Thursday is the day I focus on my work.
Do not get stuck in a cycle of just going through the motions. Take a look at what you do for work and make improvements. Make a list of what you need to do in order to finish the week strong. 1. Are their people that you need to communicate to. Call back. Email? 2. Clean your work space. 3. Renew your commitment to doing things with excellence. 4. Prepare for next week. In the book Lead The Field (I have read it 4 times.) Earl Nightingale teaches about the power of making a list and making sure you do the important things. I often work late on Thursday to get things done. It feels good to wake up on Friday and know that all those loose ends are wrapped up. Take pride in your work. Find ways to serve people better and solve more problems. If you are not happy with your job, look for a way to serve God in the things you do. Colossians 3:23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. I've had plenty of jobs I didn't like. I imagine you have too. Serving God while I mop a floor that no one is going to thank me for is a wonderful way to look at a task. I am not looking for people to appreciate me or even pay me. I do what is needed and what is right. During these times I pray, think about a story in the Bible, listen to a sermon, or crank up some good worship music. When I am done with a task I feel good. There is a deep satisfaction that comes from a job well done and complete. Proverbs 11:25 The lazy will come to ruin, for their hands refuse to work I have watched people over the years and the happiest are those that work and do it with a good attitude. Work Smarter, Work Harder. Love, Pastor Max
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Education should be a life long practice. 2nd Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. Wether you are in school or done with school, there is an opportunity to prepare yourself and equip yourself for the things you are doing now and the things you will do in the future. Wednesday is my day to give extra attention to educating myself. Reading the Bible and studying what I read has changed my life. I can testify that the Apostle Paul is 100% correct when it comes to what he said to young Timothy. Decide on a system that will help you educate yourself. Here are a few things that I do: 1. I read the Bible, one book at a time, in small bite size pieces. For example. I will read a story in the Bible or a paragraph and ask a few questions. What is going on here? How does this apply to my life? What am I going to do differently now that I have studied this? 2. I use a highlighter and colored pens when I study the Bible. This helps me to know what spoke to me. I come back to it often and let the teaching develop further. 3. Think about the concept of discernment. Discernment is defined as the ability to judge well. There are false beliefs and false teachers and it is up to you to be careful not to get into trouble. Find good Bible teachers that do not take things out of context with the hidden aim to manipulate you. Be careful who you listen to. Here is a helpful scripture for you when thinking about your life. Galatians 5:22-23 The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Each of us will benefit by looking at our life and our actions and asking ourselves if we are producing these things or if we need to work on improving them. May each of us do the continuing education to help equip us and prepare us to be more loving. Love, Pastor Max Sticking to a healthy system of eating mostly plants and not too much was the scientific reason I lost so much weight. John 4:13-14 “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” When Jesus spoke these words I thought about them and asked myself, "why am I always hungry?" The conclusion I came to was that even though I had received the life changing message of the Good News from the teachings of Jesus, I still had a bad relationship with food. I prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to help me with this. I began to see food as medicine and other food as poison. I saw that excess body weight was hurting just about every area of my life. Vegetables and healthy proteins became more appealing to me. I was had a new passion to learn how to cook. Studying nutrition and cooking skill has become a healthy hobby. I put myself on a rotation diet. Here is what it looks like. Monday - Plants (I usually eat them raw.) Tuesday - Plants Wednesday - Beef & plants Thursday - Chicken & plants Friday - White fish (Halibut) & plants Saturday - Salmon & plants Sunday - No rules on Sunday but I still keep the calorie count in mind. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday I also rotate what plants I eat so nothing is repeated. This gives me a large variety of nutrients. Most people eat the same things each day. When was the last time you had a Beet? or a Kiwi? Next time you go to the grocery story scan over all of the plants and ask yourself, are their nutrients in these plants that will help me to healthy and fight off disease?
Getting your essential nutrients from food is much better than hoping your vitamins are doing something. I use the app My Fitness Pal to determine what I am getting out of my food. It also gives me a budget of how many calories I have to eat. Simple, scientific and informative. I can eat 1,583 calories a day. I stop eating by 7:30 at night. No more late dinners or snacking at night. Because my sleep has improved, I don't desire sugar as much. Do I go to bed hungry some nights? Yes, but I never wake up hungry. So was I really in need of food or was I just desiring more. Pray and maybe God will help you to be self controlled and full of peace before bed instead of being full of ice cream and potato chips. (Spoken in love.) Your body is one of your greatest responsibilities. Study how to take care of it. I do this on Tuesdays. Love, Pastor Max My newly discovered system is based on 7 things. One for each day of the week. Monday I focus on Exercise.
Having a focus for each day of the week helps me to go deeper on a particular topic. Studying the science of movement will help us to exercise with greater attention to detail and meaning. 1st Corinthians 9:23-27 I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. 24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. Run with purpose. When you exercise you can use that time to do more than build strength, improve endurance, flexibility and stamina. You can also use that 30-60 minutes to think about your own personal ministry and pray. Mondays and Thursdays I workout lower body muscles. Tuesday and Friday I focus on upper body exercises. This gives me a system that is very straightforward. Easy to remember and follow. Besides these workouts I try to get outside each day for a walk or out on my mountain bike. Life is easier now because I have been following my R.E.N.E.W.A.L system for 4 months. My encouragement to you is Exercise and run your race. Draw inspiration from the life and teachings of the Apostle Paul. Discipline yourself like an athlete. You have a ministry. Do not let yourself be disqualified in ministry because you are out of shape. Turn your life around today. If I can do it, you can do it. Love, Pastor Max I had a goal to lose weight and feel better for a long time but it wasn't happening. December 26th 2022 I decided to create a system that would help me. I called it the R.E.N.E.W.A.L. system.
Fast forward 3 months and I lost 34 pounds. Rest. I aim to get 9 hours of sleep a night. Exercise. Workout Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Nutrition. No eating till 11:30 a.m. and no eating after 7:30 p.m. Education. Study for self improvement. Work. Manage my time and get my work done with excellence. Adventure. Get outside and explore this beautiful planet. Leisure. Make time to relax and enjoy life. Today I will focus on Rest. I was not sleeping enough. My goal was to get more sleep but without a system it was just a nice thought. Setting an earlier bedtime that was 9 hours before when I needed to get up the next day was the new system. I like staying up late, but I love waking up and feeling satisfied that I took good care of the life God gave me by resting. This became a key factor in me successfully following the other 6 things. I was better prepared for my exercises. I found it easier to follow my nutrition system and so on. Genesis 2:2-3 On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation. My prayer for you is that you go to bed early and get more than enough sleep. Try it for a month and see how it effects your life. Time for bed. Love, Pastor Max
#1. Learn to Be Present.
I was at the gym and a friend asked me what I was doing that weekend. I answered and tried to act positive but this close friend knew me well enough to see my facial expressions said, "I am dreading this weekends event!" Her advice to me was "Be Present." Wherever you are, practice being present. Since that day I have approached things in this way at home, at work and at those not so fun events. Everything is better when I have this attitude. Hebrews 10:24 – 25 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. There is a new phobia. Do you have it? It's called talking on the phone! People don't meet face to face as much as they use to. My advice is use social media and texting as a tool, but don't neglect meeting up with your close friends. Be present when you are with them. Be a great listener. Show them how much you care by asking about their life and don't cut them off mid sentence. #2. Open Up. James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. You don't need 523 friends, but I think people do well when they have a few friends that they love and trust. Make time to pray. Be present while praying and ask God to help you to be a good friend, a good citizen. Ask Him not for what you need today, but what you can contribute. One more thing - People need you. Be the change you want to see in the world. Not everyone has a close friend. Wherever you are and wherever you go, be present and be friendly. Love, Pastor Max
“This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. And the water has remained pure ever since, just as Elisha said.
What the world needs now could be for you to have a Paradigm Shift. A change in the basic assumptions. change in a certain thought-pattern. Elisha teaches us that God has the answers and sometimes the answer is to use a little salt. Salt has been used for thousands of years to add flavor, disinfect, preserve, eat through, melt our icy roads and much more. Jesus give you a compliment in Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth." What does Jesus mean by this? Ever thought about it? Here are a few things I can think of that will help us to be helpful in our world. #1. Salt Arrests. It can restrain things and keep them from rotting. You can be salt in someones life and help them from continuing in their addiction, depression, anger etc. People need someone to come into their situation sometimes with the love and power of Jesus to be strong enough and compassionate to help them get out of trouble. #2. Salt Is Useless Unless It Leaves The Container. The average american consumes 15 pounds of salt a year. We love salt. (Thats to much by the way) . Share a little of your faith at the right time and you will be welcomed by your friends and family. Most people are desperate for someone to care. Allow God to shake you up and shake you out. #3. A Little Bit Can Go A Long Way. Top Chef is one of DD and I's favorite shows. Amazing chefs from around the country compete on a high level each week and at the end of the season there is only one Top Chef. People often win and lose when it comes to seasoning. They will work for hours creating an amazing dish and we have heard over and over, "It just missed the mark, it needed a little salt." Don't be the person that never shuts up about your beliefs. That person drives people away. Be sensitive to the Spirit and see where He wants you to share just enough of your faith with someone. #4. Salt Make You Thirsty. Keep this in mind. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth." Your life should be lived in an honest way that makes others thirsty for more of what you have inside of you. There are 9 things the Bible calls the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22 - 23 The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Pray that God would help you to exhibit these 9 things in your life. Without God I think it would be impossible. But with God, all things are possible. #5. Salt Is So Tough It Can Eat Through Metal. If you or someone your know has a situation that seams as tough as metal remember salt can eat through it just like it did to my sisters Subaru Brat. (What year was that car?) Tougher situation sometimes take longer to conquer but trust God and never give up. Shift the way you think. It’s Time for A Paradigm Shift In Your Life. Replace the former way of thinking with a different way - a biblical way of thinking. We are here to help - Love, Pastor Max
We have a responsibility to be slow to speak and quick to listen when our culture is the opposite. Do you agree? People talk to much and don't listen near enough. Make a change today to become a great listener. Your friends and family will notice and benefit from this.
Verse 3 So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working at the potter’s wheel. Verse 4 He was using his hands to make a pot from clay, but something went wrong with it. So he used that clay to make another pot the way he wanted it to be. #2. God Gives Us Another Chance. Allow His hands, His word, His spirit to re-shape you. Make you better. Heal your anger. Comfort you. Inspire you to live the life you were supposed to live. #3. Allow The Potter To Refine You. Matthew 3:11 He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. When the potter is done with the clay pot it is put into the fire to be refined. This process gives it the strength it will need for the job ahead. Ask the Holy Spirit to baptize you. This is a teaching for another day but it does't have to be as complicated as we often make it. Ask God for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. It's a free gift. Continue to seek Him and when He feels the time is right He will grant your request. Trust Him through the process. Last but not least - John 14:1 Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust in me. How do you get to know God and the heart of God better? Jesus is the answer. God sent Jesus to live as a man among us on earth for a time to teach us more about God. So get to know Jesus through the Gospels in the Bible. 4 accounts of His life. Through that you will get to know God better than ever. The video above is a short power packed 20 minutes. I hope you are blessed by it. Let's all make time to go down to the potters house - Church this Sunday and place ourselves in God's hands. Love, Pastor Max
Jesus said "If you fast…" Hold up! That is not what He said. In Matthew 6:16-18 Jesus said, “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.
#1. Jesus spoke to a large group of people and knew they practice a lifestyle of fasting. This is backed up in Luke 18:12 "I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income." Lets keep going - But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. #2. There is a reward in it from God. Throughout time people have fasted as individuals and in groups for all kinds of reasons. But the center of those reasons was to grow closer to God. I asked Nam Shin Park what his thoughts were on fasting. He told me - The Bible teaches individual fasting such as Jesus' case (Luke 4), Daniel's case (Daniel 10:3), Esther's case (Esther 4:16), Paul's case (Acts 9:9), and Moses' case (Deuteronomy 9:9). Also the Bible teaches corporate or public fasting such as the Mosaic law on the day of atonement (Leviticus 23:27), and national emergency of Judah (Joel 2:15). King Jehoshaphat called the nation to fast, when Judah was invaded (2 Chronicles 20:1-4). The entire city of Nineveh including the animals fasted when they heard the message of judgment from Jonah (Jonah 3:5-8). Ezra asked the exiles fast and pray for safety while traveling on the bandit-infested road (Ezra 8:21-23). (Thank you Nam Shin for helping us to see many examples throughout the scriptures.) #3. Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I watched a documentary that was very uplifting with that very title - "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead." Doesn't sound uplifting does it? An Australian man had a disease that was very rare and tormented him. He did a juice fast for 60 days and well, you gotta see the movie to find out the amazing results. But, think about this, many people are spiritually fat. They have it easy and in excess. We want to feel good and have whatever we feel like having all the time. Many don't have knowledge of the real God. Hosea 4:6 my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge." That result is an unhealthy and sometimes delusional understanding of God. So how do you know God. From experience the best way is to get a good study bible and read the whole thing. I read 197 words a minute. So it takes me about 67 hours to read the whole Bible. I bet you read faster than me. Want to know how fast you read? Take this test http://www.freereadingtest.com Nearly dead. I mean nearly spiritually dead. Jesus said that He would send His followers the Holy Spirit to be our comforter and counselor. I am known as a very encouraging and uplifting preacher but I have to be honest with you. It saddens me that to many Christians are nearly dead in their relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The world has a lot to offer that is tasty and satisfying, but is a distraction from the things of God. God wants to be first in our lives, not second. And now for the good news :) Here are a few ways you can take a step in ruling over your flesh and growing closer to God. 1. Give up food for 1 day. (Please us wisdom and ask your doctor if you have any medical conditions) 2. Don't eat after sundown for 3 days. 3. Do a juice fast. (this means mostly fresh vegetable juice and only a little fruit juice.) 4. Give up TV, Social Media for a time, Something that seams to have control over you and use that time to pray and ready God's Word. 5. Financial Fast. Only spend money on the essentials. Food, shelter, transportation for a week. Get control of those urges that leave you with empty pockets. 6. Take a few days to rest and do a 3 day fast. When I fast for 3 days I don't drive or work much. Be smart and plan it out. If you have any questions please reach out to me. I want us all to grow stronger in our self control and know God better. Add Comment Better Together in 201401/05/2014 1 Comment Happy New Year. Today is the first Sunday of 2014. Lets make a decision right now that we are going to move forward this year. Forgiving whoever we need to and breaking bad habits that have only held us back from God's best.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 4:9 "Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. Don't hide out and not let anyone know what you are going through this year. Church is a place where we can meet people that have Compassion. I need people like this in my life and so do you. I was praying while driving a few weeks ago and pulled over because I felt the Holy Spirit put 3 words on my heart. Compassion. Love & Peace. Whatever I do in 2014 is to be under the influence of those 3 words. What you give out, you get back. If your attitude is full of compassion, love, & peace. People will eventually return that to you. In Hebrews 10:24 it says, "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together. Don't blow off church this year. You have so much to gain from going and people need you. So we are wise if we make time and think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. It takes faith and action. From the beginning God saw that it is not good for us to be alone. Genesis 2:18 says, "It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make a helper who is just right." Jesus didn't travel through His life a loner. He choose not a few people to walk with but Twelve! One more to prove my point. Jesus said, For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them. ~Matthew 18:20. So lets commit to working together. Open up to people. Include others into your life. Make the call, Send the invite. And live a life full of compassion, love & peace. Better Together 2014 and on. Love, Pastor Max. |
Pastor Max MarcouxDD and I have been married for 27 years. We have 4 children and have pastored since 1999. We believe with God in the center of our lives, our marriage, our parenting and our church, life is so much better. We hope you discover God the way we have. |