxious folks around here at Corp Pizza Ranch this week. People are scrambling to prepare well for the Pizza Ranch…

Growing up in California, the sand, water, and sky of the beach were commonplace for me. I even met my bride at the beach. If you have any experience with being in the ocean, you know it can be so nice. You also know that the waves can be unpredictable. The forces of wind, gravity and tide can make things treacherous. I’ve had it before where I was lifted up in about 10 feet of water, and dumped onto the seemingly dry sand. It can be like being stuck in a washing machine if the waves are big. Other times however, it can be more soothing. One of my favorite things to do is to go out just past the breaking waves, and jump off the bottom as the waves come in, letting the waves take me up and then slowly let me back down again. But even standing in the ocean pushes folks around.

At our staff meeting yesterday we discussed a few examples of things we are doing to glorify God by positively impacting the world. Great, Kingdom building stuff. Not all of them are “ministries” but all involve “ministry.” Today we’re going to talk about two things each of us, if we claim Jesus as our savior, must do to make this happen. These things must be done no matter our skill level, gifts, personality, strength, weaknesses or desires.

There’s seldom a day that goes by where at least one of us is not struggling with some sort of need or problem. We all struggle with life from time to time and are all in need of prayer. The great news is that we gain strength as believers by bringing it and handing it over to God. A true blessing that most people jump on. But there’s another way we gain strength, and that’s by having others pray for us.

When we think of sacrifice we often think of giving up some time for something, maybe a certain kind of food, or some money. We also think of the lives sacrificed in the military. The origin of the word is much deeper than we tend to

I remember I received something special from my grandpa, if you’ve been in my office you’ve seen them. I have on display of trinkets on my bookshelves. Probably a third of what I actually have ownership of (I displayed

People need encouragement. To verify this, all we have to do is ask a pastor, Chaplin, counselor…or even a parent.

The world tells us to indulge ourselves in whatever we want. Whatever makes us happy. To live for self. To say whatever we want…even if it’s hurtful. And we better not stand for anything in the Bible because it will offend folks. And if we do, we could be considered a terrible person. The problem for Christians is that the Bible says something very different. From front to back it’s very clear. We are to: 1) serve and love God and others, and 2) walk by the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testiment the Isrealite nation observed the Day of Atonement. Let's take a look at what that entailed and how it has changed for followers of Christ today.

The benefits of accepting Christ as our Savior are vast. It’s a free gift for all who want it. When we give our life to Christ, we receive much more than just eternal life. We are more than just sinners saved by grace. These things are wonderful, and I am excited about them, but there’s so much more to it.

Desiring to be in God’s presence should be a longing for all those following Him. What is wonderful is that Jesus and others have taught us to pray and that we have God’s revelation readily accessible in scripture for many of us.

Have you ever struggled with being obedient to God? There are lots of reasons we can struggle with obedience: Fear, Pride, Laziness, Procrastination, Lack of Trust in God, Impatient with God’s timing, Busyness.