Marc Estes

One of the things I detest most about this special season are the very few that choose to use this as a time as a time to create conflict regarding the very reason for the season. Here is a case that is worth keeping a close eye on. I tip my hat to the residents of Elwood City who say, “Enough is Enough.” I would love to be there for this showdown!

The Freedom From Religion Foundation, located in Wisconsin, is threatening legal action here, but the people of Ellwood City aren’t backing down from their 50-year-old tradition. (See video below).

KDKA’s Marty Griffin has been told the anti-religion group is headed to Ellwood City in busloads. They’re expected to arrive on Friday.For now, the nativity scene is sitting in the basement of the Ellwood City Municipal Building covered in garbage bags. Standing over it is the town’s defiant mayor Anthony Court. Hundreds stormed the court house today. SEE STORY HERE.

“It’s a belief that we have dating back probably 50 or 60 years,” he told KDKA-TV. “It’s a loveable tradition and we’re not going to be bullied.”The crèche will be set up Friday morning on a patch of grass outside City Hall – regardless of the possible lawsuits, court-ordered injunctions or busloads of protestors.

“I can tell you this,” Court said. “I [will] not back down. If they come that’s fine. If they don’t come, that’s also fine, but I can tell you this – the nativity scene will be going up.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation has targeted Ellwood City and its crèche, claiming the placement at City Hall violates the Constitution.

“We believe it is impermissible, it’s improper, not what the founders had in mind to have nativity displays in front of city halls and county courthouses,” Annie Gaylor, a spokesperson for the foundation, said.Just down the street is Pastor Cynthia Antinossi. She runs Dayspring Harvest Ministries, a faith-based ministry where she plans to fight any protest with prayer.

“For a whole year we’ve been praying and we’ve been walking around the city – we walked to the municipal building and we’ve just been God’s will and God’s presence to be brought forth in our city,” she said.

In this mostly Catholic, mostly Italian town, you’re hard-pressed to find an atheist, agnostic or anyone not committee to the crèche at City Hall.“Why should any outside source interfere with what’s going on in a small town in western Pennsylvania?” Ralph Chiapetta said.

 

Well, the leaves are falling from the trees, the nights are growing longer and the cool brisk air seems to think it is time to hang around a while. With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, the retail giants have chosen to inch their marketing madness upon us a few weeks earlier. Maybe in a few  years we just might be seeing sleigh bells in August? At any rate Ho, Ho Ho is already here, here here!

For many this is a time to get excited about what you might get for Christmas. I remember as a child dreaming for months about the endless treasures that would soon be laid up under the tree for me to devour. Lego’s, GI Joe seem to always be at the top of the list. Oh, how I remember the thoughts and emotions associated with this time.

The older I get, the more I realize, life is really about what you give, not what you get. The joy has seem to have shifted 180 degrees in the opposite direction. I seem to catch myself dreaming about what I can give away, how I can bless another person to make their life a little easier. After all, what do I need another shirt, sweater or???

So this year, I am looking forward to working with a few amazing people to bring Christmas to over 1000 under-privileged children. We are spending hours looking for people to donate presents, volunteer and make the season a memorable one for many families. On December 22nd at our Rocky Butte Campus, we will convert our auditorium into a FREE toy store.  Parents will be able to come and select presents for their kids, wrap them and take them home with a sense of dignity and joy.

If you are looking to give and not get this year, you might consider getting involved with us and get excited about Ho, Ho, Ho already! If you know someone in need that you would like to refer for free gifts or would like more information to get involved just go to our:

LIVE.LOVE Movement  site.

Lets make this memorable for others and in turn, make it memorable for yourself.

 

Over the past few years I have posted some resource tools that are designed to help you in becoming a more effective leader. These items have been very popular and I have received many encouraging emails as to how they have helped others. I thought it would be good to put the list in front of you and allow you to download as many FREE resources as you want.

Let me know which ones have been a blessing to you!

FREE Downloadable Leadership Notes

Connecting to Community – Web Verison

Building a Thriving Team Culture – Web Version

Building a Leadership Pipeline – Web Version

Keys to a successful Volunteer Ministry- Web Version

Destroying Disabling Delusions of Discipleship – Web Version

2007_multi_site_survey

Combatting Perspectives of the Church – web

 

FREE Evangelism Resources

Irresistible Christianity Handbook

The Road Ahead Follow Up Booklet

Sharing the Gospel in the 21st Century – web version

 

FREE Pastoral Resources

Counseling in the Local Church

Water Baptism Booklet

FREE Self Assessment Tests

Identifying Your Spiritual Gifts

Defining Your Passions

Clarifying Your Talents and Abilities

Learning About Your Personal Makeup

Discerning Your Spiritual Maturity

Making Sense of Your Life Experiences

Making Priority Adjustments

 

FREE Downloadable Charts

Leader Development Chart BLANK

Leader Development Chart EXAMPLE

Growth Strategies Chart

Small Group Personal Growth and Development Chart

FREE Downloadable Miscellaneous Leadership Documents

Leadership Recruitment Code of Ethics

ENGAGEMENT READINESS EVALUATION

 

I recently came across a story regarding our nation’s obsession with stuff. You know, the things that we perceive we need and will do anything to obtain. It stated that there are now more than 30,000 self-storage facilities in our country that offer over 1 billion (yes, I said billion) square feet for people to store their stuff. It was only just a few decades ago where this industry didn’t even exist. America now spends over $12 billion dollars annually to store our stuff that we can’t fit into our current homes.

John Ortberg mentions the pursuit of stuff in one of his books and brings up the story of William Randolph Hearst. You might remember him as the owner of the Hearst Castle in California. William Hearst was a ‘stuffaholic’. He had 3,500 year-old Egyptian statues, medieval Flemish tapestries, and centuries-old hand card ceilings, and some of the greatest works of art of all time. He built a 72,000 square foot house to put his ‘stuff’ in. He bought some property to build this ‘house’ on which was a mere 265, 000 acres. He at one time owned 0 miles of the California coastline. He spent most of his eighty years collecting stuff, then something amazing happened… HE DIED!

Nothing went with him, it was all left behind. You might ask, and for what purpose?  You might find one worth investing some brain cells to justify, but for me, I just think of all the ways that money could have been used to help others. Don’t get me wrong, I have my stuff as well. Each of us have a way in justifying what stuff we truly need. In most cases, what we ‘need’ is a distant reach from what we  really ‘need.’ The older I get, the more I don’t need stuff to measure my worth, value, comfort or significance, quite the contrary. I find greater joy in giving away my stuff to help others in need.

Here are some sobering thoughts to consider about your ‘stuff’ mentioned by Mr. Ortberg in his book, “When it is all over, it all goes back in the Box.”

1. Stuff is not treasure – Smart players are clear on what lasts and what doesn’t. It is wise to store up treasure in what is eternal: God and people.

 

2. Stuff cannot belong to me – The Bible says, “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.”  God goes on to say, “The silver is mine and the gold is mine.” You are simply a steward of His resources.

 

3. Stuff cannot last – Go to your county dump and take a look at the piles of stuff. Stuff will lose is luster, just give it time.

 

4. Stuff cannot make you free – Getting more stuff doesn’t make you free; quite the contrary. The more you have the more you have to manage.

 

5. Stuff cannot make you happy – It may for a moment, but the reality is, the excitement wears off soon, and you just are looking for the next upgrade.

 

6. Stuff cannot make you secure – We come into this world naked and penniless; we’re going out in the same fashion. Our current economic crash has shown us one thing, our money and possessions are the place to put our security.

 

7. Stuff can help me become rich toward God – We we give our ‘stuff’ away, there is something very special that happens. We receive the very thing we wanted in the first place; joy, fulfillment, satisfaction and genuine peace. Stuff can’t give that to you, but giving it away sure can.

 

Why not do a ‘stuff’ inventory today? You might consider clearing out the storage unit, or garage and giving it to someone in need. You might even have a garage sale and donate the money to a needy charity. You never know, you just might feel a little better about yourself.

If you really want a fresh challenge, check out John’s book:

For many of you that read this blog, you would have some level of belief in the supernatural. The idea that miracles do exist has been at the center of discussion for centuries and has created varied opinions as to the reality that miracles do exist.  Regardless of where you stand, there are situations that you are facing currently that might propel you to believe, even if your belief system is contrary to your desperation.

This has been a major focus for me over the past few months, and I find myself frequently looking at the words of Jesus regarding this intriguing subject. I will just admit it up front, I have been raised to believe that miracles do exist and that God is passionately interested in demonstrated His power to help us humans as well as to reveal Himself to a world in need of Him.  I also must admit that believing in miracles don’t necessarily activate them in my life and that if I want to see Him actually show up and move on my behalf, there are some other factors that must be in play to see Him move.

While sitting on a plane from Portland to Tokyo, I was wrestling with this issue, reading the book of John and trying to get my head around the statement Jesus made in John 14. He is talking once again, about some promises that are available to us. He blasts off this bone-chilling promise that is still to this day, hard to grasp, He states, “The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I go to the Father. You can ask anything in my name, and I will do it… Yes ask anything in my name and I will do it!”

“Come on Jesus, greater works than you did, we can do? Ask ANYTHING and you will do it?”  I don’t know about you, but even in all my years of being a Christian and praying for God to use me, I still have to tilt my head a few degrees to the left to get that one to sink in. 

Anyways, back to the story. As I was contemplating John 14 and his words our flight attendant came down the isle with her arm wrapped in ice. She has just poured boiling water down her arm and was in much pain and hoping to land soon to deal with the situation. Her arm was obviously very read, swollen and appeared to be a very ugly burn. So I had a choice to make. Do I just read the scripture, believe it in my heart and not say anything, or do I add the other ingredients to activate the miracle? I chose option #2. Let’s go ahead and add the faith and action components and see what happens.

I stopped the lady, mentioned that I was a Christian and that I believed that God was a God that heals. I shared with her that if she would let me pray for her, that God could touch her arm right here on the plane and heal it completely. She looked quite surprised and perplexed by my boldness along with the other 5-7 passengers within listening distances.  Remembering what a good friend, Wendell Smith always says, “You do the ridiculous and He will do the miraculous, ” I took the plunge. (by the way, check out his blog)

She allowed me to pray and as soon as I was finished, she looked at me with her sweet Japanese eyes and accent and said, “This is power… Is this Jesus Power?” She walked to the back of the plane and came back up with out any ice packs and her arm and hand were completely healed. No red, no swelling, no blisters… perfectly normal.  She said quite boldly, “Look it worked, it really worked!” I hate to admit it buy I was almost as surprised as the passengers around me, but quickly reminded myself of the words just previously read, “Greater  works will you DO, because I go to the Father.”

I believe it about time for Christians to move from just believing about miracles to activating them. There are opportunities around us every day. People are sick, hurt, bound, wounded, depressed, oppressed, possessed, abused, accused and accursed. We have been given everything we need to move in the supernatural and activate God’s power in the midst of every day life.  Why don’t you take a step of faith today. Follow these simple steps and see if God will move through you. You never know, you just might start a miracle movement!

1. Pray and ask God to stir up the gifts of the Spirit within you.
2. Pray for divine appointments and that God would reveal opportunities for a miracle.
3. Take a step of action and ask the person if you can pray. State your reasoning for the prayer and Give God the credit before hand.
4. Pray and believe.
5. Let God do the rest. Your job is to be obedient, His job is to show up.
6. Give Him all the credit for what He did. If nothing happened, still give him the credit, because a healing may still be coming their way!

Why not join with me and bring back the miraculous! You just my begin to believe that miracles are for today, and they are for YOU!

It has been said that people need, “more strokes than pokes.” In a society that is filled with pressure, rage, and conflict, the antidote to soothe just might be encouragement. We all have experienced it and most long for it. Encouragement from someone you love or respect releases a sense of fulfillment that cannot be duplicated in any other way. We may not live by bread alone, but we all need buttering up once in a while. Mark Twain said, “I can live for two months on one encouraging word.”

We all the ability to give encouragement to those around us. Our tendency might be to point out the one thing we see that is wrong, while missing the opportunity to point out the ten things that are right. I don’t know what this is in all of us that leans toward criticism, judgmental-ism and hypocrisy, but it must have something to do with our sin nature. The only hope for all of us to recognize that we are all sinners and we all fall short of God’s standard. If it weren’t for His grace, none of us would be able to live another day. So why not look for ways to lift up and encourage those around you. This doesn’t mean that we live blindly to the truth or ignore wrong behaviors, but that we strive to be a modern day Barnabas; an encourager to all those within our reach.

Here is a great story to motivate you today to look beyond the circumstances and seize the moment to lift up those around you:

Miss Thompson taught Teddy Stallard in the fourth grade. He was a slow, unkempt student, a loner shunned by his classmates. The previous year his mother died, and what little motivation for school he may have once had was now gone. Miss Thompson didn’t particularly care for Teddy either, but at Christmas time he brought her a small present. Her desk was covered with well-wrapped presents from the other children, but Teddy’s came in a brown sack. When she opened it there was a gaudy rhinestone bracelet with half the stones missing and a bottle of cheap perfume. The children began to snicker but Miss Thompson saw the importance of the moment. She quickly splashed on some perfume and put on the bracelet, pretending Teddy had given her something special. At the end of the day Teddy worked up enough courage to softly say, “Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother . . . and her bracelet looks real pretty on you too. I’m glad you like my presents.” After Teddy left, Miss Thompson got down on her knees and prayed for God’s forgiveness. She prayed for God to use her as she sought to not only teach these children but to love them as well. She became a new teacher. She lovingly helped students like Teddy and by the end of the year he had caught up with most of the students. Miss Thompson didn’t hear from Teddy for a long time. Then she received this note: “Dear Miss Thompson, I wanted you to be the first to know. I will be graduating second in my class. Love, Teddy Stallard.” Four years later she got another note: “Dear Miss Thompson, They just told me I will be graduating first in my class. I wanted you to be the first to know. The university has not been easy, but I liked it. Love, Teddy Stallard.” Four years later: “Dear Miss Thompson, As of today, I am Theodore Stallard, M.D. How about that? I wanted you to be the first to know. I am getting married next month. I want you to come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have now; Dad died last year. Love, Teddy Stallard.” Miss Thompson went to the wedding and sat where Teddy’s mother would have sat, because she let God use her as an instrument of encouragement.

Take the risk and encourage someone today!

Today is one of the most special days of the year. Don’t get me wrong, I love holidays. I enjoy the Christmas season, celebrating the birth of Jesus,  all the presents and special food. I get excited about Easter and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus as my Lord. I look forward to Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day as a chance to spend some extra quality time with the family and fire up the Barbecue. But Mothers Day is just a little different; its personal, special, emotional and touches a part of my heart that no other day does.

Today is the day I stop and remember MY mom. I think about all the incredible things she has done for me, and just how special she truly is. It is a time to give thanks for all she is and what she represents to me and my three sisters, Dawn, Karen and Penny.  Instead of sending her the usual, predicatable and some time cheesy card, I thought I would tell the world about my mom:

My Mom is the Best Ever Because:

• She brought me into this world - She carried me in her womb for nine months and made sure that I was safe, secure and healthy.
• She gave me life – I know my Lord and my natural father had a part as well, but she chose to allow me to live and have a chance at life.
• She provided all my needs – She gave me the most important elements of life to survive and grow.
• She guided and directed my steps -
• She made me eat my vegetables – Whether that was at the dinner table or for breakfast the next morning because she found the napkin where I hid the brussel sprouts.
• She made me do my chores – She made me stick to my responsibilities and made sure they were done to right specifications, even if it meant that the remainder of the weeds I missed ended up in my bed to remind me to never cheat or lie on the job.
• She pushed me to succeed – She always challenged me to get up and get involved in baseball, football and yes, even badminton… wow thanks for that one.
• She led me to the Lord – She brought me to church and showed me just how central God would be to my life.
• She gave me a heart for worship – Even if i was Evie, the Gather Brothers and Jimmy Swaggert’s Worship hour, I still got a heart to worship God.
• She showed me how to have a heart of compassion – I’ll never forget picking up the blind man on the corner who was stranded and brought him home to live with us. When we asked why, she simply stated, “Because that is just what we do.” My home has been filled with people ever since.
• She showed me how to share my faith – I remember being with her and leading my grandparents to Christ in their deathbed and look forward to seeing them when I get to heaven.
• She showed me how to stand strong in adversity – I watched her cry, yet stand strong in the loss of her husband, Bob and then work through life’s most difficult tragedy and learn to live again.
• She helped me to love food – Thanks for this one mom, after all, what is a party without enough food for the entire city.
• She taught me to celebrate and enjoy life – Life is always exciting every day, no dull moments in the Estes home.
• She taught me to live purposeful – I always wondered where I got the need to build a list for the day at 5 a.m. including my days off. Honestly, it really helped!
• She showed me the importance of family – There has always been a deep love for family and it has always been of the utmost importance.
• She has showed me what it means to be raised by the best mom ever!

Mom, as you celebrate this special day, let it be known to the world, the 60 countries and 49 states in America that follow my blog that you are the best. If this day was started only to commemorate you and all you have done, it would be a national holiday worth celebrating. Mom, I love you, and thank God for you. You truly are the best.

Your ONLY Son,

Marc

NOTE: HOW MOTHER’S DAY STARTED – Anna M. Jarvis (1864-1948) first suggested the national observance of an annual day honoring all mothers because she had loved her own mother so dearly. At a memorial service for her mother on May 10, 1908, Miss Jarvis gave a carnation (her mother’s favorite flower) to each person who attended. Within he next few years, the idea of a day to honor mothers gained popularity, and Mother’s Day was observed in a number of large cities in the U.S. On May 9, 1914, by an act of Congress, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. He established the day as a time for “public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.? By then it had become customary to wear white carnations to honor departed mothers and red to honor the living, a custom that continues to this day.

 

One of my favorite authors is John Maxwell. He has a unique way of packaging complex truths into simplistic formulas. One of his classic books, Developing the Leader Around You (see below), mention this idea of training people and the process that should be followed to maximize your time and energy.  Here are some principles to consider:

The best type of training takes advantage of the way people learn. Researchers tell us that we remember 10 percent of what we hear, 50 percent of what we see, 70 percent of what we say, and 90 percent of what we hear, see, say and do. Knowing that to be the case, we have to develop an approach to how we will train. Here is a five step process to follow:

1. Model It – The process begins with doing the tasks you desire to reproduce while the people you are training can watch. Allow them to observe the entire process, if possible.  As you walk through the process, take the time to explain not just what you are doing, but also why you are doing it and how you are doing it.

2. Mentor Them – As they watch you ‘do’, you need to then move them next to you and ask them to assist in the process.  This will give you a chance to observe them in the elementary steps of the process while still maintaining control.

3. Monitor Them – You then need to move to a place where they begin to take charge of the process and you stand along side of them.  It is important to allow them room to grow, learn and fail. Be an encouragement and use their failures as training opportunities and not a time to rebuke them in any way. Work with them until they develop consistency.  You might even ask them to verbally explain the what, why and how to you to insure that they thoroughly understand the entire process.

4. Motivate Them – The next step is to allow them to fly solo.  Once they take the responsibility as their own, your role now becomes the role of a motivator. The trainee must move from sustaining the process to excelling in the process. Allow them to make changes to the process giving them some ownership as long as the changes produce a better end result.

5. Multiply Them – You will never be truly successful in raising leaders until you have taught them to do likewise. Mastering a skill is not enough. Teaching others to master the skill is truly the end goal.  They will find that the best way to learn a skill as well as to reap fulfillment is to teach others to fulfill the tasks at hand.

Try applying these principles practically to what you are currently doing. Find a potential leader for each of your tasks and begin the process of reproducing yourself today.

Rarely do I use my blog to address controversial areas that our fought in the political arena. However, I felt compelled to share with you the “rest of the story” as to the real reason we have seen a change in teen births. Many today would applaud the great work of our government programs without giving close consideration to the real facts. In reality, we should be deeply concerned not celebrating regarding the issue at hand. Put on your seat belt and take a look at what is really causing the national trends:

Teen pregnancy isn’t the story. The demise of marriage is.

The press has rushed to report a minuscule drop in “teen births” based on data released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). As usual, the mainstream media are focusing on a trivial, politically correct story while ignoring the real story buried in the data.
 
Here’s the real story: According to CDC, a record 40.6 percent of children born in 2008 were born outside marriage — a total of 1.72 million children. The overwhelming majority of the unwed mothers were young adults with low education levels, precisely the kind of individuals who have the greatest difficulty going it alone in our society.
 
Only about 7.5 percent of these out-of-wedlock births, 130,000, were to girls under 18. Of course, these births can be disastrous for the girls involved. But as a social problem, teen pregnancies and births are of quite limited importance. By contrast, 1.72 million out-of-wedlock births amount to an overwhelming catastrophe for taxpayers and society.

The steady growth of childbearing by single women and the general collapse of marriage, especially among the poor, lie at the heart of the mushrooming welfare state. This year, taxpayers will spend over $300 billion providing means-tested welfare aid to single parents. The average single mother receives nearly three dollars in government benefits for each dollar she pays in taxes. These subsidies are funded largely by the heavy taxes paid by higher-income married couples.
 
America is rapidly becoming a two-caste society, with marriage and education at the dividing line. Children born to married couples with a college education are mostly in the top half of the population; children born to single mothers with high-school degrees or less are mostly in the bottom half.
 
The disappearance of marriage in low-income communities is the predominant cause of child poverty in the U.S. today. If poor single mothers were married to the fathers of their children, two-thirds of them would not be poor. The absence of a husband and father from the home also is a strong contributing factor to failure in school, crime, drug abuse, emotional disturbance, and a host of other social problems.
 
In 1963, as Pres. Lyndon Johnson was launching the War on Poverty, 7 percent of American children were born outside marriage. White House staffer Daniel Patrick Moynihan, later U.S. Senator from New York, warned the nation of the calamities associated with the growing number of out-of-wedlock births. For more than 40 years, our society has ignored Moynihan’s warnings. Despite the transparent linkages among poverty, social problems, and disintegration of the family, the liberal intelligentsia has watched the steady collapse of marriage in low-income communities with silent indifference.
 

The reason? Most liberal academics regard marriage as an outdated, socially backward institution; they have shed no tears over its demise. Even worse, liberal politicians and anonymous government bureaucrats have a vested interest in the growth of the welfare state, and nothing grows the welfare state like the disappearance of marriage.

Single mothers are inherently in far greater need of government support than married couples, so an increase in single parenthood leads almost inevitably to an increase in government benefits and services and a thriving welfare industry to supply them. Marital collapse creates a burgeoning new clientele dependent on government services and political patrons. When liberals refuse to talk about marriage and the poor in the same breath, they are guilty of willful neglect of the major source of poverty.
 
For the statist, the collapse of marriage is a gift that keeps on giving. It’s no accident that the modern welfare system rewards single parents and penalizes married couples.

The Left, with the complicity of the liberal media, hypes the issue of “teen pregnancy” — partly because feminists think girls should attend college for a few years before becoming single mothers, partly in order to strengthen their agenda of promoting condom use and permissive sex ed in the schools. (In reality, condom proselytizing is a bogus answer to actual social problems. Contrary to conventional wisdom, lack of access to birth control isn’t a significant contributor to non-marital pregnancy among teens or non-teens.)
 
Liberal journalists and pundits deliberately remain silent on the far larger issue of out-of-wedlock childbearing among adults because they believe the collapse of marriage is irrelevant, if not benign. From their perspective, concern about marriage is a mere red-state superstition; the important task is to increase government subsidies as we build a post-marriage society.
 
It should, thus, be no surprise that President Obama’s new budget proposes to eliminate the only government program aimed at strengthening marriage in low-income communities. If Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have their way, the tiny, recently created “healthy marriage initiative” ($100 million annually) will be abolished next year.
 
The statist Left is not content to merely watch marriage die; it seeks to nail the coffin lid tightly shut.