“SPIRITUAL” also means HEALTH AND FITNESS

Each year, many die on the highways of the United States because of alcohol.  Matter of fact, I lost a cousin (Tiffany Young) due to a drunk driver.  Her basketball video clip has been featured on commercials by MADD, Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. The organization was established to educate Americans about the dangers of drinking and driving.  What an awesome crusade.

I am on also on  crusade to educate Christians about health and fitness.  Believers put a lot of time into growing spiritually, such as reading the bible, prayer, fasting, spiritual gifts and so on.  What many Believers do not realize Spiritual also means taking care of your physical body.  In other words, paying attention to what you eat and exercise is crucial for each of us.  Millions of Christians die annually from heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer.  Yes, they loved God but did not take care of themselves physically.  My mother was a loving Christian.  She died of complications from a major stroke.  This could have been prevented had she understood   proper diet and rigorous exercise.  MOST CHRISTIANS DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER, and they die prematurely and blame it on God, by saying, “it was the will of God.”

The Bible says in Psalms 139:14, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works ; and that my soul knoweth right well.”  Our body consist of trillions of cells, which requires constant nourishment for rebuilding. They require constant cleansing of contaminants.  If they are not provided with proper building materials they become weaker, causing sickness, decay of eyesight, loss o hearing, baldness, cancer, as well as a host of other physical issues.  Our bodies and it’s components such as, liver, kidney, blood, to name a few, are miracles from God.

I am going to share much information with you about your diet, physical exercise and show you how it all relates to the bible.  It’s a new day, in that, we will no longer be ignorant in the area of caring for our bodies.  Which ultimately prolongs our lives.

“Dear friend, I pray that you may be in good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is  getting along.”  (NIV) 3 John 1:2

28 YEARS OF MARRIAGE AND “LOVIN IT”

Today my wife Vedia and I celebrated 28 years of marriage.  It seems like it was just yesterday when I stepped out on faith, used my college grant money to buy her an engagement ring.  I graduated from college in December 1982, got my first real job in January 1983, and we were walking down the aisle about 6 months later.

 

 

“THE LOVE OF MY LIFE”

 

 What a journey this has been, three grown children later we are very much in love.  We are together today because of our love for God first.  It’s amazing how when two people love God, he helps each of them deal with the natural trait of SELFISHNESS.  The two learn how to serve each other with the support of other married couples who also love God.  Vedia and I both agree that these are the keys to our success in marriage.  Selfishness will destroy a relationship.  Matter of fact,  selfishness on the part of one or both of the spouses is the main reason marriages don’t work or failing at a very high rate.  Divorce is out of control, even in church.  The household of faith (Church) has lost integrity, especially the leadership because of divorce, separation, and conflict in relationships.

You probably won’t believe what I am going say, I first saw Vedia in church one Sunday night.  I had never seen her before, but my eyes locked on her and my heart started pounding.  I said to God, “Now that’s the young woman I would love to marry.”  God truly answers prayer, he gave me the desire of my heart. She is wonderful and lives out the true meaning of “help meet.”  I know without a shadow of a doubt,  I would not be where I am today had she not been my help.  I depend on the wisdom of God and the wisdom he has given her to continue be a strong and confident leader.

Yes, 28 years of marriage and loving it.  Stay tuned to my blog because there is so much to say and share with you guys.

Later,

Pastor Joe

 

Vision for Insoul

Phase 1 of the Vision

We held our first Celebration in our new church November 14th. We were at capacity by 9:30 am and the service started at 10am. There was a long line of people out the door trying to get into the auditorium. We had to turn people away and parking extended for a mile from the property. I regret that we could not accomodate everyone. Now the task of solving the parking issues because church attendance can decline if we don’t make more room. So now our team is seeking a workable solution. Maybe we need to add a third service, or shuttle our Volunteers to another parking lot offf premises. It’s a good problem to have and we’re learning as we go with the help of some other Pastor friends of mine.

I can’t thank our volunteer force for getting the job done. These people were awesome in moving the event along as smoothly as possible. Want to make special mention of our traffic team. We had never faced the parking challenges we faced last Sunday but you got it done. Our Hospitality team were on top of their responsibilities and shined like champions.

To the Insoul family, it’s been challenging getting to where we are now. However, God is faithful and helped us to complete Phase 1 of our building project. What an awesome God we serve. This phase lays the foundation to a multi-site agenda to evangelize our communities. We are on our way to a championship season. WAY TO GO TEAM!!!!!!