We see a hearse; we think sorrow. We see a grave; we think despair. We hear of a death; we think of a loss. Not so in heaven. When heaven sees a breathless body, it sees the vacated cocoon & the liberated butterfly.

The temptation is for us to share our own opinions, our own thoughts and to speak from the whole realm of possibility. We can't do that as pastors. We need to have a strong voice of conviction, and the way we can do that is through Scripture.

God will use your mess for good. We see a perfect mess; God sees a perfect chance to train, test , and teach.

In March 2011 I'm trying to decide on a sermon series that I will preach in January 2012. So, I'm about six months out.

Let's try to present the same gospel but in a fresh fashion, always looking for a better way to connect with the audience.

Stay strong! Your test will become your test-imony, your mess will become your mess-age.

Those who successfully go through tough times do so because they keep insisting.