December Newsletter
Thankful Hearts
This month at The Place we have focused on “Thankful Hearts” of the Bible. We are taking a look at a few people in various situations that were thankful for what they either had in the past, in the present or the promise of what they were going to receive in the future. While I was studying this past week I ran across a portion of scripture that I thought was rather interesting.
The Israelites had been slaves to Egypt. They witnessed the power of God through the 10 plagues. Their prayers of freedom were answered when Moses led them out of Egypt. They were led by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. They walked through a parted Sea on dry ground and walls of water to their left and right. They were eyewitnesses to that same Sea crashing down on Pharaoh and his army. Drank water…FROM A ROCK!!!! They built the Ark of the Covenant with their own hands. Witnessed the start of the tabernacle.
These people were spectators to some of the most amazing things that God has ever done. God had provided them with everything they had ever NEEDED. I capitalize the word NEEDED because that is what they were provided with most of the time. In the world we live in we have a lot of “things” or “stuff.” And oftentimes we want more. Sometimes we yearn for more. That is basically what the Israelites started to do. True they were stuck wandering in the wilderness, but they had what they NEEDED. God would send Manna (bread from heaven) on a daily basis to feed His people.
Numbers 11:4
And again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat!”
The Israelites were being blessed with the food of Angels (Psalm 78:25). But they were crying about wanting meat! It is easy to look at their circumstance and shake our heads. But too often we get the poor me syndrome ourselves. We (includes me) start taking for granted the gifts God gives us and we want something else!
In this case God gave these people what they wanted! They cried for meat and He sent it!
Numbers 11:18b-20a
The Lord heard when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month-until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it.
They definitely did not have Thankful Hearts! These people had selfish wants and God answered their prayers! He gave them what they wanted and they vomited meat out of their noses!
This Thanksgiving take some time to look around at your blessings. Have a Thankful Heart towards God and give thanks in all circumstances. And don’t eat so much turkey on Thursday that you vomit it out of your nose!
Glenn Dillon & The Leaders @ The Place
Follow the Leader
“God is a Creator, not a duplicator.” -Francis Chan
I have worked with teenagers since I was eighteen years old, and for the past twelve years I have noticed one thing over and over again. Teenagers have a tendency to follow the wrong things. It never fails…every group, clique, pose’, tribe, pack or whatever else you want to call it has a leader. The head honcho, the captain, the chief, the boss, the person that calls all the shots. Typically the leader of the group is the prettiest, smartest, most athletic, meanest, nicest or funniest person in the group. All others…follow their lead! Unfortunately too many times I have watched these groups follow the leader into trouble or problems they shouldn’t be getting into. Often times they lead them right out the church doors, and they never return.
In the book of Matthew; Jesus was talking to His disciples about the unbelieving “RELIGIOUS” people of that time…The Pharisees. In chapter 15 verse 14 Jesus says: “Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” You see since the beginning of time people have been playing that childhood game of follow the leader. The problem is time and time again people are leading others into unhappiness, trouble, destruction, humiliation and many other issues.
Take a look at your life…is the person you are following…following Christ??? If they aren’t, you are following a blind guide…and you yourself are blind!!!
Place your focus on Christ…allow Him to be your guide! The Bible is a lamp to your feet and a light for your path (Psalm 119:105). Allow it to guide you!
Stop worrying about what others say or think about you and focus on what God says and thinks about you!
Jeremiah 29:11-14A
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord.
Follow Him!!!
Glenn Dillon & The Leaders @ The Place
Your Father Has Written A Story For You!
Recently I have been writing a lot. When Holly and I found out that we were having a baby (a precious little girl we are naming Stella Ann) I began writing in a journal. This journal is “her” journal. I am going to keep writing in this journal and probably a few more journals until a special time in her life when I feel it is the right time to give them to her. I have a few writings that my grandpa wrote and since his passing in 2005 it is always good to go back and read them from time to time. So naturally when I found out our little Stella was on the way I wanted to write…to her…and tell her everything that I can so she knows how much of a blessing she is to Holly and I and just how much we love her.
Then this morning it hit me. God the Father has written a journal for us and about us. The scripture was written by human hands but it was spoken and inspired by my Daddy’s voice! His stories are real and unique. They are intriguing and inspiring. They will make you laugh and make you cry. They will make you shout for joy and be still in awe.
As a kid I struggled with my identity and a lot of that reflected on the fact that I had a father that decided the beaches ofFloridawere more important than his three sons. I always wondered why he never took the time to care and get to know his kids. Then one day I realized that my FATHER had been with me all along. He knew me in the womb; He has each hair on my head tallied up. He can count all the breaths of my life. He is writing my story! He allowed me to go through some rough things and He has brought me out and blessed me with an amazing dad that I don’t share a DNA with, but something deeper. And now He is giving me the opportunity to be a father!
In the pages of scripture God has written a story that has the power to reach each of us in different ways. The rich, the poor, the loved, the hated, the young, the old, the sinner and the saint. It can change your perspective on life; all you have to do is read it.
My prayer is that through a relationship with my daughter she will know beyond a shadow of doubt that her daddy loves her. And through these journals when I am dead and gone she can look back and hear my voice as she reads. Even more importantly, I pray that she becomes a child of God at an early age and can ALWAYS hear HIS voice whispering to her and guiding her all the days of her life!
Psalm 139:16-18
Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
Glenn Dillon & The Leaders @ The Place
September Newsletter
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Full Life
When people get saved most of them get saved for the end product = HEAVEN. A lot of times salvation comes from a fear of HELL. A massive part of the Christian life is being missed…RIGHT NOW! Don’t get me wrong, being saved from HELL is significant!!! And having the promise of HEAVEN is outstanding!!! But what about when Jesus said: “I came to give life-life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10b NCV) He isn’t talking about when we die! He is talking about RIGHT NOW!!! He is giving you an abundant, full, jam-packed life with HIM!!! He doesn’t promise us riches or happiness. In fact He tells us that the world will HATE US because it first hated Him (John 15:18). He promises us a life FULL of HIM!
He is with us every second of every hour of every day…and night. He listens to our prayers, He knows our hearts, and He is constantly talking to us and guiding our paths. Elijah was watching and listening for God in 1 Kings 19 when wind, earthquakes and fire came bursting upon the scene. What if Elijah would have thought that this was God speaking and he jumped into action and began working for God. If that were the case Elijah would have missed the “still small voice” of God speaking to him! There was a reason that Jesus often went to a quiet place to pray…it’s because He wanted to hear that “still small voice” from His Father! Don’t let life get in the way…the busyness the craziness and the noise…spend time with God and listen for Him to speak!
That is what salvation is…A LIFE FULL OF A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS HIMSELF!!!
If all salvation is to you is getting to go to heaven when you die…you are missing the boat…start living a FULL life TODAY!!!
Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place
Never Passed This Way Before
“You have not passed this way before.” Joshua 3:4
What an amazing verse. This verse can apply to a lot of life’s situations. As a Christian in today’s world it’s hard to stick with “TRADITION.” Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever…but that doesn’t mean you could fit His life and everything about Him into a neat little box…people believe certain things…and they think that is all there is to being a Christian.
Growing up I was always taught to live a “good Christian life.” I was taught to be in church EVERYTIME the doors were open, read my Bible every day, ask forgiveness of my sins daily…
But…now as an adult I see that’s ALL WRONG!
I can’t live up to God’s expectations…God only accepts perfection…through my own power…I will never be perfect! Only through dying to myself and surrendering to God and allowing Jesus to live His life through me can I reach perfection!
I’m positive that I’m gonna have a lot of “You have not passed this way before” moments in my lifetime…Lord give me the wisdom to know that the “TRADITIONAL” way isn’t always Your way!
TRADITION = this is how we’ve always done it!
Jesus didn’t do TRADITION!!!
Jesus did what His Father directed Him to do…REGARDLESS of what anyone else said, felt, thought, or believed! Shouldn’t we too?
Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place
Burst Through the Doors!
“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
A story is told of Tad Lincoln bursting through doors into his father Abrahams office during a cabinet meeting…in the middle of the Civil War…the men were probably agitated at this young boy and his cries of a turkey “Jack,” his friend being killed for Christmas dinner. Tad pleaded his case openly and sincerely to his father…he didn’t care what everyone else thought…he wanted his request known to his father. And Abraham in the midst of one of the most turbulent times in American history…put everything to the side…dropped his papers…picked up his son and listened to his every word…and took care of the request!
It is unbelievable that I can approach the God of the universe in the same way Tad approached his father, the President of the United States…he didn’t need permission or approval…he simply had to open the doors…and make his request known.
Prayer is the same exact thing…anytime, anywhere I can approach God with my requests…He just like Abraham will drop EVERYTHING to listen to my every word and pull me to Him and as Zephaniah 3:17 says: He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place
…Waiting…
Scars
I have a lot of scars…I have scars from dog bites, bike wrecks, football games, punching garbage bags with glass in them (I was 4), falling out of trees and many…many other ridiculous circumstances where I’ve hurt myself. Physically I’ve gained a lot of scars. But emotionally I have scars too. I have those moments in my life where I have been let down or hurt. All of these times serve as reminders of how “unfair” life can be. Often I am reminded of these scars and the deep cuts they have left. Many people…scratch that…ALL people have some kind of emotional scars that they deal with. Whether it’s the abandonment of a parent, physical or verbal abuse, strained relationships, or wrong decisions we all bear some kind of scars. And if we aren’t careful we allow these scars to define us…we can use them as excuses or as crutches for shallow reasons as to why we are the way we are.
BUT…the Bible tells us about some scars that reach farther and cut deeper than our own. The scars of Jesus know our pain! They were put there to give us an opportunity for a new identity and a new future! If we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, His scars have replaced ours!!! One day because of His scars we will be given a new body that will be unblemished and perfect!
Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place
