What is our purpose? What is our position? Why do we attend church? Why are we Christians? What are the goals we have as individuals? What is the vision of the church? What are our goals as a community of believers? The answer to every one of these questions is PEOPLE. To be more specific, the answer is those lost and disenfranchised who need a loving touch from a caring God.

Everything we do as a group of believers should be focused on the lost. We train and teach and disciple our people; to give them the necessary tools to accomplish the task set before them. As many new faces start appearing in our congregation, this cycle will need to continue. I believe the miraculous things that God has done in our lives can start happening in the lives of these new believers. YOU play a pivotal role in God’s plan in Gardendale. Pray harder. Love deeper. Be Jesus to those who need it.

~ Pastor Todd

Have you ever felt like all your hard work is in vain? May be you have been praying and fasting about some specific situation and it appears, as if, nothing is happening. You exert all your energy; emotional, physical, and spiritual, and still no results. You are doing the right thing and nothing is happening, or at least nothing we can see.

I think of Noah. He worked for years without any apparent result; until one day his obedience and hard work paid off. DO NOT GIVE UP! PERSEVERE! Remember through faith and patience we obtain the promise. (Hebrews 6:12)

~ Pastor Todd

Christmas is a busy time of year. Shopping for presents, visiting friends and family, Christmas parties, and special Christmas programs are just some of the activities that surround Christmas. In the church, we are busy; prac-ticing our Christmas play, sponsoring the Christmas breakfast for 100 Oaks, collecting information on families that need help during this time of year, and helping everyone as much as we can. You get so busy sometimes you forget what this season is all about.

I think about the children of Israel who walked in the wilderness for forty years. They were busy, but they really did not make any progress. Never confuse motion with progress. Motion is the action or process of moving or being moved. Progress is forward or onward movement toward a destination. Do not get so busy this Christmas season that you forget what it is ALL about!

~ Pastor Todd

"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." John 6:66 (KJV)

Do not be surprised when people leave you. When you start to follow the Lord with all your heart, separation begins to occur in your life. People leave. Jesus experienced this and you will also. It is a shaking. Everything that can be shaken will be shaken, so that the things that cannot be shaken will re-main. This is trial by fire. The unnecessary is burned away while the precious is left purified. The people who stick with you through the fire are the ones God has blessed you with to help attain His purpose. They are your teammates.

The people who did not stay are like people who try out for the team. When the practices get tough or the commitment level too great they quit. Do not be angry at these people or sad for their depar-ture. If you would have needed them, God would have made sure they stayed. God equips us with every-thing we need. So celebrate those who stay with you even through the fire. They are a treasure indeed!

~ Pastor Todd

"…lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." Matthew 28:20

We as Christians are never truly alone. God is always with us. He sees what we go through. He sees how we respond to the problems we come across in our lives. He knows all our faults and, amazingly, loves us anyway. He truly is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.

In this life, no one is immune to persecution. You will have trials. During these times of trial, oftentimes we feel isolated. We feel all alone. We say, "No one knows what I am going through." We don’t want to be around anyone either. We feel no one understands. We cut off or limit communication with our friends and family. Oftentimes we even cut off communi-cation with God. This is crazy. God loves you! He has placed family and friends in your life to help you. When trials and tests come to our lives, we need to lean on God and lean on our friends and family.

Remember God is always with us. He has blessed us with a wonderful church family to help us along the way. Don’t let the devil isolate you. Reach out for help and you will receive it.

~ Pastor Todd

Today is a new day. There has never been a day like today. Some days are similar, but there are no two alike. God has given to us the gift of today. What are we doing with it? Are we wasting it? Do we take full advantage of the oppor-tunities God has supplied to us? What exactly are we doing? What we do with this wonderful gift is our own business; but the decisions we make today will affect our tomorrow.

Life is a series of steps. It is a sequence of events, none more important than any other. We walk out our lives one step at a time. Sometimes we make missteps or mistakes. If we do this for a long enough time, we get tremendously off course. We look around at our surroundings and ask God, "How did I get here?" It is easy. We have made bad decisions or bad steps in the yesterdays of our lives. This bad pattern we have followed caused us to become lost. It is our life and we are lost. (I find it interesting inside the church world we call people who have not accepted Jesus as their Lord —"lost peo-ple.") What can we do? We can begin to make the right steps, or decisions, and get back on course.

I like what Joshua says in Joshua 24:15: "...choose you this day whom ye will serve…" The only time you can make a decision for God is TODAY. All we have is RIGHT NOW. Make the right steps today so that you do not suffer the pain of regret in your future.

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way." Psalm 37:23

~Pastor Todd

One of the responsibilities of spiritual fathers and mothers is to provide an adequate environment for their children to grow. We like to call this environment a "hot house." It is not like the hot houses or greenhouses we grew up knowing. During the winter, plants can grow inside the greenhouse because they are in a "hot house" not exposed to the cold weather. We, as parents, should burn. We should be on fire for Jesus.

The Word should not be only what we teach, but what we live. For us, praying is not occasional; it is continual. Our children, both natural and spiritual, need us. They are looking for examples. The best way to have children that are "hot," on fire for Jesus, is to put them around other people burning for Jesus.

Revelation 3:16: "So because you are lukewarm—neither hot or cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Let’s build a "hot house" at Abundant Life.

—Pastor Todd

In the last several years of my life, I have found out something very interesting. God still answers prayers. He has not taken a vacation. He has not turned a deaf ear toward us. He still listens to His children. The apostle John in 1 John 5:14-15 says this:

‘Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything ac cording to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.’

I believe that we as a church body need to be praying more than ever. I believe James is right when he says that we do not have because we do not ask or we ask with the wrong motives (James 4:2). We need to take advantage of the opportunity set before us. I want to encourage you to pray. Set aside a certain time of the day and spend that time with God. Walk with a deeper relationship with the God who saved you. Learn about Him by the time you spend with Him as well as the Bible He left for us. Pray, pray, pray……

-Pastor Todd

Well, it’s June and that means Father’s day is upon us. This event has special meaning to me this year as a soon to be father. I find myself filled with excitement, nervousness, anticipation, and a number of other emotions. Most of all, I am eager to fulfill the call that I believe God has issued to the men of today. However, you do not have to be a birth father to answer this call.

This call is to be fathers to a generation of children who are fatherless. One of the worst epidemics in the U.S. is the number of children raised in fatherless homes. Check out some of the statistics below based on a survey in the late 1990’s:

 2 out of every 5 children in America do not live with their fathers.

 63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes.

 85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home.

 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.

 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes.

Although those statistics are shocking, I have good news. GOD HAS PROVIDED AN ANSWER. That answer is YOU! The Bible tell us in James 1:27, "Pure religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." The widows and orphans of the 21st century are the single mothers and fatherless children. It is the responsibility of the church, predominantly the men of the church, to stand in the gap for this generation. We need to love them, help them, spend time with them, and teach them. They need to know the importance of serving God, reading God’s Word, spending time in prayer, and helping others.

The last statement in the Old Testament is in Malachi 4:5-6, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of children to their fathers." I believe we are in that day. God is calling TRUE fathers to rise up and turn their hearts to the generation behind them. I encourage all men to answer this call and begin to lead this fatherless generation by example. Happy Father’s Day to all of our men and God Bless You!!!

—-Jay Arnold

Motivation is why we do what we do. It is not our purpose, but why we are trying to accomplish what we are trying to accomplish. So as Christians, why do we do what we do; or what is our MOTIVATION?

The motivation of a Christian’s life should be love. I like to think of love as having three parts. The first part of love is that God loved us. The love of God is the central theme throughout the Bible. God did love us first. Before we were ever born God sent His Son to die for our sins (John 3:16). His undying love is the most amazing thing I have ever experienced.

Because of His great love, I can love Him. This is the second part of love. Everything I do comes from a radical, crazy love for God. Loving God is the greatest thing you can do in life. Out of love for God, we are truly motivated to fulfill the plans of the Father.

The third part of love is a love for one another. How can you say you love God when you don’t have love for your brother? It is impossible (1 John 4:17-21). God loves me. I love God. I love Jesus. I love the Holy Spirit. Out of this love comes the ability to love my neighbor as myself.

I believe God is leading us to become the real church. We need to be involved in our community. We need to take care of widows and orphans. I am not satisfied with the status quo. I believe God is definitely calling us up to a higher level. We are supposed to be an Acts 2 church. It is definitely going to take a greater effort than what we are doing now.

I certainly am hearing that we need to be praying and fasting more. The times of intimacy where we are in the presence of God need to increase. I think that this should be a time with just you and God, not corporate prayer. I believe as Jesus spent time with God, He was preparing Himself for His given assignments. So we should do the same.

The greatest experiences we have in worship, praise, prayer, or just being in His presence should not be when we are at church or conference, but in our own private times. I do not discount corporate anointings, but I am afraid that some people experience something in service they do not experience at home. Because of the increased effort, I believe the harvest will be great. I am committed to live my life radically. I purpose to be a true light.

Matthew 16:15-18

15) He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16) And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17) And Jesus answered and said unto him, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18) And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

Many times in our life we are praying for the Lord to move on our behalf.  If we are having a financial problem, we ask God to send us more money.  If we are having relationship problems, we ask God to fix the other person.  If we are struggling in our ministry, we ask God for more anointing and the list could go on and on.   All these problems are real and they have one answer: JESUS.   Jesus Christ is the answer to every problem.  

Notice in the 17th verse the word "revealed".  It is a form of the word "revelation".   Jesus told Peter that he was blessed because God "revealed" Jesus unto him.   Jesus said, "Upon this rock I will build my church".   Jesus is saying that upon revealed knowledge of himself will the church be built.   Revelation knowledge of Jesus will build a church that the gates of hell cannot prevail against.

We ought to change our prayers from asking the Lord to solve this problem or that problem to asking the Lord for revelation knowledge of Jesus.   Jesus is everything you need.  If you are sick; Jesus is your healer.  If you are in debt; Jesus is your banker.  If you are in stress; Jesus is your rest.   1 Peter tells us that the more knowledge of Jesus, the more grace (unmerited favor) and peace is multiplied unto us. 

The greater the revelation of Jesus, the greater the grace (unmerited favor) flows in your life.   The greater the revelation, the greater the results in your life.  We are all in the same position IN Christ.  We are all on the same level of righteousness thru the Blood of Jesus.   Jesus loves all of us the same, but there are different levels of revealed knowledge of God's love toward us.  If you remember, Jesus had 72 disciples.   Out of the 72 there were 12 that had a greater revelation of Him.  Out of the 12 there were 3; Peter, James, and John.   These 3 guys saw more and experienced more than the others.  It wasn't because they worked harder for the grace (unmerited favor), it was because that had more revelation of Jesus.  Even out of the 3, there was 1 named John who laid his head on Jesus' chest and could hear the very heartbeat of God in the flesh.   John is the one that wrote the book of Revelation.  John referred to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved". 

Read the four Gospels and pay attention to Jesus' response to everything.   If it was sickness, Jesus cured it; if it was lack, Jesus caused prosperity; if it was sin, Jesus imparted forgiveness.   Not one time, did Jesus come up to a perfectly well man and put sickness on them to teach them a lesson.   Not one time, did Jesus cause poverty.  From Genesis thru Revelation, you can find Jesus.   The Old Testament is Christ concealed and the New Testament is Christ revealed.  Desire more of Jesus. Ask the Father to give you the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation in the knowledge of Jesus.  It will come.  God will cause revelation to rise up in you.  You will begin to see Jesus in a greater way than you have before.  You will find out that you will rise above the crisis and rest in Jesus. 

-  Josh

Ephesians 2: 4-6

4) But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

We have an awesome God who is rich in mercy and loves us so much that he raised us up together with Jesus and made us sit with Jesus in heavenly places.   We need to believe what the Bible has to say about us.  In the mind of God Almighty, we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  This Eternal Truth has been made possible by the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus took sin, sickness, poverty, lack and the very curse of the law on himself.  Jesus became the curse for us.  He bore the curse, the results of the curse, and the punishment that we deserved.  Jesus did this because He loves us.  News Flash, God is not angry at you, nor is he upset with you.  If He caused us to sit in heavenly places, then he cannot be mad at us at the same time.  I don't understand all of it, but I believe it.   We don't have to understand everything Jesus has done for us, but we can believe it.  It's hard to understand that God is not angry at us, but the Bible tells us in Romans that God is not counting up nor holding against us our trespasses.  The reason He doesn't hold anything against us is because the Blood of Jesus has set us free from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13). The cross of Jesus is a "finished work".  Jesus sat down at the right hand of God because His work is finished.  According to the Word of God, when Christ sat down, we sat down too.  We are in Christ Jesus.  

You might be thinking to yourself, "That's good, but how will this help me here on Earth?".  If we get the revelation of these awesome Truths, it will cause us to triumph over every single area in our lives while we are on the Earth.  To "sit down" means to REST.  Rest in Jesus and what he has done for you.  There is a Rest for those who believe on Jesus.  So many think that we will be able to rest when we get to Heaven.  Thank God for Heaven, I am going, but according to the Word we have access to the REST right now!  We can Rest in what Jesus has done for us today!  We don't have to wait until we get to Heaven.   We can live in His Rest NOW!

During the crisis, during the storms of life, Rest in Jesus.  You may think that it is impossible to rest in every situation, but it is possible.  You can rest during every situation.  Even in the natural storms such as a hurricane, scientists tell us that in the eye of the hurricane, which is the center of the storm, there is a perfect calm.  There is a calm and a Peace that surpasses all understanding.  His name is Jesus and his peace is greater than the calm in the eye of a hurricane.  Jesus' Rest can hold you steady during tragic times.  If you learn to Rest in Jesus, it will be contagious.  People will notice something different about you.  You will stand out in the crowd.  People will wonder how you can be so calm when you hear bad news or when something doesn't seem to go your way at the moment.  It has nothing to do with your natural ability or personality.  It happens because you know that Jesus loves you and you know that you are seated with Him in Heavenly places.  The reason you can rest in your personal storm, is because 1) you are seated with Jesus in the Heavenly places, and 2) you know that Jesus can handle every situation you face.

If you take your spot in Christ Jesus and sit down to rest, you are free from worry, anxiety, stress, and fear.  I don't know about you, but I have tried stress and I do not like and do not want any more of it.  I will much rather take the REST instead of the stress.  Stress is a thief.  It steals peace, health, and many other things.  Rest produces peace, health, and causes you to rise above the problems in you life.  What about this? What about that? What if this happens or that happens?  Stop wondering about those questions; especially if it produces anxiety and stress.  Jesus said in Matthew's Gospel not to worry about tomorrow.  Rest in Jesus and He will take care of your problems.   

Say out loud (when you are alone), "Jesus loves me and I am seated in Heavenly places in Christ.  I am sitting and resting in Jesus".  Say this and think on these verses until they become real to you.   Trust in Jesus because He loves you and gave Himself for you.  Believe what His Word says about you.  Take your seat with Him and enjoy His Rest.  He will take care of everything else.

- Josh

Ephesians 1:3-6

3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

There are so many religions all over the world and so many "gods" that people serve.  Religions around the world tell their followers that they are to "do, do, do".  Some religions convince their followers that in order to inherit rewards in the afterlife, they must murder other people and be willing to die for their "god" at the same time.  It is a sad end for people who have given their lives for false gods and false religions.  However, it is a glorious end for those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!  Jesus is not a religion, He is a person.   He is not telling us to "do, do, do" in order to be blessed.  Jesus says, "It has been done, done, done!".  Our God isn't trying to convince us to die for Him, He died for us that we would have eternal Life.

The 6th verse of the 1st Chapter of Ephesians says that He (God thru Jesus) has made us accepted in the beloved.  We have been, past tense, accepted in the beloved.  The word "accepted" means highly favored.  You may say, well if I am highly favored why does everything seem to be going wrong in my life?  Just because it seems like everything is going wrong is no indication that God is not working on your behalf.  Just because a "storm is blowing" doesn't mean that Jesus isn't with you working things out on your behalf.

I'm reminded of the story of Jacob and his son Joseph.  Jacob was God's covenant man.  Jacob is the grandson of Abraham, which is our father of faith.   God blessed Abraham and The Blessing Abraham wore was passed on down to Jacob.  Jacob was supposed to prosper; it was his God given inheritance to be prosperous in the land.  However, a time came when Jacob lost his favorite son, Joseph.  Jacob loved Joseph more than anyone and Joseph's older brothers had a hand in him being sold into slavery.  Joseph's brothers lied to their father Jacob and told him that Joseph had been torn to pieces by a wild animal and is now dead.  In Jacob's mind, life was not worth living anymore.  Jacob said that he would go to his grave mourning Joseph.  No one could comfort him. 

In the process of time, a famine struck the land.  Not only has Jacob lost his son, but now his whole family is at stake.  The nation of Israel could waste away because there is no food.  These things are not supposed to happen to a man that has a covenant with God.  Surely Jacob was wondering what he must have done to be going thru all of these trials and tribulations.  I'm sure most of us have asked those same questions: Lord, are you there?  Don't you know what I'm going thru?  Are you going to help me?  The answers to these questions are YES.  Jesus is there, He does know what you are going thru, and He is going to help you.  God was with Jacob and was with Joseph and He is with you.  The whole time Jacob lost his son and they were going thru a famine, God was working behind the scenes setting Jacob and the nation of Israel up for a major, major breakthrough of prosperity.  God maneuvered Joseph to be running the nation of Egypt, which was the most powerful nation during that time.  God used Joseph to save multitudes of people.  God made a way for Jacob to be reunited with his son that he thought was lost and also for Jacob and Israel to walk right into Egypt and to live in the best of the land without even working for it.  Not only did God restore the broken relationships between Joseph and his brothers who hated him, but God also caused an abundance of wealth to be laid up for Jacob and His family.  I am sure that the times were difficult when everything seemed to be going wrong, and all hope was lost; but I am sure that the pain of that time did not compare to the glorious reunion they had with Joseph.  Think about it, Jacob's son became the second most powerful and prosperous man on the planet during that time. 

You might have things that seem to be lost, but Jesus can and restore what the enemy has stolen.  You might have lost investments, relationships, health, ministry, and a number of other things, but Jesus is a master of restoration.   Don't give up on Jesus and His Word.  Trust Him and let Him work on your behalf.  Thank God everyday that you have been accepted in the beloved.    Thank God that He is working on your behalf.  Learn to trust in Jesus, because He will not let you down.

- Josh

I recently finished reading the book "Radical" by David Platt.  I want to first say that this is a great book.  It will challenge any believer to change the way they think and the way they live.  I encourage you all to read it as soon as possible.  Our small group/Sunday school class are beginning a study on it this Sunday.  I want to share a little about the impact this has had on my life. 

The front of this book reads, "Taking back your Faith from the American Dream".  So what is the American dream?  Well, let's just throw a few things out there - big houses, fancy cars, nice clothes, expensive jewelry, high paying jobs, and the list could go on and on.  I am very familiar with the American Dream because I had chased it for most of my adult life.  I saw nice things and I wanted them, I met people with money/influence and I wanted to be like them, I thought that having those things would make me happy.  What I didn't realize is that most of the people I met who had those "things" were miserable. 

I would often wonder, "isn't there something more to life".  The answer is a resounding YES!  However, it didn't come in the package I thought it would.  Jesus told his disciples in Luke 14 - ²⁶"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.....³³In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.  WOW, those are some radical words and I wasn't ready to hear them.

I wanted Jesus to be a nice ending to a good week.  I wanted to sing, pray, serve, and be a Christian when it was convenient for me.  I wanted Jesus to help me out of the jams I got myself in but to sit on the sidelines the rest of the time but that is not how he works.  Once I decided to quit following my "American dream" and begin following the heart of God, my life changed. This book just reminded me of how much I had changed from the person I once was but more importantly it showed me how much more I must change to be the person God wants me to be. 

As Jesus stated in Luke, we must give up everything to be his disciples - yes, that includes the "American Dream". The question is are you (and I) willing to do that? My answer is yes and I hope yours is the same.  If so, hang on because the ride we are about to take is gonna be AWESOME!!!!