no more fat kid syndrome!

Today is memorial day. This day is set aside to honor those that have served our country in the military. People that put their lives on the line so that we can have freedom! Pastor Curtis from our church, yesterday was sharing about those that died for our freedom and he started to share about Jesus! Like those soldiers that went into the military knowing the price they might pay..Christ gave his life willingly..so that we could have salvation and freedom! So now the fat kid thing! Today..I like tons of Americans went to the beach to enjoy time with my wife, friends and our day off! And it was awesome! Not as crowded as we expected..beautiful weather..and the beach! Just so you know..I frequently started to sing the chorus from that amazing plane movie..lol..'take my breath awwaaayyy'!! because the water was that cold! Still an awesome day though! Anyways.. I stood in the water, watched the waves and I started to reflect on my life and the word freedom! This thought..I am still 1 of the fat kids on the beach crossed my mind! Now before you start feeling bad...stay with me! I have been overweight most of my life..and have literally battled to change it! 2 years ago I lost 53.5lbs and felt awesome. I vowed never to go back and to press on..and like we do..I some how forgot my pledge and stopped working at losing weight and getting healthier. I gained some weight back and now I have been in the process of re-starting this journey! So today..as I am still 1 of the fat kids on the beach crossed my mind again..and God began to challenge my heart! As I reflected back on that weight loss process I realized that emotionally I changed, in word and even in deed I temporarily changed..but spiritually I still held on to those chains of bondage that I was so used too! And that is why I turned around..cause when I started to struggle with the fear of not being good enough or not appreciating the small but very big victory that I had already accomplished..I was still holding on to those chains! We all struggle with weight that we carry that we were not made to carry..and I am not just talking about pounds! We settle because we see other people that are carrying weight that they shouldn't carry, so we justify our junk because we are not as jacked up as they are right?! What is my point..tomorrow is June 1st! I plan to seek God, exercise, eat better and re-start this journey! I know Jesus died for our freedom! But it is our responsibility to walk in that freedom! He wants us to be free! I want to walk in it! Do you? 1 more thing..read Hebrews 12:1 and let God speak to you! He loves us! I thank Jesus for all he has done...he has changed my life and still is! And today I thank God for all those that have served and died to give me the freedom to share the hope that only comes from God! Be encouraged! God is just getting started with us! no more fat kid syndrome! -jimmy akers

2010 whiteboard sessions..uh yes please and thank you!

yesterday I had the privilege to travel in a van down passed the river to the whiteboard sessions! It was a travel day that started at 5am and ended at 7:45pm...but what God spoke will go far beyond the 15 hour van trip! I got to go with some incredible people including Jeremy Ferruccio, his wife Ragan, Corey F. Murphy, Bishop Curtis Jones and Q! We met up with Pastor Rob and Pastor Buddy and headed inside for the conference! A few quick observations and then I will share some things I took away from each of the speakers and the day as a whole! On a side note: this blog will entail a bunch of stuff...but I could barely take notes fast enough! So much good stuff to share...it is gonna be a long blog! Also a quick definition just so you know what I am talking about...wibo is not a new workout video I made! It is shorthand for the whiteboard sessions! here goes: -I missed my wife...she had to work! However when I returned home I got to share some of the stuff from wibo with her and it was awesome! I am learning what it is to be the priest of my home and step up my game! She is amazing! I am so blessed to have Amber...I love her beyond this blogs parameters! -I like !!!!!!!! a lot! I am not yelling at you... but !!!!! is a small way to express the overflow that I got going on when I write blogs! -a trip is always more exciting when people over sleep and when the people that travel together are willing to share there perspective honestly! I appreciated the great convo all day friends! -I kinda felt like a rock star for 10 minutes when my friend used my phone to do a radio interview for an upcoming concert!! My friend is awesome and you will be rocking his jams on your ipod soon...but in order to not embarrass his awesomeness I am not going to tell you who he is! He is gonna change the world with his music though! -@ wibo ALL of the volunteers, sponsors and speakers/musicians that I encountered were approachable, kind and happy! It was an amazing event and well executed! -wibo provided free donuts, water, coffee, soda, cookies...and all the other free junk was awesome too! (junk is merely a term of endearment..not an insult!) -@ wibo they started on time...and ended on time! This never happens anywhere! But it did yesterday! Muchas gracias! -the wibo line up was diverse and incredible! Some of the speakers I have 8 pages of notes...some I have 2...but that is the point right? -Ben Arment is a great leader! I have never met him...I read is blog occasionally...but actions speak louder than words...and yesterday spoke for itself! Well done man of God and thank you! so now on to a few thoughts I took away from each communicator yesterday: Carlos Whittaker: he was the worship leader for wibo and he brought it! I got a chance to say hi...and he is such a humble dude! I bought his CD and after listening to hit I highly recommend you check out Ragamuffin Soul..his new album..Good stuff! His passion and desire to bring people through song into the presence of God is contagious and encouraging! Jonathan Falwell: - when a man of God dies, the work of God does not! -be who YOU are! -God called us to fill our own shoes! Tony Morgan: -are we truly helping people to become fully devoted followers of Christ? -too much bad communication leads to nothing...but noise and spam! -a giant inflatable blue monkey will change everything! (read his book!) Jon Tyson: -the most important thing as a christian, leader etc. is that we receive the love of God and respond to the love of God! -we are fickle people, but God is not! -we are not to remain solely in our love for God, but in Gods love for us! -how is it that we expect people to stay madly in love with God when we aren't! -the only way will be a people and a church that is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask or imagine is to be madly in love with God! -it is possible to do ministry with polluted motives! -Jesus is looking for a people that will sit still long enough to be washed clean! -look how resistant young people are to being washed clean in the bath tub! the churches unwillingness to sit still shows our immaturity! -Jesus won't be unequally yoked with his bride! -remaining in his love produces fruit! Perry Noble: -direct mail is not the key to Pentecost! -when we endure through seasons of pain God knows that he can trust us with more! -ministry is a fight! no book or seminary can prepare you for the pain! -the fire gets turned up right before Jesus shows up in a unique way! -3 battles of many that we will have to fight: criticism, depression and focus! -the critics come out when you do great things for God! -critics aren't the majority, just the loudest! -reading what the critics say is like reading verbal porn. You know you should not read it, you know it is unhealthy and if you continue it will kill you! So cut it out! -p.noble sharing what Craig Groeschel shared with him -focus on the blessings not the critics -we all need people that love Jesus and love us...but love Jesus more than us...so that they can speak truth into our life! -if you don't deal with depression it will cripple you and your ministry -the Bible calls those that will not work-lazy! but the bible calls those that will not rest-disobedient! -the devil never takes a day off..yeah but he's not our freakin' example! God is and he rested! -we need to have fun! God speaks to us the clearest when we are not trying! -we need time with our spouse and families! -pastors...if your church can not function without you-you taught them that you are the messiah! -most over sought words...be still and know that I am God! -we have to just be still! -if you don't get healthy your church/ministry will not get healthy! James MacDonald: -ministry will be lonely, uncomfortable, will include conflict and rejection...but in the end it will be worth it all! -God gives strength so that his message will be fully proclaimed! -ministry does not make sense without eternity! -when we get to heaven we are not going to be disappointed! -even the donkey knew that the palm branches were for the one that road on his back! it is not about us! it is all about Jesus! -how much more like Christ can we be then to forgive others regardless! -bitterness is stupid! it is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die! Eric Mason: -as humans we are functional reductionist! we take a huge thing and take just the piece of it that we want! -we reduce grace and love! the gospel is beautiful, smokin' and gorgeous stuff! -belief in the gospel is the activator! Al Mohler: -I am going to die, you are going to die, we are all going to die...nothing we can do about it! -I preach as a dying man to dying men! -we need to exercise our stewardship of this life for the glory of God! SOOO...yeah! ...a long blog I know! some things spoken I agreed with and some not as much...however so much to chew on! God spoke through these incredible men of God yesterday in a powerful way! Our general consensus of what was spoken..we generalized on the ride home: ministry and living for Christ is not always easy but no doubt it is going to be worth it! I hope and pray that you can take something from the above novel and apply it to your life! For these are just mere words unless we walk them out! I am grateful that I got to go to the whiteboard sessions and I hope to have the opportunity to be able to go again! Be encouraged..God is so mindful of you! He loves you more than you know and he has a great plan for your life! Don't settle with just getting by! Don't settle for just existing! -jimmy akers

for his eye is on the sparrow...

Matthew 10:29-31 (NIV) ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for Heaven and home. When Jesus is my portion! My constant Friend is He. His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me! I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free, For His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me! God has got you!!!! This old song has been on my heart for 2 days now...I am not sure why...but are you discouraged? Are you lonely? Are you longing for more?? Jesus Christ will CHANGE everything! He is worth living for! He is the reason why I sing! And he is more mindful of you and me then we will ever know! Are you happy? He will give you joy that does not make sense! Are you free? He whom the son sets free is free indeed and he wants us to walk in that freedom! I preached Sunday about moving forward...and God is calling us to do just that! He does not want us to settle! And surely...if he has the hairs on my dome numbered..surely if he is aware of every sparrow that falls down to the ground...he is also aware of all of our circumstances! You are not alone friend! You are loved, valued and God has a destiny for your life! Walk it out! Be encouraged today! God is faithful! -p.jimmy akers