The Ultimate Experience

I finished up today a series I entitled "The Ultimate Experience 238". Just 4 basic messages of conversion (Acts 2:37-39), Man's need for Salvation, What it means to Repent of your sins, Identifying ourselves with Christ in Water Baptism, and the idea of If you have believed, you might as well Recieve (Acts 19:1-6), Speaking of the Baptism of The Holy Spirit. It doesn't matter what your background is, denominational persuasion or lack thereof, everyone should have the Ultimate Experience in their life!

The Richest Man Who Ever Lived

Those of you who know me, know that I am an advid reader. I have always had the philosphy that "Readers are Leaders". I never used to like reading as a teenager but in 1988 my friend David Finch handed me a book entitled "The Fourth Dimension by David Yonggi Cho, and then I was hooked. The more you read the more wisdom you recieved, the more increase comes into your life.
My son Grayson and I was gone this week ministering in 2 local churches in Ohio & on family business (trying to sell a house we have in Ohio). I never leave home without a book, and this week I took this one, The Richest Man Who Ever Lived by Steven K. Scott.

Here is the book description: In this short, powerful book, multimillionaire and bestselling author Steven K. Scott reveals King Solomon’s breakthrough strategies to achieve a life of financial success and personal fulfillment.

Steve Scott flunked out of every job he held in his first six years after college. He couldn’t succeed no matter how hard he tried. Then Dr. Gary Smalley challenged him to study the book of Proverbs, promising that in doing so he would achieve greater success and happiness than he had ever known. That promise came true, making Scott a millionaire many times over.

In The Richest Man Who Ever Lived, Scott reveals Solomon’s key for winning every race, explains how to resolve conflicts and turn enemies into allies, and discloses the five qualities essential to becoming a valued and admired person at work and in your personal life. Scott illustrates each of Solomon’s insights and strategies with anecdotes about his personal successes and failures, as well as those of such extraordinary people as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, and Steven Spielberg.

At once inspiring and instructive, THE RICHEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED weaves the timeless truths of one of our greatest works of literature into a detailed roadmap for successful living today.

Be sure to order it today or stop in the Bible Bookstore at Love and Truth Church and have them order it for you!

Because He Lives

I woke up at 5:30 AM this morning and I am getting ready to walk out the door to go and celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ with other believers from Adamsville at First Baptist Church for our annual Easter Sunrise service. This song came to mind as I was getting ready. Thank God He is Alive!

Because He Lives

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal, and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a newborn baby,
And feel the pride and joy he gives.
But greater still the calm assurance,
This child can face uncertain days because He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day I'll cross the river,
I'll fight life's final war with pain.
And then as death gives way to victory,
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.
Because He lives, All fear is gone!
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living just because He lives! ~ William and Gloria Gaither ~

Great Quote

Success is failure turned inside out, The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.

And you never can tell how close you are; it maybe near when it seems so far.

So stick to the fight when your hardest hit;

It's when things seem worse that you must not Quit. -Unknown

Takin' It to the Streets

I really like this song written by Michael McDonald and sung by the Doobie Brothers back in the 70's. On a spiritual note, It reminds me of how important it is for us as believers to take the message of the Gospel (The good news) to our sphere of influence. Whatever street that is.(Matthew 28:19-20) My street is here in Southwest Tennessee. I want to do everything I can to Take it to the streets!

You don't know me but I'm your brother
I was raised here in this living hell
You don't know my kind in your world
Fairly soon the time will tell
You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see

Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets

Take this message to my brother
You will find him everywhere
Wherever people live together
Tied in poverty's despair
You, telling me the things you're gonna do for me
I ain't blind and I don't like what I think I see

Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets
Takin' it to the streets

Stations of the Cross

Thomas a Kempis once said, "If you cannot contemplate high and heavenly things, take refuge in the Passion of Christ, and love to dwell within hi Sacred Wounds. For if you devoutly seek the Wounds of Jesus and the precious marks of his Passion, you will find great strength in all troubles."
In the mornings I have been reading The Sacred Way by Tony Jones. It focuses on Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life.
From the earliest days of the church, Christians have journeyed to Jerusalem to retrace the path Jesus took as he carried his cross from Pilates house to Golgotha. According to tradition, this path, which has become known as the Via Dolorosa (the way of sorrow) and the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross). Although it is a Roman Catholic tradition, I find myself intrigued by the Stations. It gives us a 'point of contact" that causes us to reflect & contemplate on what Jesus did for our salvation. As a protestant, If you can overlook the "Hail Mary" I encourage you in your journey throughout this week to Pray the Stations of the Cross. This Way of the Cross traces the journey taken by Jesus on the last day of his earthly life. Over the 15 stations, you will travel with Jesus from the moment he was condemned to death to the victorious moment of his of his resurrection. This path has been walked by millions of Christians over 2,000 years. May God bless you on your journey.

The Best Movie I have seen this Year

I just watched the movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. Simply powerful, thought provoking, and exciting. We all sat down as a family and watched it together and were moved by its message of Good over evil. We were moved to tears and joy. It was great watching my sons Christian & Grayson respond to the excitement of the story.

C.S. Lewis's classic novel The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe tells the story of the four Pevensie children, Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan, and their adventures in the mystical world of Narnia. Sent to the British countryside for their own safety during the blitz of World War II, they discover an entryway into a mystical world through an old wardrobe. Narnia is inhabited by mythical, anthropomorphic creatures suffering under the hundred-year rule of the cruel White Witch (Tilda Swinton, in a standout role). The arrival of the children gives the creatures of Narnia hope for liberation, and all are dragged into the inevitable conflict between evil (the Witch) and good (Aslan the Lion, the Messiah figure, regally voiced by Liam Neeson).

Narnia is, of course, a Christian allegory and the symbology is definitely there (as it should be, otherwise it wouldn't be the story Lewis wrote)

I can't recommend this highly enough. Watch it once, watch it twice, watch it three times.....and read the book too.

Buy it now!

Make Today A Masterpiece!

Teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of
wisdom. Psalm 90:12 NAS

John Wooden, UCLA's Hall of Fame basketball coach, says: "Too often we
get distracted by what's outside our control. The door to the past has
been shut and the key thrown away. And you can't do anything about
tomorrow; it is yet to come. However, tomorrow is determined by what you
do today. So make today a masterpiece." Two ingredients are necessary to
do that: decisions and the discipline to follow through. One is
worthless without the other. Time is an equal opportunity employer. But
how we treat time is not equal. For example, give a block of marble to
the average person and you end up with - a block of marble! But put it
into the hands of an expert sculptor and watch. First, he decides what
it's capable of becoming. Next he draws a plan. Then he practices the
disciplines of his craft until it's transformed into a masterpiece. How?
By recognising and releasing the potential within it.

Too many of us fail to acknowledge our lack of success as - poor
decision-making! We make choices, experience negative consequences and
keep wondering why we can't get ahead. Others know their choices are not
good for them, but make them anyway - like the alcoholic who keeps
drinking, or the person who engages in one bad relationship after
another. Nobody said good decisions come easy, but they're necessary to
success. That's why David writes, "Teach us to number our days, that we
may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Poetics of Sound 1954-1959

When I was in Starbucks a while back and I picked up a copy of Miles Davis new CD Poetics of Sound 1954-1959. Those who know me, know that I'm a huge fan of Jazz. I love the sounds of Smooth Jazz that includes The Rippingtons, Herbie Hancock, The Yellow Jackets, Eldar Djangirov, Brian Culbertson, and Chris Botti, etc.... But the old stuff really has does something to me in the last few years, such as Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, John Cultrane, and the incredible Miles Davis, The King of Cool, when it comes to Jazz. Poetics Of Sound, Is an Opus Collection that focuses on the music Miles made from 1954 to 1959. Perforating the atmosphere in cool bursts, the sound of his trumpet is still unmistakable. It was a musical voice that spoke volumes with a poetic economy of notes and an understated grace. Simply put, he changed the way we listen. Buy your copy today, sit down & take a chill, and let Poetics of Sound resound on your CD player.

A Thousand Words....

A picture is worth a thousand words. This photo says it all. Serenity, Peace, vision, etc... My brother-in-Law Stephen snapped this photo while we were in Florida from the balcony of He & Michele's most incredible home called Bella Vista on Bonita Beach, between Naples & Ft. Myers. Again, it was a wonderful refreshing time being down there. I look forward to going down again very soon. I think I want to go back down and finish my new book.

Publish Your Book on Amazon

When I first self published my book in 2004, Divine Strategies for Success, I immediately found out how to put it on Amazon.com. Since then I have consistently sold my book on Amazon. Amazon.com is a great avenue for those who are self published. It gives great exposure & distribution. If you have read my book and have not left a great comment on Amazon please do so by clicking this link. I’ve had numerous requests from people how to get their self-published material on Amazon. It’s no secret, but here is what I have learned in the last few years about how to get your book, CD or DVD listed on Amazon. It is from Kevin Kelly's cool tools. If this intetsts you, check it out.

Opening Day in Cincinnati

Well it is that time of year again....Baseball season. And in the Yanok home, we love that! For the second year in a row now I have had the privilege of taking my two sons Christian & Grayson for opening day of the Cincinnati Reds. My good friend Paul Rich has been a huge blessing by inviting us. I believe he, myself, and Todd Lambert are the only Reds Fans in Hardin County. :-) Anyway, It was a great time...BUT it was FREEZING. I have been in Tennessee so long I think I forgot was Cold was. The outcome of the game wasn't what we wanted, but hey, it is the first game. The Cubs beat the Reds 16-7. It was just a game of errors & bad pitching. The cool thing was that our President, George W. Bush threw out the first pitch. So it was a historical moment for the kids to be able to see "The President". Overall, he received a wonderful applause and reception, but there were a few morons behind us making rude comments and booing, and being very disrespectful towards the leader of our nation. But there are those everywhere. Other than it being cold, and the Reds losing, it is still baseball and you've got to love it! Baseball Fever is here! GO REDS!