In the beginning of the first chapter of the book of James, we discover one of the primary reasons we face challenges in life and how we are to respond to these challenges. James makes it very clear challenges, both good and bad, play an important role in who we become along life's journey. As Miley Cyrus sang in her debut on the big screen life is about "The Climb".

James 1:2-5
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him."

Now that we have read the above verses let's make some sense of them and how they apply to our lives today.

First understand what James is not saying. James is not declaring we should enjoy pain and suffering. He is not encouraging us to rejoice in our discomfort or to take pleasure in pain. Rather, he is exhorting us to be glad in our present sufferings because of the strength we will gain through overcoming this challenge as we rely completely on the resurrection power of Jesus Christ that lives within us. Trials provide an incredible backdrop for God to paint a beautiful picture with our lives. James reminds us, in these times, we develop the perseverance necessary to live the lives we were designed to live and to become the people we were created to become.

Trials are clearly designed to stretch us. They happen along life's journey to increase our dependance on God and to deepin our faith in Him. Trials, both good or bad, are designed to move us into a mature faith. God has a plan and a purpose for our lives. He knows what we can and cannot handle. His has promised to never give us more than we can handle. He is never late; nor is He ever early. He is always on time providing us with what we need to become better instead of bitter as we grow through our trials.

The story of a little boy and his butterfly reminds me of pain and its place in our lives.

A little boy captured a caterpillar and placed it in an old mayonnaise jar. He fed the caterpillar. One day the caterpillar formed a protection shield referred to as a cacoon. The boy frequently checked on the cacoon. Soon he noticed what had once been a caterpillar was now struggling to force itself out of a little tiny opening of the cacoon. Wanting to help the little creature the boy took a razor blade and slightly cut the opening enabling the little creature to emerge. However, it did not look like a beautiful butterfly. Instead it looked like deformed insect. The boy did all he could to nurse it to good health but to no avail. After the deformed butterfly died the boy researched and discovered the caterpillar must go through the struggle in the cacoon in order to become the butterfly it was created to become. The struggle inside the cacoon was necessary for metamorphosis to take place. Without this process called metamorphosis the butterfly will never become a butterfly.

Struggle is necessary in life for us to become who we were created to become. James reminds us of this in these early verses of his first chapter. We also see in verse five how we are to respond. James commands us to pray for wisdom.

A pastor once went to visit a lady in his congregation who was very sick with cancer. While visiting he said, "I have been praying for you." Quickly the lady asked, "how have you been praying." The pastor was taken back a little and then he replied, "I asked God to take away your sickess and pain." The lady replied, "Oh Pastor, please pray I would not miss what God has for me in this time."

Wow, what a lesson for me!

I am not sure where you are in this journey we call life but I do know based on the authority of God's word, you are not alone! God is with you and He will give you what you need to grow through your current circumstances. Pray for wisdom and believe in the One who gives is freely.

Many leaders have rightly declared, "Change is inevitable but growth is optional." Change happens around us on a consistent basis: change in the world, our country, out city, our town, our church, our home and even in us. Much of this change happens without our contribution. It just happens! However, growth is intentional. If we are going to grow to maximize our potential in this ever ever changing journey we call life it must be intentional. We need to develop a plan. John Maxwell once wrote, "If we are failing to plan, we are planning to fail." Life is too short and too precious to miss becoming the person we were created to be. We must start our personal growth journey today.

You might be thinking, "Developing a plan to grow sounds great. I would love to become all I was created to become. But, you do not know me or the mess I have made of my life. You do not understand my circumstances or my life's situation."

You are right in your thinking. I have no idea where you are in this journey we call life. However, I do know, you do not have to be great to start but you do have to start to become great. If you are ready to experience personal growth on a whole new level positioning yourself to become the person you were created to be then the time to start is now!

In the following outline, I am going to share with you my personal growth plan. My prayer is you will use it or adapt it to make it your own.

G.R.O.W. will serve as the outline for the peronal growth plan:

1. Get up to God daily. Read Mark 1:35, Joshua 1:5 and Psalm 5:1-5

If we are to grow and become the person we were created to become we must spend time with God.     There is no substitute for this step. We must discipline ourselves daily to spend time with the One who can truly change us from the inside out. Remember, God did not make us because He needed us. He made us because He desired fellowship with us. This special relationship was made possible through faith in Jesus and His finished work at the cross. If we want to grow in this relationship we must spend daily time with God in prayer and through the study of His Word-the Bible.

2. Read and listen to positive material. Read Philippians 4:8

The apostle Paul exhorted the Church in Philippi and the Scripture exhorts us to think on things that are positive. Compelling research reveals the average American reads less than one book a year. The same research reveals, considering an average work week to be 40hrs, the average American spends 3 to 6 months in his car driving to and from places. Understand the above exhortation in light of the modern research, we would all do well to read and listen to positive material daily.

We live in a media driven world and are constantly being bombarded with messages from many competing voices. We must take heed of the command to the Roman Church in Romans 12:1-2 and renew our minds daily with positive material.

Let me encourage you to read in addition to your devotional time with the Lord at least 30 minutes a day in an area that interests you and in an area that will help you develop the God given gifts you possess. Let me also encourage you to add to your listening pleasure some Christian music and some motivational talks as you drive in your automobile from place to place.

3. Outreach is a must. Read Matthew 4:19, Acts 1:8, Ephesians 2:9-10, and Matthew 28:18-20

God saved us in Christ Jesus. Salvation is a gift. It cannot be earned. However, God did not save us to hoard this great message of redemtion. No, He has gifted us and called us to share it with as many people as possible in our circle of influence and through our local church.

Do what you can with God's help on a daily basis to represent Christ well to the world around you and to share God's love in real and practical ways. As God opens the door, share with your lips your testimony of how God has changed your life and how he can change the lives of those you share with.

Plug into the mission of your local church. Give freely of your time, energy and resources to help reach people!

4. Wellness. Read 1 Corinthians 6:19

Take care of your body, it is the temple of God! Statisticians tell us while America is one of the richest countries on planet earth it is among the most unhealthy. Below are a few tips to taking care of the temple.

A. Let me encourage you to workout regularly. To build and maintain a healthy body your workouts should include both cardiovascular and weight resistant training. However, you may want to consult a physician and/or a personal trainer before beginning a workout routine.

B. Let me encourage you to eat a well balanced food program. I do not like to use the word diet because it usually is something one does for a short while to lose weight. Often diets are unhealthy and people quickly revert back to old habits after reaching a certain goal. My recommendation is to plan to eat a well balanced food program for life. A certified nutritionist can help you develop a great strategy for your body.

C. If wellness is truly your goal, let me also encourage you to supplement correctly. The Journal of American Medical Association issued a statement in 2002 encouraging all "Adults should supplement with vitamins and minerals." It is a known fact our foods have less and less vitamins and minerals each year. Between the hormones that have been injected in the meats we eat, the overuse of our soil, and the various chemicals uses to make our fruits and vegetables market ready, our foods, even when we eat from a balanced food program, simply do not provide us with the vitamins, minerals and anitoxidants we need to gain and maintain optimal health. Let me encourage you to consult a certified nutrionist to help you discern which supplements will be most beneficial to you and your wellness goals. However, based on compelling research let me encourage you to use natural liquid supplements whenever possible. The rate of absorption is far greater with liquids and natural is always the best choice.

Daily, because of my humanity, I am reminded of my imperfections. Because of this, the other day I was thanking God for Jesus, who is my Substitute. Yes, Jesus is my Substitute. He is the Substitutionary Atonement for my sins and the sins of the world. Romans 3 clearly teaches we are all sinners and Romans 6 teaches because of our sin we deserve death. The Good News is God doesn't want us to suffer this death. Instead He desires a relationship with us. Romans 5 and 6 reminds us that God intervened and provided a Substitionary Atonement for the sins of those who would believe.

Jesus died in our place. 2 Corinthians 5:21 clearly states that Jesus took upon Himself what we rightly deserve. He has made atonement for our sins. He is our Substitute. God is better to us than we deserve. Thankfully He does not give us what we do deserve.

There is only one way for us to pay the price of sin on our own. We must be punished and placed in hell for all eternity. However, God provided another way for our sin to be paid for by sending His Son, Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus came to earth to pay for the price of our sins. Because He did this for us, we now have the opportunity to have our sins forgiven, relate to God personally and to spend all of eternity with Him in a real place called Heaven. To receive this great gift you must place your faith in Jesus Christ: His sinless life, sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection. You cannot save yourself. Like me, you need a substitute to take your place. The death of Jesus Christ is the substitutionary atonement.

God moved upon people in Lubbock as hundreds gave their heart to Him. Read the praise report here.

Join Team Impact and the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention in Lubbock, TX during Crossover - 2009. This is a strategic effort to impact the Lubbock area in the days prior to the SBTC annual meeting.

Be praying as Team Impact holds over 25 school assemblies and performs in the Lubbock Civic Center. If you are attending the SBTC Annual Meeting, please do your part to invite people to this life-changing event.

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Imagine you were invited to tour the Walmart facilities in Bentonville, AR. You had read the biography of Sam Walton and was amazed at his story. While walking through this guided tour, you see pictures of Sam Walton, you note the incredible precision of which everything runs, you meet some of Sam's sons and daughters, and you listen to the tour guide tell the story of how it all began.

The final stop is the place where it started, a small store in the middle of the town square. There are about 20 people in your group, and afterwards some of you go for coffee. You were so impressed by this success story, and how this man had a vision to bring goods to the consumer in the most efficient and cost effective way. Others in the group are marvelling at the intricate systems set in place; how a battery can be purchased in a Walmart in Florida, and the computer will automatically generate an inventory list for that particular store.Such intricate systems were made possible by the people working at Walmart and other places who provided the computers, the software, the trucks, the products, and everything else involved to make it possible for a person to purchase some batteries. 

Now imagine in the middle oft his conversation, a lone voice starts to doubt that Sam Walton ever existed. In an almost arrogant tone, this man declares that the systems that you saw with your very own eyes just happened to evolve over billions of years and that Walmart invented the name Sam Walton as a way to make them feel better about themselves. There is a good possibility that almost unanimously, everyone within the sound of this man's voice would look at him as if he were crazy.

In so many ways, this is what happens on a regular basis, when it comes to the debate between creation and evolution. There is no doubt that evolution exists to some extent in nature. All of us evolve mentally and physically. But that is evolution in the micro, not the macro. And while many in the scientific and atheistic communities will do their best to prove evolution, the proof will never come. Just like the proof of God's existence will not come until the great and terrible day of judgment. We cannot prove that God exists,we can only provide evidence that points to the existence of a Creator.

In 300 years, no one will be able to prove that Sam Walton existed. All that will remain as evidenceof his existence will be books, videos, pictures, stores, and perhaps relatives. In 300 years his stores may still be around or they may not. But the systems and principles that he put in practice will be the same systems and principles that many others will put into practice.

The debate will continue, butat the heart of this debate, I rarely hear a legitimate explanationfor the systems that God set in place and how these could have evolvedover time. For example, think of all of the processes involved for youand I to be able to eat a vegetable or a fruit. How did dirt come aboutand how did it know to cultivate a seed? And where did the seed comefrom? And how does a tiny seed break open underneath the dirt and climbupwards toward the sun, (that big orange ball of heat and light thathas been placed just far enough away from our planet to keep us warmbut not burn us) and drink in the rain (how did rain know to form inclouds and water the earth?), and then produce something that is edible. 

And how did we know to eatit? And when did we start eating this stuff? And when did our digestivesystem evolve, and the mouth and the teeth? 

I don't blame those who believe that there is no God. It's highly understandable. There is something in all of us that wants to believe that ultimately we are in control.The problem is there were systems set in place long before you and I got here on this planet and we are ruled by them. The law of gravity, seed time and harvest, the way our body operates, and so on. You and I had no say on any of this. But truthfully we have all benefited from these systems that were set in place, even those who refuse to believe in the One Who created them!

And the debate will rage on, sadly. And in the midst of those who refuse to believe, we will look on in incredulity, as those who might look at the lone voice who refused to believe that Sam Walton ever existed.  

After much hard work by many of our staff, we have launched the new team-impact.com. Our goal was to create a website that was both visually appealing as well as extremely useful for both our church relationships as well as the general public.

Be sure to check back often as new blog posts, videos, photos and gear will appear all the time. We'd love to hear what you think of the new site, so please email us and let us know!