Ryan Cook -Real Life

Impact 2K

It is that time of the year again.  Our annual back-pack and school supply giveaway event called IMPACT2K.  The reason for the name is we want to impact 2,000 lives on this one day in our community.  Since our first IMPACT2K event back in 2007, we have impacted 2,000 lives each day of the event.

This year we are upping the number and quality of the backpacks. We are moving from 1000 to 1250 packs filled w/ school supplies and bibles.

Starting in July, we will be receiving donations of school supplies.  Pease drop off all school supplies in the main foyer, front office or see myself, we will take care of them.

We have added a lot of new elements this year to make this event unique and to directly meet the needs of our community.  One quick glimpse is, we will be giving out free haircuts to those in need, right on our campus.

The entire staff has been bathing this in prayer and we are ready to see a huge IMPACT in our community.  Please get on board w/ us.  Whether you have served in either of the 2 previous years and know what you want to do, or if you are just willing to help, we are getting the list started.  Please send me an email, facebook or text and let me know that you want to be involved. rcook@gjfa.org

Did I mention we’ll have two live remote radio station on our campus the day of the event, August 15.  It is going to fun and a great way to IMPACT our community.  Come be a part of it.

-Peace 

www.ryancook.net

Tami- Wed Highlights

Our Lead pastors wife, Tami Miller, brought some heat Wednesday night. Here are a few thought provokers that stuck out about relationships w/ people.

• Are you involving God in every breath and heartbeat?
• 1 Thessalonians- Pray w/ out ceasing and in everything give thanks.
• Joy and thanksgiving- 2 keys to praying w/ out ceasing.
• Protect your thankfulness and don’t let circumstances steal your joy.
• Live out-loud, be who God made you- Do what only you can do.
• One action can ruin your entire testimony.
• When Jesus says to learn something, we should learn it.
• If the only time you have a relationship w/ God or other Christians is when you walk in these doors, it turns to religion.
• Make the most out of every opportunity.
• When our words dont line up w/ our lifestyle- there is destruction.
• Does your speech reflect God in your life?
• Seasoned w/ salt:

1. White= Pure = Pure Speech
2. Preservative
3. Flavor
4. Promotes Growth
5. Causes Thirst

• Make each conversation personalized. 

 www.ryancook.net

A Dream

I had a dream last night. It was really short and simple, not to complex, but I learned a few thins from it. 

It was a vision of a man, lets call him Mike, going up to a storefront and ordering a drink. Mike liked this store because it was convenient, he was familiar w/ it and in his walking path. Mike always ordered the same drink, maybe out of habit.

This day mike asked for a different drink, a less fattening one. One w/ higher nutritional value. One that didn’t ‘weigh’ him down. But this place didn’t have any different drinks, they only sold one type of drink. A great big unhealthy fattening drink.

Mike just kind of shrugged his shoulders, said ok, well if that’s all you sell, that’s what I’ll take. Mike grabbed the drink of the counter, lifted his eyebrows, squished his lips together, and w/ a look of mediocrity on his face- strolled away.

That was it, short and sweet.

Things I gleaned from this short dream:

• People are drawn to familiarity
• People like variety, but will settle for the same old thing
• People sometimes want to change, see they need to change, but if not pushed that extra step, will stay the same
• We need to have options
• People like a ‘menu’ to chose from 
• People will change if presented the opportunity or even forced into it

Just some quick thoughts.

-Peace Out

www.ryancook.com

Got Purpose?

Hey guys,
Here is a video blog of some thoughts off the top of my head & some things I have been thinking on.

Enjoy!

www.ryancook.net

Ten Reasons to get Spiritually Connected Pt. 2

Here is the continuation of 6-10.

6. Connections keep us growing. Knowing the right thing to do is rarely enough to keep you doing the right thing over the long haul. You need friends and partners to do it w/ you when you feel like giving up. We all need mentors, rolemodels and friends. It doesnt matter who you are, we all need this! Look high and far to find this. If you dont have these types of people in your life, you will fail.

7. Connections help us balance our lives. Memory is our connection to the past. Vision is our connection w/ the future. Awareness is our connection to today. Without a connection to the past, we become rootless. Without a connection to the future, we become hopeless.  Without a connection to today, we are passionless. Without a connection to God, we are powerless. 

8. Connections increase our confidence. We are better together. The more spiritually connected you are, the less you will struggle w/ insecurity.  We gain assurance in knowing others have felt the way we do and have survived what we are currently facing. 

9. Connections make us more productive. Your lifes impact will be largely determined by the quality of your personal connections. The better you are connected to God and others, the greater the impact you will make.

10. We have to learn to connect. Making the right connection w/ God and w/ other people is neither natural nor automatic. That is why God sent Jesus. He did for us what we could never do for ourselves.

www.ryancook.net

Ten Reasons to get Spiritually Connected

I ran across this the other day- GREAT stuff. I am duplicating some of it and adding some of my own.

We were never intended to go through life disconnected from God, who loves us, or from loving relationships w/ others.

1. Connections are the essence of life. Our body’s organs, muscles and bones all work because they are connected. Disconnected, they would wither and die. Life is all about connecting. I think it is healthy to have a mixture of friends. Some that share your belief that you can enjoy and lean on. Then some friends that maybe you dont share the same faith w/, but you are there for them to lean on.

2. We were created for connections. The pains of loneliness proves God designed us for relationships. I am a person who wants to be needed, a longing to belong. Without connections, life feels empty. 

3. Love is the ultimate connection. Most important, we should love one another. Colossians 3:14- ‘Love is what holds you all together in perfect unity.’ When Jesus asked what matters most in life, He said, ‘Love God w/ all your heart, and love others as yourself.’  Love covers much!!

Sometimes this is a hard one for me. I think I really love all people. But in reality, I have offended some here and there, and in turn, they are not friends w/ me now. I still love them and want the best for them, but I really dont think we will connect and ‘friends’ from here on out.

Sometimes I have had to let some seasonal friendships go in order to have some other devine friendships.

4. Connections help us understand life. They enlarge our perspective. Life is a mystery, a series of random events, until you see all the connections. We are here for a reason. God links us all up together. He opens and closes the doors.

5. Connections empower us. Power flows through connections. A disconnected heater can not produce heat. A disconnected stereo can not produce music. A single wire disconnected from your engine will limit you to move forward. Likewise, if you are disconnected from God, we will lose warmth, beauty, power, and direction He intends for our life. 

There used to be an old saying, 'its not what you know, its who you know.' This saying still rings loud today. 

www.ryancook.net

Stay Afloat

The other day we were swimming at a local lake. It was a nice day, maybe about 85 degrees out and sunny. 

The lake is a snow run off lake, so the water is still cold. If I was guessing, it was about 62-66 degrees. We finally jumped in and had a small race out to the buoys. (Of course I won) 

We were back hanging near the shore in about 3 foot deep water and saw a mom fully clothed started to walk in the water. We instantly started looking around and saw a 10 year old out near the buoys holding onto her 12-year-old sister yelling for her mom to hurry. 

I instantly darted out and helped the girl and asked my friend to grab a small tube from the shore. Right when I got there I could see the fear in both there eyes. One girl was trying to save her sisters life, but couldnt continue to stay afloat and the other was bringing her sister down and couldnt help it.

 

Right when I got there, the little girl got on my back and we started swimming back to the shore. Even though I am a great swimmer, I got tired really quick w/ this girl on my back. The tube reached us in seconds, I put her on it and pushed her in. Mom was thankful and so was the little girl. 

So I saved her life, no biggie, thats what I do! LOL 

But seriously. I think this is sometimes happens to us as Christians. Sometimes we have friends that ‘hang’ on us and drown us. Even though I am a good swimmer, currently I am not conditioned to tread water w/ someone on my back, thank God for the tube, especially in that freezing water. Sometimes we are not grounded in Gods absolutes enough. We cant stand on His promises to keep us afloat, so we sink by the so called ones we love or the ones we are trying to help. 

I guess what I am trying to say is, its hard to help someone else, if you cant help yourself. You may think you can, but your friends will drag you down and drown you in a heartbeat if you arent plugged into Gods word, His promises and His absolutes.

Dont get me wrong, I am not telling you to go ditch all your friends, you may be the only Jesus they see. What I am telling you is, say you are having marriage problems, dont hang out at a singles club w/ your friend while they try to find a date. If you are having drug problems, dont go to the crack house w/ your buddies or put yourself in a situation when you know the bong will pass by you next. Use your head, help your friends, just be careful they dont drown you. You get the picture.

-Peace

www.ryancook.net

The Breakfast Song

I heard this playing in the office again yesterday. It is one of my all-time favorite youtube video.
Turn up your speakers and enjoy and be blessed!!!


www.ryancook.net

Never Quit

I hurt my hand the other day. A few kids were messing around after youth service and were arm wrestling.  Me, not wanting to miss out on a competition, jumped up to the table. They said go, my wrist popped and laid backwards.

Ouch! Yes, it hurt like crazy, but I didnt let anyone sense the pain. LOL! I got home, ice it and my hand throbbed all night. Went to the doc the next day, they said I tore a tendon and may need surgery. I went back to work, prayed over it a couple of times, and let God take care of the rest.

To this date, its been 8 days, and my hand is a little sore, but I will go 100% on it today at the gym and see how things work out.

No biggy, right? Well through this, I have had a couple people tell me, ‘when are you going to grow up’, & ‘when are you going to recognize you are old’ stuff like that. Statements like that really get under my skin.

I am 37 y/o and probably feel better now than most of my adult life. Do people really put limitations on themselves by age? If this is the case, I feel sorry for those people.

We were made to take risks, have fun in life, to live life to the fullest, to dream, to live in every moment, to let our personalities shine. Some people chose to play it safe, for what others will think of them.

Do you think Jesus played it safe? What about Beniah? You gotta go read this right now, Beniah was a bad dude!! 2 Sam. 23:20-21

I guess what I am trying to say is, dont let people hold you back, if people say you are to young, keep trying, if people say your to old, keep trying. Dont give up on your ambitions/life/dreams because of people. Dont give up or take another route just because someone limits you. Try anyways!

-Peace

www.ryancook.net

 

 

 

 

 

Why Does it Have to Be "Either / Or" ?

Found this and worth repeating- Great read, by Craig Groeschel.

The American Church is not lacking for “cool” pastors. Like a single guy who is trying just-a-bit-too-hard to impress a girl, some churches are simply trying too hard to be cool.

I’m very encouraged to see a shifting in direction. For years, many of us seemed focused on:

Designing relevant church experiences.

Producing entertaining videos.

Creating inviting environments.

Crafting sermon series to draw a crowd.

Writing sermons with shock value and plenty of humor or stories.

While all of the above can be effective tools, many of my friends are intentionally moving in a stronger direction. So many great Christian leaders are seeing far better results with:

Bathing a sermon in prayer.

Fasting regularly.

Practicing personal confession and repentance.

Preaching from the overflow of time alone in God’s word.

Caring deeply for others in biblical community.

I’m thrilled so many leaders are placing less emphasis on being cool and more emphasis on being like Christ.

I totally get where Craig is coming from. I've also seen churches that appear imbalanced toward the "cool" rather than "being like Christ." But I have one big question:

Why does it have to be either/or? Can't it be both/and?

Can't a church service be both relevant and bathed in prayer? Can't a church leader both fast regularly and decide to use an entertaining video to communicate truth? Can't a pastor both care very deeply for others to be in biblical community and create a sermon series with the very purpose of drawing a crowd?

It is true that we can find plenty of Scriptural examples of fasting, prayer, personal confession, repentance and biblical community. But we can also find New Testament examples of Jesus, Paul and others being relevant, creating inviting environments, using humor and entertaining stories and preaching to large crowds.

What do you think?  Can it be both? Let me hear your comments.

www.ryancook.net