a few ideas from rick whitter
Today’s devotional is about forgiveness. If you have a few moments, get together with a friend or with your family. God has some important things to share with you.
Forgiveness – Adult from Maranatha Church on Vimeo.
If you have young children, check out Than’s devotional at the page below.
Join us at Maranatha Church for 30 Days to Save Your Family.
I am going to a baseball game tonight with a bunch of guys, mostly friends from Maranatha. We are going to see the Palm Beach Cardinals play the Dunedin Blue Jays. This is high single A league ball, two teams in the Florida State League. A few of the players from the Cardinals team are involved with our church and we want to go support them, as well as enjoy a night a baseball.
In addition to the game, what is interesting is how men respond to social events. We basically don’t. Generally, guys are very hesitant to commit to anything that may require that they interact with others and especially, heaven forbid, someone they don’t know very well. This is no revelation.
Baseball is safe. You don’t have to talk. You don;t have to look anyone in the eye. You don’t have to think about clever stuff to say. You can just sit and watch, and if you like, yell something every once in a while. Nobody minds if you keep score on your own or go to the mens room several times. It’s safe.
Men and communication and relationships are complex. We like simple, especially when it comes to friends. If you’re in the area, come on out and join us. If not, I’ll let you know how the game turns out.
Who knows, we might even actually talk to someone while we are there!
This is the latest installment of our family video devotionals that are connected with our 30 Days to Save Your Family series. Enjoy!
Trust – Pastor Rick from Maranatha Church on Vimeo.
I may be slow but I’m not stupid. Mother’s Day is a once a year celebration of moms. Our church has an excellent opportunity to express our appreciation for mothers as well as offer heartfelt ministry to them. Rather than be so presumptuous as to handle the speaking responsibilities on my own, I have enlisted the support of an expert panel of mothers. At all three worship services at Maranatha Church tomorrow, we will enjoy the wisdom, humor and example of godly women. These women do not have it all together. They are not perfect moms. They are all very busy and are sacrificing their personal time for the good of the church. None of them relish the idea of sitting on a stage with a microphone in their face. But they all love God and people. So they are spending their Mother’s Day morning getting publicly grilled by me on the topic of 30 Days to Save Your Family.
A big shout out to the panel participants: Bobbie DuBose, Laura McDonald, Nell Waldrop, Rebecca Simms, Letha Whitter, Jodi Gooding, Kathy Rogers, Kelly Howell, and Desiree Strombus. Ladies, your investment into our lives is so appreciated!
Join us at Palm Beach Shores at 7:00 AM or at Palm Beach Gardens at 9:00 or 10:45.
Happy Mother’s Day to all moms everywhere! God bless you!
I am going to say something you may have never heard a pastor say before: Stop sending money. (For Project Peru – that is!)
A few months ago, we spread the word that we were headed to Peru, in part, to assist Pastor Darius Lopez as he cares for 330 needy children in his Ministry Center in Lima. We set a goal of $5,000. I am glad to say that we have reached our goal! Thanks to the generous giving of several people, including family and friends of Maranatha Church, as well as complete strangers who heard about the project, we have met our goal.
One woman who follows me on Twitter heard about what we are doing and made a donation online. If she reads this, she needs to know the cool thing that has happened. If you gave any amount, you are part of a life-saving ministry. If you were unable to give but you prayed, you are also part of a great thing that God is doing. Thank you all, very much.
You may stop giving now. In a few weeks, we will begin a new project that you can jump into, if you like.
On May 25, I plan to deliver the money we raised to Pastor Lopez. Thank you and thank God!
Please take a look at this blog post written by my daughter, Jessica Hanson. The story she tells describes perfectly why we are passionate about being personally involved in missions work, especially as it relates to children.
In the next few weeks, we will be engaged in efforts to help needy kids in Peru, Guatemala and Chile. If you are interested in making a real difference, stay tuned. Or better yet, start something yourself!
Just checking in to remind everyone that we have some great video devotionals available on our website. These devotionals, along with several other great resources, are connected to our current message series, 30 Days to Save Your Family. A new devotional will be posted on Wednesday so don’t miss out on the first one. BTW, if you have kids, check out Than’s devotional – it is awesome!
You can find these materials at Maranatha Church.
Plan to be with us for part 2 this Sunday at our Palm Beach Gardens campus.
At the Palm Beach Shores location, we are diving into The Good Life! Don’t miss it!
While hiking a trail in Minnesota last Friday, I came across this trail marker sign that was a revelation for me. I had the choice to take the lesser of the two hills which was labeled as “more difficult” or I could take the tougher hill, aka “most difficult”.
Decision time.
The decision I made was not for the moment. I was a little tired at this point in my hike. I was wearing a weighted backpack, it was pretty warm out and I was sweaty. I was purposely restricting my oxygen intake. This would have been a nice time to take it easy on myself and opt for the less challenging of the two trails presented. I chose the “most difficult” trail.
Here’s why:
I am preparing for what is ahead. This was not a leisurely walk for relaxation. This hike was training. I am getting ready for an intense several-day hike in the Andes Mountains in Peru. Friday’s hike in Minnesota was a glimpse ahead to where I hope to be in three weeks.
Sometimes in life we get to chose: more difficult or most difficult. (rarely is “easy” an option!) Your choice depends on your future plans. It all depends on what is ahead for you. In life, if the tough stuff is behind you, put it on cruise control and walk down hill. If you think there may be some mountains ahead, you had better prepare now. If you put in your miles on the “most difficult” path, tomorrow’s mountains will become mole hills.
Here’s the problem: we seldom know what is ahead. I have never hiked the Inca Trail so I don’t know for sure how difficult it will be. But I want to be prepared. I would rather be over-prepared than under-prepared. I can’t imagine getting to Peru and wishing I hadn’t trained so much. But the flip side is completely possible.
You don’t know what is ahead for you. If you take the more difficult of the preparation options today, the challenges of tomorrow will be more manageable. Slack off today and there is a good chance that tomorrow will squash you.
So, which path will you chose?
For those of you who attend the Palm Beach Gardens campus of Maranatha Church, we are kicking off a new teaching series tomorrow. Actually, we are starting a new series at BOTH locations, but the Gardens series will include some very special Internet resources. 30 Days to Save Your Family includes some video devotionals as well as website and book suggestions. Take a look at these resources on our website: Maranathachurch.org.
Don’t worry, Palm Beach Shores location people, we also have some special stuff for you guys! The Good Life will be an awesome study of the things that God desires to do in us, as we follow His design. It will be great!
Schedule:
Shores – 7:00AM
Gardens – 9:00 and 10:45
See our website for directions and specifics.
This picture is of me reading to Anggie, a precious little girl who lives at Casa Shalom orphanage in San Lucas, Guatemala. The picture was taken earlier this month by my daughter, Jessica, who works at the home. Although the picture looks like just a simple session of fun book reading, it represents so much more.
Anggie was abused prior to coming to Shalom. When she arrived, she was absolutely terrified of men – all men. She literally would cry when any man came into the same room with her. Details of the abuse are not known, but for sure, she was a hurting little girl and had zero trust for anyone who may harm her again.
After many months of prayer and gentle care, Anggie’s heart is healing. She is beginning to trust. She is starting to talk (she had been silent for the entire time she lived there), she is warming up to others. This reading session says a lot.
God heals broken spirits.
I am in a really good spot right now. God has put some very defined ambitions in my heart. I don’t have the resources to get the job done. So, God is challenging me to trust Him. This is a good spot.
What do we do when the vision requires more than we possess?
Bible lesson time:
I Kings 4 tells the story of a poor widow who was about to lose everything. She had exhausted all of her resources and her two sons were about to be conscripted into slavery. Her vision was to keep her family together and to make her family’s future secure. But she did not have the resources to make this happen.
She spoke to Elisha, the prophet. He asked her a very simple question: “What do you have in your house?” Although this question must have seemed off point, she responded: “nothing but a little oil.” He instructed her to borrow as many oil containers as she could get her hands on and start pouring the little oil that she had. She followed the order and a miracle occurred. As she poured the oil, it multiplied. From one small container of oil, she and her sons filled multiple containers. They did this until all the containers they had collected were filled. Her vision was fulfilled.
What God is asking me is, “What do you have in your house?” He is wanting me to offer to Him whatever I have, trust Him, be willing to invest what He has provided. I believe that, if I follow the orders, He will do whatever is necessary in order to provide the resources required to fulfill the vision He has given me. I plan to obey.
This is a good place. It is exciting when the vision God gives you requires more than you currently possess. It means we must trust Him. It means we must grow. It means the vision will be fulfilled.
This is a very good place.
In one month, I will be in Peru hiking the Inca Trail with my daughter, Jessica. We plan to take financial support to a Childrens’ Ministry Center in Lima. Pastor Dario Lopez feeds, educates and provides medical care for 330 of the neediest children in Lima. We have an opportunity to partner with him and his efforts to save these kids.
To date, we have collected just over $3,000 to assist them! People are so generous! With just a few weeks left to collect funds, I ask that you help me spread the word. Can you forward this post along to a friend?
Funds can be contributed at wecanshareit.org. Any questions can be directed to me at: rwhitter@maranathachurch.org.
Thanks, everyone! Much grace!
Rick
My nephew, Richard Whitter spoke at Maranatha Church today. His message, The Beautiful Letdown was about how God wants us to release our expectations of life and ourselves and Him. He taught from the book of Hebrews 12, as well as Philippians 1:20-21. He gave us some clear insight about God’s “discipline” of His children, drawing from real-life analogies and examples.
It was a moving day. All three services were impacted in different, but equally effective ways.
I left with the resolution to let God control my future rather than trying to figure it all out on my own. I want to release anything that I have concocted in my head regarding my plans. I want to approach God and life with an open spirit.
Here is the bottom line: God’s plans for us are so much greater than our plans for us, we would be crazy to stick to our plans.
I am very proud of Rich. I love him and his wife Janet and their daughter Grace. I think God has big stuff just ahead for them. By the way, lots of people think we look like brothers. Maybe twins. I would have to agree – He is, indeed, one good lookin’ guy!
I just returned home from Atlanta where I have been attending a conference called Engage. It was an excellent learning opportunity and centered around the concept of engaging the culture with Jesus Christ and being fully engaged with Him.
I heard fantastic teaching from Reggie McNeal and Len Sweet. I have admired both of these men for several years and have read a significant portion of what they have written. They both encouraged us to look ahead at the changes that are taking place in our world and strategically position ourselves where we can be most effective in doing the work of God now and into the future.
I am a missionary. Not in the sense that I have moved to a foreign country for ministry purposes. But similar to the heroes who chose this work, I have to learn to adapt to changes, I have to learn the language of the people around me and I have to know how to communicate effectively. We cannot use yesterday’s methods and expect to be successful today.
Engage helped me with this process. It was a real source of both inspiration and information for me. I also got to spend some good time with some great friends, as well as make a few new ones.
The Maranatha family will be hearing more about this stuff in upcoming teaching. For now, suffice it to say, we are headed full-speed toward full-blown missional ministry!
Taking care of the earth is not a conservative or liberal thing, not a Dem or Republican thing. It is not a Christian or non-Christian thing. It is a “do-the-right-thing” thing.
God gave us one earth and our resources are limited. The Biblical concept of “steward” has to be applied. The world belongs to God; He is just letting us use it for a while. Don’t trash it!
So for future generations: recycle. For purposes of a clean appearance: pick up after yourself. Because people are dying because of a lack of clean water: conserve. Because we are running out: don’t waste natural resources.
Happy Earth Day (tomorrow)!
During this morning’s staff meeting at Maranatha, I was able to share some ideas about the future with the people we work with. Some of the things I talked about are a bit “out there” in that, if they take place, it will require a lot of faith and a handful of miracles. I am glad to say, our team is united and there was not one ounce of skepticism on display.
One of the more difficult parts of expressing vision is the risk that those to whom you are speaking will not “buy in”. We generally feel our way through these conversations, looking for some kind of affirmation that they are tracking with you. Very bold leaders don’t need affirmation as much but the rest of us feel a bit like we are walking through a mine field. It can be dicey.
I am glad to know that we are moving forward in the same direction. This is a great team. I get a lot of encouragement from them. We are exploring vision together. It’s going to be great.
Some people are more famous than Jesus. Or at least, in some “Christian circles”, they get more press than He does. I am talking about big name authors and preachers and singers who are in the center of the public eye. It seems that, whatever they do, someone is there to report about it. And it also seems that some of these folks know just the right things to do in order to get the press coverage they need to stay on top.
Be reminded, Christ-followers, we can fall into the same traps as the rest of our culture. We can begin to put people on pedestals where they don’t belong. We can become just another subculture with our own heroes and icons. We are not above becoming fans of those we admire, sometimes placing them on a level parallel with Christ.
This cannot be. Jesus plainly told us, he who is greatest must be the servant.
So the next time your favorite holy celeb records a new song or releases a new book or resigns his church, let’s not squeal like a pre-adolescent girl at a Jonas Brothers concert. These men and women are just doing what they are doing. Don’t blow it out of proportion. This stuff happens every day. Don’t be guilty of hero worship. Otherwise, you may be one of the causes of their downfall.
Remember: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18) We don’t want that to happen to our “rock star” Christians now, do we?
We drove across the state today to assist with the funeral of the father of a friend. As we traveled through the small towns across the Everglades, I was once again disturbed to see the living condition of so many people. The poverty of the people living in these areas is remarkable. It is especially so when you consider that many of these areas are in rural Palm Beach County, an area known more for affluence. Within a 30 minute drive from the Island of Palm Beach, families are living in squalor. We saw housing conditions that simply should not be in the United States.
I am again reminded that there is much work to be done right in our own back yard. We are now asking what we can do to offer assistance to some of these people.
One way I like to express our mission: making the love of God obvious.
Any thoughts?
My message today is the second part of Sticky Relationships. Last week, I told the good folks at Maranatha that a strong connection with God is top priority and we have to get it right with Him if we expect to get it right with others. Today I am talking about how we connect with each other.
I honestly don’t know what NOT to say. We need so much work in this area. God will help us and we will figure it out.
Ephesians 4:3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. (NLT)
Join us at Maranatha if you are in the area. If you can’t, you can catch the message later this week on our website.
A blessed Sunday, everyone!
Rick
Meet Mynor (the good looking one on the left), a three month old baby boy who lives at Casa Shalom Orphanage in Guatemala. Letha and I just returned from a trip there to visit our daughter, Jessica and her husband Josh, where they serve as missionaries. Back in January, Mynor was found by police, lying on the side of the road, having been abandoned by his mother. He was only a day or two old. If they had not found him when they did, he surely would have died in that ditch. But they did find him, and they brought him to Casa Shalom to be cared for.
There is a very good chance that Mynor will grow up at Shalom. I know of several examples just like him who have been at the home for several years. We all hope for adoption for him but only God knows the future. And God knew that he needed to be in the loving arms of the people who work at Casa Shalom. He is being loved and clothed and cared for. He is receiving medical care and nutritious food and nurture. Jessica calls him “the Little Prince”.
And this is precisely why we are so passionate about helping orphans. God has assigned each of us the responsibility of caring for them. Anyone who is a believer in Jesus Christ accepts this responsibility. The guiding verse we hear so often is James 1:27, “Religion that God the Father accepts as pure and without fault is this: caring for orphans or widows who need help, and keeping yourself free from the world’s evil influence.” (NCV)
Pray for Mynor and the other children at Casa Shalom, and pray for orphans around the world. Once you have prayed, pay attention to what God told you while you were praying about how you can make a difference in someone’s life.
By the way, Mynor is not from Alabama and I don’t think his first words will be “Roll Tide!”. He is wearing clothes that some good-hearted North American donated! If you want to know more about Casa Shalom, see Jessica and Josh’s blog.
Thoughts on Life and Leading 