With summer just around the corner, a lot of people will be starting a diet or exercise program or both in order to shed a few pounds, so they can head to the beach for fun in the sun. Weight (wait) a minute. No pun intended. Most reading this email live in West Texas where there are no beaches. Oh, and I know nothing is more touchy than to talk about someone’s weight, but the weight I want to talk about is the weight we all need to lose .It is the weight of anxiety. “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up” (Proverbs 12:25 HCSB).

Nothing can raise your anxiety level more than traveling by air and the hassle of airport security. This email was written in Atlanta, while attending the annual Orange Conference with some of my pastors. We all appreciate the TSA agents, who are dedicated men and women committed to our safety and security. The requirements these days however, are getting a little out of hand. Depending on where to or from you are traveling, you have metal detectors, bomb sniffing dogs (coming back from Colombia recently), body pat downs, and not to mention the customary disrobing to avoid setting off the detector, lest you are assigned to the special plexiglass pat down area. But just wait coming to an airport near you an “anxiety machine.” It uses “FAST” (Future Attribute Screening Technology) that works on the same concept as a polygraph. That is, it looks for quick changes in body temperature, pulse and breathing. The difference is that in a polygraph, the subject answers questions, while this machine simply evaluates people as they walk through. In theory, people whom the machine identifies as suspiciously stressed would then be taken to private area and interviewed in front of a camera that measures minute facial movements to determine if the subject is lying. In light of this new technology that may be years away taking off your shoes and walking barefoot on that dirty floor doesn’t sound so bad. If that machine were in use today most of us would set it off. After all anxiety is at an all time high – along with gas prices, food prices and taxes.

Anxiety is a DESTROYER. Anxiety can weigh you down, slow you down and bring you down. What’s the solution? Learn to live by faith and not by fear. Pray for strength each and every day. Find a “good word” of encouragement from God’s Word each and every day.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
Philippians 4:6 (NKJV)

Just a thought,
Carl

Thank God It’s Friday (Good Friday). Without Good Friday, there could be no Easter. We all know what Easter is about. I hope and pray that we will embrace the joy that blew away doubt, fear and hopelessness; the day that swallowed up the earlier believers on Friday but was conquered on Sunday. The following story can be found on a variety of internet sources: Tony Campolo recalls one Sunday when he had a little preaching competition with the head pastor of a church in Philadelphia that he regularly attends. As Campolo tells it, he preached a flawless sermon in every way. As he sat down next to the senior pastor, he patted him on the knee and said, “Top that!” The older black pastor replied, “Boy, watch the master.” Tony recalls that the older preacher got up and preached what he believes was the best sermon he has ever heard.
The message was straightforward and repetitious. The preacher started softly, building in volume and intensity, until the entire congregation was completely involved. All the time he kept repeating the phrases in unison. He went on for more than an hour and a half but kept the whole congregation engaged. The gist of the sermon went something like this:

“It’s Friday. Jesus is arrested in the garden where he was praying. But Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday. The disciples are hiding, and Peter’s denying that he knows the Lord. But Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday. Jesus is standing before the high priest of Israel, silent as a lamb before the slaughter. But Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday. Jesus is beaten, mocked and spit upon. But Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday. Those Roman soldiers are flogging our Lord with a leather scourge that has bits of bones and glass and metal, tearing at his flesh. But Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday. The Son of Man stands firm as they press the crown of thorns down into his brow. But Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday. See him walking to Calvary, the blood dripping from his body. See the cross crashing down on his back as he stumbles beneath the load. It’s Friday; but Sunday’s a coming.

“It’s Friday. See those Roman soldiers driving the nails into the feet and hands of my Lord. Hear my Jesus cry, ‘Father, forgive them.’ It’s Friday; but Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, bloody and dying. But Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday. The sky grows dark, the earth begins to tremble and he who knew no sin became sin for us. Holy God, who will not abide with sin, pours out his wrath on that perfect sacrificial lamb who cries out, ‘My God, My God. Why hast thou forsaken me?’ What a horrible cry. But Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday. And at the moment of Jesus’ death, the veil of the temple that separates sinful man from holy God was torn from the top to the bottom because Sunday’s coming.

“It’s Friday. Jesus is hanging on the cross, heaven is weeping and hell is partying. But that’s because it’s Friday, and they don’t know it, but Sunday’s a coming.”

YOUR SUNDAY IS COMING! HANG IN!
Hope you will be in service this weekend either here at Trinity or in your home church.

TGIF,
Carl

“I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread” (Psalms 37:25).

With unemployment hovering around 10 percent and good jobs difficult to come by, how can you continue to thrive and succeed within your current or future place of employment? Allow me to share some Biblical principles that will be helpful to you whether you are a business owner, an entrepreneur or an employee.

 Be a person of impeccable integrity. Honest employees are indispensible. Nehemiah in the Old Testament excelled because of this attribute.
 Be a person of excellence. The prophet Daniel had an “excellent spirit about him.” Excellence fosters promotions.
 Be a problem solver; not just an order taker. Don’t wait to be told about a problem take the initiative. Initiators who take initiative are in high demand in work place across this country. David saw a thirteen-foot problem and stepped up and slew it. Become famous for the problems you solve; not the ones you cause.
 Acquire wisdom. It is “the principal thing” if you lack wisdom, “Ask God and He will give it to you.” “And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him” (1 Samuel 18:14).
 Under promise and over perform. Those who talk the most do the least. Let your production speak for itself. Work hard at your current assignment. Never demote yourself by seeing your current assignment as a “Job.” NEVER, NEVER call what you do a “Job,” it’s an OPPORTUNITY. It is the proving ground for your next assignment. Perform faithfully now; be rewarded later. Jesus said, “If you’re faithful in that which is another man’s, you will have your own.”
 Be an encourager to others. You don’t get ahead by walking over others. Become well known for lending a helping hand to others in your place of employment. Make friends; not enemies. We will all have our fair share of enemies but just remember “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” and “God prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies.” YOU ARE UNSTOPPABLE! KEEP MOVING FORWARD! IN JESUS NAME!

Just a thought,
Carl

Easter is next week! Invite a friend to come with you and don’t forget our Good Friday service from 12 noon to 12:50. See you there!