Weakness of the Flesh vs Strength In Numbers

James 1:12
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

Romans 12:2
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

I was at a funeral for my uncle this past week. Funerals are obviously somber, but there are usually some memories that arise and solicit laughter. This one was no exception.

Full disclosure, the priest performing the ceremony had an accent so I struggled to follow a little bit, but during a story or the a prayer he mentioned the weakness of the flesh. That is really a great topic because it is something we all deal with.

Since we live in a fallen world, we will always have to be conscious of our weak flesh. Many times we need support from others. I have not experienced this myself, so this is hearsay, but I believe AA meetings have a support system in place because our flesh has weakness.

It is the same with the people on this message. We are a support system for each other because we don’t have all of the answers individually and even if we did, life is tough, we can’t do it alone.

We all have weaknesses. To prove it, I’d list mine, but we don’t have this much time. We need each other. We need communication to discuss something we might not understand Biblically. We need support, we need accountability, we need to use our strength in numbers to combat the weakness of the flesh.

We’re not in a fight by ourselves. We have a support system right here. Be comfortable using it. The men I know personally on this message are great men. They both seek and provide wisdom. We are a built in support system for each other. Let’s use it when needed. We have strength in numbers.

Make it a great final day of 2022. Be exceptional at being you. And please make good decisions while being safe.

Love,

Yancey

Be Consistent

I really enjoy studying and observing, in person, good leadership. Good leaders make or break organizations of any kind. I have been blessed to be around some tremendous leaders in my life in many different areas: church, professional, sports, neighbors, brothers in Christ, etc.

I was recently considering some of the top traits of leaders that I am willing to follow. On all of my lists one key characteristic continued to stick out and that was consistency. The best leaders that I am around know what the motivation for their ambition is, they know that when they chose to be a leader their yes was a yes, and they are fully committed to seeing this decision through by consistently doing what’s necessary to be a great leader and reach the goal. They do not waver, they are not late, and they are prepared for the task.

Men, consistency seems like an easy word, an easy characteristic of a leader, but in today’s culture its not. A lot of people want to lead, but a lot of people aren’t ready to. All I ask is that you take your leadership role seriously, and stay consistent!

Jesus, was the best leader of all time. Among many great traits, His consistency stands out toward the top as well. I hope today was just a little motivation for someone who needed it. Keep praying for all our leaders, and keep striving for excellence in your role!

with love, dlp

M.I.T.T.

Worship (song) Wendesday

I have decided to try something new (although now I am just labeling it, I have already kind of been doing it). I am going to share a link every Wednesday to a worship song! If you every have any requests just hit me up! Today, is a rap worship song that my daughter got me listening to. Hope you enjoy!!

with love, dlp

M.I.T.T.

Fresh Perspective

Imagine yourself in a dingy, underground bar. There’s a heavy cloud of cigarette smoke. It’s poorly lit, so between that and the smoke, you can hardly see. You stumble over to the bar, grab a seat and chill. You end up spending so much time there, the smoke seems to cling to you and your mind starts to reflect the environment; dull, fuzzy, no direction.

Then you make a decision and walk over to the door. You leave, walk up the stairs into the cool night air. You take a deep breath and you get a sense of freshness that you haven’t had in hours! What a feeling!

This is a picture of how our lives can get at times. We can go to work, day after day, go through our routine, and not think a thing about the “more” our life was meant for. We spend so much time in that dingy, smoky mental environment that we can’t see the purpose of our lives clearly. I know that people don’t ever get out of that mindset at times. They die in the mental bar, never achieving what their life was meant for. One of my favorite Bible teachers quotes the saying “the greatest potential in the world is found in the cemetery.”

We can get lost in that mindset UNLESS we recognize the need to get a breath of fresh air. Try something new. Go on a dream retreat. Go to a different church. Ask someone for advice. Get that breath of fresh air, fresh perspective that you need.

In the ultimate honesty, there is no fresher perspective than God’s. He knows the purpose of your life and loves you so much that He wants to guide and help you accomplish it.

King of Kings

We had an amazing Christmas eve service this weekend. One of the worship songs hit me. The song brought to mind all the things I am thankful for this advent season despite it being one of battling family illness this December.

– Our family had a great time doing our family devotion “A Weary World Rejoices”. It spoke to where we were at.

– I have the last 2 weeks of the year off, for some rest and reflection.

– Fun and goofiness with our family and our 2 kittens first Christmas. The tree is still up but will be coming down later today 🙂

Here are the lyrics to King of Kings

In the darkness we were waiting
Without hope, without light
‘Til from Heaven You came running
There was mercy in Your eyes
To fulfill the law and prophets
To a virgin came the word
From a throne of endless glory
To a cradle in the dirt

Praise the Father, praise the Son
Praise the Spirit, three in one
God of glory, Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings

To reveal the kingdom coming
And to reconcile the lost
To redeem the whole creation
You did not despise the cross
For even in your suffering
You saw to the other side
Knowing this was our salvation
Jesus for our sake you died

Praise the Father, praise the Son
Praise the Spirit, three in one
God of glory, Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings

And the morning that You rose
All of Heaven held its breath
‘Til that stone was moved for good
For the Lamb had conquered death
And the dead rose from their tombs
And the angels stood in awe
For the souls of all who’d come
To the Father are restored

And the church of Christ was born
Then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this gospel truth of old
Shall not kneel, shall not faint
By His blood and in His name
In His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ
Who has resurrected me

Praise the Father, praise the Son
Praise the Spirit, three in one
God of glory, Majesty
Praise forever to the King of Kings

Praise forever to the King of Kings

A Christmas Message

Hebrews 13:20-21 20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Pastors, if there is an unfamiliar face in your service today, be ready to make the feel welcome. Pastors, we lift you up, as well.

Kind of a long, sappy confession on the way here; since I write on the weekends, I have written on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day in 2016, 2017, 2021, and now 2022. It still doesn’t make that much sense to me. The most important day or most celebrated two days should go to someone much more qualified than me.

So on this Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, I just want to share that when we attempt to spread God’s Word and/or kingdom, He will give us the tools we need. There are so many people on this message that I look at and feel that they should be writing for everyone on the message to read over me.

Some of the messages I write that I don’t feel are my best work are the messages that others tell me fit the bill for that day or that time in their lives. The scripture says that we are equipped with everything good to complete His will. I am a simple example of that.

On this Christmas Day, go be exceptional. We are all capable because we are equipped by God. That’s the only reason I can write for the message. There is no other reason.

Make it a great Christmas Day and a great and safe week in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.

Love,

Yancey

The Trip

Merry Christmas Eve.

Our family is getting ready to take a couple of trips in the next couple of days. One is about an hour and the other is about four hours. We will pack up the vehicle and make sure that we have some snacks so we can make it to our destination in comfort.

The day before Jesus was born, Mary was riding a donkey … A very pregnant Mary with no reclining seats or any other amenities for her comfort.

My inspiration for today’s message came from a map (that I can’t find now) online with Joseph and Mary’s route. They traveled through thieves, and I believe it said that the trip was one day and 42 minutes. I could be wrong on the tine, but it was a long way to ride on a donkey.

If it were not for their faith, the Christmas story might not look or be the same. Times are different now, but I have been in cities that I did not want to stop for fuel in, nor did I want a flat tire or breakdown of any kind.

I feel like we sometimes romanticize Joseph and Mary’s part of this story when in fact it would have been exceedingly difficult.

Food for thought on Christmas Eve.

Travel safely and make it a great Christmas Eve in the trenches. Be exceptional at being you.

Love,

Yancey

Family Friday 12/23: Anticipation

Good afternoon, men!

As the father of three of my own, the days approaching Christmas always make me think of the anticipation Sarah and I felt in the days before she delivered.

There was, of course, a lot of excitement…but we also felt nervous, scared, and unprepared. We weren’t sure if we could handle the wonderful gift that God was blessing us with, but we felt that He would provide a way as he always has.

Now, can you imagine how it felt to know you were about to bring Jesus into the world?! It had to be that same combination of emotion multiplied by a million.

As Christmas approaches and the world seems to focus elsewhere, spend time reflecting on God’s gift and the amazing responsibility these two parents bore for you and I over two millennia ago.

Have a blessed day and a wonderful weekend with those you love!

M.I.T.T. – Runyan

He Came Down

“He came down to be like us, so eventually in heaven we could be like Him”

I heard this while driving this moring. I am pretty sure it was Dr. David Jeremiah. What would our world be like if Jesus had not came down from heaven in human form? I think its impossible to argue, that nobody in the history of mankind, has had more impact or been more influential than Him. We know He was born of a virgin, we know there were numerous prophetic words predicting His arrival, we know He eventually lived a sinless life, we know He performed countless miracles, we know He died a death that we deserved, we know He rose from the grave and defeated death, we know He did this all as a sacrifice for us so that we can have forgiveness of sins and life everlasting.

The cross is the dividing line. It is the place where we separate the believers from the non-believers. It is an event that stirs hearts, or hardens them. I continue to pray that this Christmas season, we as Christian men focus on the significance of Jesus coming down from heaven. He didn’t have to endure this, He just loves us that much.

with love, dlp

M.I.T.T.