“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.

-Matthew 12:18-21

Depending on your life, you either love the holidays or hate them. It’s easy to forget that the holidays aren’t awesome for everybody. There are still people who are absolutely hopeless. Presents won’t cut it, time with family doesn’t satisfy, you can’t see light at the end of the tunnel, and you wonder if you’ll ever come out of this state of hopelessness.

You can waste a lifetime looking for hope in all the wrong places.

The truth is that you can waste a lifetime trying to find hope in all the wrong places. Trying to find it in material possessions, unhealthy relationships, drugs or alcohol, sex, and anything else you attempt to find a sliver of hope in will never give you what you’re looking for.

There is one place that you will find the hope you’re looking for. That is in a relationship with Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly states that Jesus is the hope of the entire world.

To be honest with you, my life didn’t really begin until I made Jesus the Lord of my life. I used to be purposeless, hopeless, and living in fear constantly. Since I’ve pursued a relationship with God, I have a peace that can’t be put into words, I have hope in every circumstance, and I’m fully satisfied with my life.

If you’re feeling hopeless in life, Jesus wants to give you hope. This can be a Christmas that you never forget. One that changes your life forever. If you’ve never made Jesus the Lord of your life, please send me a message on facebook and I’d love to talk to you about that decision.

Don’t let another day pass feeling hopeless in your life – it’s time to give your life to the one who was born to give his life for you.

What an incredible day… I’m literally blown away and I stand in awe of what God is doing in the world through the body of Christ. I literally can’t put into words what God is stirring up in my heart…

Here are my highlights from the talks:

Session 1: Andy Stanley

• Uncertain times are the arena where great leaders are born
• You don’t learn anything in good times or in times of certainty
• It’s ok to be uncertain, it’s not ok to be unclear
• To be clear in uncertain times, go back to the vision that God put in your heart
• The clearer you are on what God’s called you to do, the less uncertainty will matter
• Would you do what God is calling you to do even if nobody came with you?
• We need to be more concerned about the people we haven’t met, then the ones we have
• Leadership isn’t about making decisions alone, it’s about owning the decisions once they’re made

Session 2: Guy Kawasaki

• You’ll never appeal to everyone, when you try to, you create mediocrity
• Making people happy or unhappy is a lot better than making them indifferent
• If people won’t get your message in 15 minutes, they probably never will
• Ignore the bozos…

Session 3: Catherine Rohr

***Catherine runs an amazing ministry…. you need to check it out!

• Are you known for the worst thing you’ve ever done? Neither should other people… (Grace)
• A lot of times we need to look at people as human beings instead of animals
• We need to do life with people and help them achieve their “proudest moments” in life

Session 4: Jud Wilhite

• Until you settle the identity issue – you’ll never be or have enough
• There is no “There” so learn to enjoy the journey
• Surrender your view of you for God’s view of you
• We should talk to ourselves more than listen to ourselves
• When you believe something other than what God says about you, you’re calling God a liar

Session 5: Ravi Zacharias

*I need to listen to this talk again… Ravi is amazing and he said so many amazing things…

• What you applaud you encourage, be careful what you celebrate
• People can’t argue love

Session 6: Brian Houston

• Be a church planter and builder, not a church critique
• WE are the Church… the Church is so much bigger than one person
• If we don’t believe in what the church is supposed to be, how will the world?
• When you’re a part of the house of God -> you ALWAYS Flourish!

Session 7: Nick Vuljicic

• “It’d be dishonoring to God to live my life and not believe that I could change the world
• God uses people based on availability, not ability
• FEAR – False Evidence Appearing Real
• 2 Questions Jesus will ask us: 1.) Do you know me? 2.) Who did you bring?
• FAITH = Full Assurance In The Heart
• You’re a miracle to someone when you give them Jesus
• Satan wants to take your joy from you… period
• Just because you can’t see something, doesn’t mean it’s not there
• Trust is a daily choice

Overall a great day… really looking forward to tomorrow…

¹Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. ²Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³

Hebrews 12:1-2

Yesterday we said the first step to getting free from sin, addiction, and bondage is to draw close and actually have a relationship with God. Today I want to focus on the spiritual side of being set free. We’ve already been set free by the grace of God, now you just need to get that in your heart and recieve your freedom! How do you that?

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus\

He Endured the Cross so You Could Live Free – I love this verse… because of the JOY before Jesus, He endured the cross. Jesus, in the flesh, did not want to go to the cross, but when He thought of you living the life God intended you to live, living a life of freedom, he endured it. Don’t go another day without focusing on Him.

When You’re Focused on Him, Everything Else Fades Away – You’re either going to focus on one of two things – Jesus or Your Bondage… Focus on Jesus and you’ll be set free. Focus on the bondage… you’ll be bound.
The more you focus on Him, the more you’ll become like Him and the less desires you’ll have for whatever is binding you.

Fixing Your Eyes on Him is the Answer  to Every Problem You’ll Ever Have – I remember when I got free from drinking, drugs, etc. I thought “I just beat the toughest battles I’ll ever face! I’m invincible!”  Not true at all… once I beat those “little” things, there came an entirely new set of issues to deal with – pride, my thought life, etc.. There will always be things you need to overcome in your life, even after you’ve had a few victories. The great news – Jesus did all the work for you, all you need to do is Fix Your Eyes on Him!

Thoughts?