New Blog Location

Visit my new blog www.jeffstockdale.com

Change of Blog

I am moving my blog from blogspot to a new address...blogspot no longer allows me to post pictures! My new address is www.jeffstockdale.com

Purity and Grace Weekend

Looking forward to “Purity and Grace” weekend coming up January 29-30. This is going to be a wonderful retreat weekend specifically designed for young ladies! Look for details that will be coming out soon! Make sure you mark your calendar now, and ask off work well in advance! I am praying that you make this weekend a priority!

What a great week!

What an incredible week...

I am always amazed at how God works. This past week has been very fruitful as I have met some pretty amazing people! God has placed in my path several people who are feeling God’s call into ministry! It has always blown away at how God sends young men with calls on their life to be a part of my ministry! God is so faithful! My prayer today is that I would be faithful in teaching these young men! I am also looking for places to use these guys so please pray with me as I look for opportunities for these guys to do ministry!

I am also excited with two very special young ladies (missionaries) that God has placed in my life! Last night a joint mission project with Westside Baptist Church in Jacksonville took place at the Cleveland Arms Apartments. This exposure for our College Students will help us as we plan for a mission project of this magnitude closer to Hibernia Baptist Church. College Students, I am asking that you set the pace and lead! We have great opportunities for ministry very near our church! be praying and thinking about how God can use you!

A more excellent way

“A more excellent way...”

I am more convinced than ever that we have been placed here to love. The world in which we live is a crazy place, senseless things take place that no explanation other than sin can describe. If there where ever a time in history that love needs to be in the forefront, it is now! Recently I have been doing some soul searching. I have thought about my life, and the people that I have ministered to over the years. I must admit, many times it was hard for me to totally understand the unique call God placed on my life! I also must admit to my self and those I serve that have struggled recently. I have found my self looking for direction...praying for clarity...trying to understand God’s complete will for my life. This struggle has taken a toll on me because my focus has always been my ministry. Because of the struggle, I feel that I have missed some God ordained opportunities. I have realized in many ways I have been going through the motions. In reading Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, God revealed to me a more excellent way. I think that it is so funny how we read passages of scripture for many years and miss the point. God is reminding me as I am writing, that His word is always right on time and that this nugget of inspiration for me is now! Every movement of God has to first begin with God, then it moves into the lives of those who love Him and who are sold out for what He has called them to do! I know now more than ever that God has placed me at this place and point in my life for a reason! I am here to love! He wants me to completely love those who he has called me to serve! This past week, as I resolved to Love the students and people of Hibernia Baptist Church, God began a new work in my life! One that I am eagerly looking forward to the outcome of! I cannot wait to see what God is going to do with the students of Steadfast and Kaleo! I am overwhelmed with the possibilities. In other areas of my life I cannot wait to see how God is going to work in the life of my youngest daughter. She is such a precious young lady and I believe that God is doing a great work in her life, I believe that He is preparing her for a journey that is going to totally rock this world! I am here to love! I realize more than ever that I don’t know as much as I thought I did, that I have to stay clean and close. In getting close, I know that I love the leadership team of both of ministries that God has called me to serve and this morning as I write in Porto Alegre Brazil...many miles away from where God has called me to serve Paul’s words are reverberating through my soul...”Love is patient” I am resolving to be patient with the people that God has called me to serve...”Love is kind” I am resolving to be kind to everyone that I come into contact with. It has taken so many years for me to overcome the need to be a manly man. Who am I?...I have thought much about this question in regards to being kind. I know who I am; I am Hadley, Avery, Ben and sweet baby James’s grand daddy. They look or will look at me the way I want the world to look at me. They look at me with love, knowing that I would do anything in the world for them! They look at me with complete trust, knowing that I would never allow anyone to harm them...they look at me with amazement, no matter what cheesy thing that I may show them. They look at me with eyes of complete love. I have truly learned how to love through the precious gift of my grand children. I want to take this love they have taught me and apply it to those God has called me to minister to. I am making this resolution to love...to protect, trust, hope...to persevere...knowing that Love will never fail. We were placed on this tiny planet in this vast universe to love! I love you...who ever you are...reading this blog. I love my wife, my family, my church and all of those who God chooses to put in my path! Love truly is...the most excellent way! <><

How great is our God!

How Great is our God!

Overwhelmed I am sitting here thinking about how awesome our God is! “How great is our God...sing with me...” Think about it for a moment! What would happen if we as believers truly believed how great that He really is! Think about the spiritual awakening of Biblical proportions that would take place! I want so badly to be a part of a mighty move of God! I am asking God to do a work in the hearts and lives of students on Fleming Island Florida. I want to see my Jesus high and lifted up! How great is our God! He truly is, He is still able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever hope for or imagine! He is the King of Kings, always has been and always will be. We simply need to exercise our faith and believe! How great is our God...say it out loud to your self! Do you believe it? Don’t miss any opportunity today to share with those around you how awesome and great our God is! Don’t be one of the 90% that never share their faith! I love you all! <><

Walking with Jesus

Just a closer walk with thee…

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; (10) that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Colossians 1:9-10

I am finding, as I get older, my desire to be closer to Jesus increases every day! I want to be close to Him! I want to do the things that He wants me to do! I want my walk to be His walk! I have an overwhelming urgency to pray for people, to lift up the names of students before the Lord! I have a desire to share Christ with all that I come into contact with! Have you ever considered the cost of a closer walk? I have! I have decided that walking with Jesus is the only walk! It will cost you everything! Sometimes there will appear nothing to show for it! But the knowledge that your walk and life are pleasing the one who created you should excite you and knowing that your knowledge of God increases should also be a plus! Are you walking with Jesus today? An old pastor friend used to tell me all the time that if you are not meeting Satan every step of the way, you are probably going the same way he is! Walk with Jesus…it will change your life forever! I love you all! <><

Time

Time...Solomon said “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven.” Time, a resource that is scarce in the 21st century. Time is something that we cannot create more of, so we must make much of the time that we have! We are living life at a blistering pace...we have so much to do and so little time...so we are forced into the art of priority. Routine task have to be placed in an order of priority. Our daily balance of time has to be in place, we have to have some sort of routine or we wont accomplish the things that need to be accomplished. Prioritizing helps us to best utilize the time that God has given us. How do you plan your day? Are you including time for God in your daily plans. All disciples, or followers of Christ have to make spiritual development a major part of time we spend each day. What are you doing? Take some time to evaluate how you spend time with the Lord each day. How are you doing? Our daily routine must include time in Bible study. Someone asked me the the other day “How much time is enough time?” I believe that it is different for everyone. The point is that we must have some sort of systematic Bible study. We have to be in God’s word...the Bible is how God reveals His directions to us. We also need to spend time in prayer. We need the person to God communication. He wants to hear from us. We are to be anxious for nothing, but in everything we are to make our request of God. We are to make petitions (request) of God with a thankful heart. The God of the universe, loves you! If we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our hearts. Prayer and Bible Study have to be a part of our daily discipline. What else, what other things must we include. Fellowship with other believers is also an important element! Iron sharpens iron...we help each other when we get together and open up the Bible and share with each other. Publicly reading the Word and praying together the body! The body that I am speaking of is the body of Christ, believers make up the body! We are the Church so by spending time together we strengthen each other How are you spending your time? My prayer for you today is that you make time for God and the things of God. I love you all <><

Impossible

Billy Sunday said, "We have a God who delights in impossibilities." I love this quote! I like to think about impossibilities! Our God is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could hope for or imagine! The Word teaches us this! What impossibilities are you facing this week? You this morning can approach the throne of grace with confidence knowing that our God is able to overcome any challenge or obstacle! Give God control of your impossibilities this week. Cast your burdens on Him, He is able to shoulder what ever you may be facing! Our God, truly is an awesome God! I love you all! <><

To eternity and beyond

To eternity and beyond…

I just love the movie “Toy Story”. I am so stoked that it is going to be back in the theater again very soon and that they are also working on a Toy Story three. I am looking forward to seeing it with my grand daughter’s. Every time I watch the movie, I see something in the movie that I must have missed in previous viewings. Each time I watch the movie, it is almost like a different movie because of the new things and thoughts that i now see. The writers of the movie are very creative. I love how they develop the story line and the characters. I love all the characters, but I especially love Buzz! I love his slogan, his theme verse, “to infinity and beyond”.
I have often thought about that very statement. Even though I love the movie that statement is far from being accurate. We as humans cannot understand infinity. Some people like to think they understand infinity, but in reality we were created very finite. Only God is infinite! Our minds are not capable of infinite thoughts. We can only speculate!
So I decided to change the slogan a little! I sure hope that PIXAR forgives me, but since I cannot understand infinity, I looked for something that I can understand, eternity. Jesus says “For God so Loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him, will not parish, but have everlasting life. What is everlasting life? It is something that is eternal, something that last forever! I have been around this world for almost 50 years now. In my journey, I know of only one thing that is eternal. And that is a relationship with Jesus! Only God can offer eternal life. And that eternal life that I am speaking of only begins in a real relationship with His only Son! My prayer for you today is that your slogan also can be “to eternity and beyond…”

Personal Bible Study

When do you do your personal bible study?

• first thing in the morning
• later in the morning
• at lunch
• late afternoon
• before bed

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To know that you know

To know that you know…

In thinking about my life, one of the greatest things to happen to me is my salvation. It is easy for me to see this now! My life has truly been an adventure! In reflecting on my relationship with our creator, it is so easy for me to love Him with all my heart! I really do love Him, these are not words that I just say it is a life that I live. God has blessed me in so many ways. In the world and culture in which we live, it amazes me at the things that I hear coming out of Christians mouths! Sometimes we let circumstances dictate our current way of thinking. We tend to think of the here and now! When things are going bad in our lives it is so easy for us to throw in the spiritual towel and depend start depending on self! It happens all the time! We talk in spiritual speak about our faith, but when our faith is tested, to many times we deal only with what we can control. Can I tell you today that no matter what happens in the world, God is still God! He is large and in charge! He will always be God, He is not capable of being anything else! Nothing surprises Him! Malachi 3:6 says “For I, the Lord do not Change…”. He never changes! He is always God! In the changing world and culture we can take comfort knowing that the creator of the universe will not change! God is consistent and He always has your best interest at heart. He is God.
So today, just know that you know! Take courage and believe that God is exactly who He says He is! Always remember that He is capable of getting you through the tough times that you somehow find your way into I was reminded tonight by my niece, that if we delight our selves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. Are you able to see that God has a plan? And if you have an element of faith in your life, and believe that God truly is in control, you will know that He is a God that provides for us spiritually and physically. God’s plan for your life is all encompassing! He see’s the big picture and knows all of the trials you are dealing with. I personally believe that for every trial there is a lesson for me to learn. First, I am constantly reminded to depend on God. I must stay clean and close! I have to stay connected to the source. Second, I have to look for His plan for my life! Discernment is imperative here. God is never going to give you more of a load than you can bear. God is not going to ask you to do anything that contradicts His word! He is not going to call you to do anything that will bring questions to your testimony! Our God, truly is an awesome God! I cannot explain why God does all of the things He does, but I know that the God who was capability of creating the heavens and the earth, the God who before the foundations of the world was laid was thinking about me...I know that God is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than I could ever hope for or imagine! So what can you know today? You can know that God created you for a purpose...God wants you to connect to and wait on Him. He has a plan! I love you all! <><

What a friend we have in Jesus

“Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”

As a child I remember saying this little rhyme as other children would say things about me or my friends! As badly as I wanted it to be true, it never worked; words do hurt. I believe that words are one of the most powerful forces on the planet. The words that we say can hurt people. As Christians we need to think before we speak. We need to consider others. Jesus left us two commandments, to love God with all our hearts, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. In the church today we see and witness all kinds of strife and discord. As a believer, I have personally witnessed some of the hurtful things that people sometimes say in the body. This should never happen. God’s word is very clear on how we are to treat one another. He wants us to “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” We are to be like Jesus, because this is what God wants us to be like. Jesus in His earthly ministry never used words to hurt anyone. We should not use words to heart the people that we come into contact with. Proverbs 16:27 says “A worthless man digs up evil, while his words are as a scorching fire.” We need to think about the words that we say to others, they do hurt; they do have an impact on others. So today think about the words that you use when you come into contact with people that you may not see eye to eye with. Think about how Jesus would deal with these individuals. After you have thought about how Jesus would react, imitate Him. <><

a matter of perspective

Many times in my ministry I have heard parents make statements like “we did not raise our children to be that way”. I have often agreed with mom and dad as they sat in my office dealing with major issues or a crisis with their child all the while trying to understand where they went wrong. In thinking about this generation of students and often knowing the unreal expectations that parents sometimes put on teens it is no wonder and very understandable that youth may rebel against the things of God! So many times with parents, they turn to God and the Church when they cannot deal with the problems any longer! When conventional worldly reasoning doesn’t work parents throw up their hands and and cry “mercy” to God. In any cases the problems could have been avoided if the parents truly raised their kids in the ways of the Lord. Most of the problems I deal with are because of a relaxed attitude that families have towards the things of God. Parents fail or refuse to see the warning signs that lead to problems until sometimes it is to late! Problems like disrespect! Disrespect tolerated leads to other problems. Our (believing) children are supposed to honor us! This is a concept that teens have a grasp on. They (for the most part) understand the application of authority and order in their lives and are capable of being respectful. Disrespect does not equal honor. If a child cannot honor his/her earthy parents, there is no way they can honor their heavenly father. So early on, when you experience problems you have to deal with them immediately! Parents should help their children develop a biblical worldview which includes respect for the authority in their lives. Parents also early on need to foster and help their children understand the importance of a strong relationship with Jesus and the things of God. For parents this means things like sports and activities have to take the backseat to the things of God! Don’t get me wrong, I do not think that there is anything wrong with sports or activities but I believe that things of God must come first! In most cases, students who are heavily involved in ministry tend to have less problems in relationships with mom and dad! Let them see how important the things of God are to you! Think about it, can your children see Christ reflected through the life you are living? Parents have to be...the parent! I love my children, but I also realize the importance of being a model of responsibility in front of them! I have never really been interested in being my child’s friend! I am a lot more interested in being their parent! What a blessing it has been to raise my three beautiful daughters! It boils down to perspective...what is important to you? If the things of God are high on your priority list, they most likely will be for your children and on the flip side if the things of the world are important to you, they most likely will be for you children! Train them up in the way they should go...and you will never regret it! I love you all! <><

A Hostage situation

This past couple of moths have been very telling to me as I have been dealing with several families in crisis. Busyness and Activity are destroying the family in this country! So many times well intentioned parents sit in my office because of conflict with their older teens ready to throw in the towel! Students have learned how to hold their parents hostage. In the last month, I have had several fathers tell me that they were willing to live with the turmoil to keep their children from leaving home when they turn 18. These teens have figured out ways to drive a wedge between mom and dad! Their actions and attitudes have caused parents to cower down to their demands! Boy, how times have changed! I think back on when I was growing up. If I would have made demands on my dad, or if I would have threatened leaving home when I was 18 he would have helped me pack before my birthday! Parents...unite! You must come together! You must not let your child hold you hostage! You together in private must agree on how you are going to deal with every situation. And you must let your child know that you are united in your decision. Can I make some suggestions now? Slow things down! Make God a priority in your family! Let your kids know early on in life that you as parents (even in a divorce situation) are going to be united in your parental decisions. Your children need to know that you under no circumstances will be held hostage by any demands that they may put on you! Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old...they will not depart from it! I love you all! <><

The Adventure lives on...

As I was walking away from Island of Adventures on my last visit this, I noticed a sign over the walkway. It was more of a statement than a sign. The statement was simply this:

“The Adventure lives on”

I love this statement! I was thinking about how Universal Studios intended for this statement to be a reminder of the great times that you have when you visit their theme park. But I cannot help but think about how true this statement is in the life of a Christian. I believe that salvation is the beginning of a great adventure! In living the Christian life, you can expect all kinds of exciting thrills and experiences. The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 1:6 “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” I love this verse of scripture because we can see that when God begins a good work He will complete it! Paul was certain of this! I am confident of some things today. I am confident that the awesome work that God started in you will be complete. I am also confident that God has something in mind for all of us as believers! He wants to bless and use us!. He wants believers to experience more than salvation. He has so many blessings for the believer and they are so rich that we are blessed beyond anything we can hope for or imagine. I feel so sorry for those who experience salvation and never go any further. So many new Christians never go beyond this experience. They fail to grow and mature as Christians. When this happens, they do not realize that they are missing out on God’s best for them. Remember, He started a great work in you! The key word is started! Started symbolizes a beginning. The words started, indicates a process that will take place over a period of time. The period of time in this passage of scripture is from the time that the great work begins, until Jesus calls you home or comes back! You have to be part of the process! Don’t miss out on God’s best! Salvation is the beginning…and “The Adventure lives on…”

I just want to praise you...Lord

Do you ever get overwhelmed and feel that you cannot get close enough to God? Maybe it is because of the situations going on around you. We have all been there at some point on our journey! We all have dark nights of the soul, where events and circumstances bog us down and keep us from true fellowship with our Creator! What is a believer to do? First, you must realize that His love truly is unfailing! Wherever you are in your relationship you must realize God wants what is best for you! He never changes, He is always the same…always Holy. Today you may be feeling 10 million miles away from Him (God)! Can I remind you that it is only one step back? We are to rejoice in the Lord always…He truly is near! Lift your hands to your father…and praise Him for who He is! Thank Him for all that He is doing in your life…and if He is not doing anything…ask Him to forgive and restore you to the relationship that you desire and once had! Then you need to realize that when it is all said and done, the gospel is all we really have! Praise Him today! I love you all!

Go God...Go Team

Well, today an annual ritual begins as people wput on their favorite teams colors and either make the trek to the ball game or to a television set and watch teams of young men in extremely great shape do battle for 60 minutes. Many have been anticipating this day since the middle of last January. We love College football! It helps build relationships as I have seen complete strangers walking through the grocery store and by simply seeing someone wearing your teams colors, you strike up a conversation! We know the stats, the schedules and the scores. We cherish and idolize former greats! We hold coaches in high esteem and the players are loved like family! We spend large chunks of time tweeting, facebooking and emailing our anticipation and our picks for the game of the week! I love college football, but this past week I have been thinking about how much time we spend in preparation for the season. What would happen if we spent this amount of time sharing the gospel! I am not trying to be a kill joy, I love football and will watch games and know that I will have fun and enjoy. I just wish there was some way that we could take the fervor we have for college football and transfer it to our love for the gospel! Some evangelical organizations tell us that 97-98% of evangelicals never share the faith in the Lord Jesus. The gospel is very well known in evangelical circles, but not being shared with a world that desperately needs to hear about its life changing power! What would happen if we anticipated an evangelical season like football season? Think about it! Thousands would go to stadiums excited and looking forward to what God is going to do! Would it not be awesome to see people spend time memorizing scripture like many do stats and schedules. It would be so cool for people to dress up in God’s colors (what ever they are) and strike up conversation with complete strangers in grocery stores! Think about what would happen if we spent the time preparing our hearts and lives for the gospel the way that we do for college football! I was thinking instead of the Bowl Championship Series we could have A Big Caring Service where thousands would spend money buying tickets at the last minute to fly to the game and millions more would gather around their televisions and see a man of God teach and preach the word of God...would that not be cool...? Again I want to emphasize, I am not anti football, I will be pulling for my favorite team but I am going to make a commitment to spend more time with the gospel than I do with college football! I love you all...Go God...Go team!

We have come to worship...

We’ve come to worship...

In a meeting this past week I had someone tell me that I was to evangelistic. This statement came in a discussion about what God has called each of us to do! This same person told me they did not believe that evangelism was the purpose of the church. So continuing in the conversation I asked this well meaning person what they thought the overall purpose of the church happened to be. There response did not surprise me because many feel the same way, The response to the question was discipleship. Please, don’t get me wrong here! I personally believe that both evangelism and discipleship are very important for the church...but they are not the most important! We were created to worship! The Westminister Shorter Catechism asks the question, “What is the chief end of man?” Many of us know the answer. “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.” While this is not a phrase drawn directly from Scripture, the wisdom behind it surely is. The Bible tells us with great clarity that man was created in order to bring glory to God. Thus the chief end of Christians and of the church is to bring glory to God. Our Lord gave us the answer when He told us to “And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) By loving our Lord with all of our heart, soul and strength paints a beautiful picture of total devotion. This is true worship, total devotion and surrender to God! I love worship! I love laying it all down and totally surrendering my agenda to be in tune with God and what He wants from my life! We were created to worship! I hope that you are worshiping Him today in everything! I love you all! <><

What is your definition of worship?

I am doing research for a sermon series on worship and would your input! You can give input in a couple of ways! You can leave comment on this blog post or your can email me at steadfast@me.com

I am going to give all who give input an opportunity at winning a great book "Raising the Bar" By Dr. Alvin Reid. This is a signed copy and brand new book. I will select the winner by utilizing random.org

Looking forward to your input!

Jeff<><