Hey all! Just wanted to let you all know that I launched a new site today, peterkerlin.com and that is where I will be blogging on from now on! So check that out! Thanks for following me and supporting our Ministry!
Peter & Bobbi!
Jun
30
“To a large extent, in our churches today, we’ve preached more of what Jesus will do for us rather than who He really is! As a result we have cultivated many who serve God primarily for benefit rather than in joyful response to who He is…People who emphasize the blessing of God to the neglect of a relationship with Him create disciples who come to God to get something, rather than those who respond to Him for who He is. He is like no other and none compare to Him. Once God is encountered the promises all fall into perspective. He is so much more wonderful than anything, even His blessings.” (Paraphrased from Drawing Near pg 4)
What do you think?
Jun
24
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would DRAW NEAR to God must believe that He exists & that he rewards those who seek HIM! “Hebrews 11:6
If I was honest I would say that seeking God is hard…really hard, and not because we cannot actually reach him, the Bible is clear there (Hebrew 4:16, Hebrews 7:25, Hebrews 10:1), but that it is just a choice I make everyday. Truthfully it is not my desire that is absent, it is that I am a horrible prioritizer…
I heard Matt Chandler say once (I am paraphrasing), “If you do not wake up with a desire to draw close to God, to read His word, and talk with Him, then you have sin in your heart and you need to repent…”
So as I sit here this morning staring at Hebrews 11:6…
- I want to please God – God I need faith!
- I believe God exsists – God bring me closer to YOU!
- I believe you reward those who seek you – God I desire to DRAW NEAR TO YOU, make my time with you real and full!
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would DRAW NEAR to God must believe that He exists & that he rewards those who seek HIM! “Hebrews 11:6
Jun
08
In the 31 verse of Proverbs starting in verse 10, Solomon describes what a woman of God looks like, now by no means do I mean for this blog to offend anyone, my intentions are to show what life is like when we actually live like Christ called us and ordained for us to live, and more specifically how my wife is not only indespencible to me, but utterly priceless as the Woman of God she is…it starts like this…
10 A good woman is hard to find,
and worth far more than diamonds.
11 Her husband trusts her without reserve,
and never has reason to regret it.
12 Never spiteful, she treats him generously
all her life long.
13 She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
and enjoys knitting and sewing.
14 She’s like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
and brings back exotic surprises.
15 She’s up before dawn, preparing breakfast
for her family and organizing her day.
16 She looks over a field and buys it,
then, with money she’s put aside, plants a garden.
17 First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,
rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.
18 She senses the worth of her work,
is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.
19 She’s skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,
diligent in homemaking.
20 She’s quick to assist anyone in need,
reaches out to help the poor.
21 She doesn’t worry about her family when it snows;
their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.
22 She makes her own clothing,
and dresses in colorful linens and silks.
23 Her husband is greatly respected
when he deliberates with the city fathers.
24 She designs gowns and sells them,
brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.
25 Her clothes are well-made and elegant,
and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.
26 When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,
and she always says it kindly.
27 She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,
and keeps them all busy and productive.
28 Her children respect and bless her;
her husband joins in with words of praise:
29 “Many women have done wonderful things,
but you’ve outclassed them all!”
30 Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
31 Give her everything she deserves!
Festoon her life with praises!
Now for many of you reading this blog you may not be married so it may be something to strive for or to strive to marry, maybe even start praying for, but as a married man, I would not only be in a lot of trouble with out my life when it comes to just the basics of life, but I would be so lost emotionally, physically, and more than anything spiritually. Think of it this way…without Bobbi, my other half, my soul mate, everything I do is incomplete.
To my Proverbs 31 Woman, I believe in you ! “Many women have done wonderful things, but you’ve outclassed them all!” Your love for God, your prayers, and your joy bring me closer to Christ, and complete my life! iloveyou!
Jun
03
I am always looking for an amazing website, the next great idea, and more and more lately the web is becoming a place where people can come and vent their problems and for the most part that is in a very public setting, i.e facebook, blogs, twitter, or any of the other billion social networking sites…
Before I go any furthur, I still believe that the best way for me to confess sin, or vent some of my struggles is on my face before the King of Kings, but for those of you who are just not there yet, or maybe just need to take one more step towards Christ and know that He will rescue you…check out this site…it might help!
http://ijackedup.com/index2.php
May
21
So here is another repost from Perry Noble, this is just too good not to pass on!
Dear Pastor,
Sexual temptation IS going to HIT you…there’s nothing you can really do about it except deciding NOW to MAKE WAR and actually do what God commands of us in Nehemiah 4:14. (I wrote an article a while back entitled, “Keep your penis in your pants” that may be worth reading if you haven’t yet.)
My advice for those facing extreme sexual temptation…
#1 – Don’t buy the lie – you KNOW that satan is a lair (Jon 8:44) and that all he is offering you is a counterfeit. The “ideal” scenerio that you have in your mind in regards to that affair isn’t going to play out. You’ve seen it in SO MANY PEOPLE…don’t allow the enemy to convince you that you will be the exception.
#2 – Don’t use David as an excuse! If I hear it again I am going to throw up, “But David committed adultery and was called a man after God’s own heart.” Uh…yeah…but he REPENTED (which means he turned away from his sin instead of diving deeper into it and then screaming that people needed to show him grace!) He also had sexual sin in his family for generations, had a daughter raped and a son rebel against him. You are a FOOL if you think that your children are not going to suffer the consequences all because you were more passionate about an orgasm than Jesus.
#3 – GET HELP!!! If you are struggling with temptation…TELL SOMEBODY that you KNOW loves Jesus and loves you. ”But Perry, if I do it may get bad.” I would say if you DON’T it WILL get bad!!! Get some great men around you, confess the problem and then submit to their leadership.
#4 – Don’t blame others for your screw up – IF you choose not to listen to men who sincerely love you and want to try to protect you, your marriage and your church then don’t scream that they and the church turned their back on you when it was actually you that decided to pull your pants down and put things where they did not belong. You are not the victim once you decide to take this step…and sin has consequences. And that’s not being judgmental…its simply declaring the truth!
BTW…your “friends” aren’t the one who rally around you and affirm your sin…they are the ones that DO love you, do beg God for you to repent, do speak truth and do hurt for you more than you know! AND…the church didn’t turn its back on you when you sinned…you turned your back on her!!!
#5 – Don’t think your sexual sin is going to give you long term satisfaction – If you are a pastor and you have an affair with a lady in your church then you’ve GOT to understand that what attracted her to you (integrity, godly character) is now SHATTERED the minute you have sex with her…and sooner or later the blinders will come off of her eyes and she will see what you really are.
#6 – STOP expecting your wife to be impressed with you – bro, she’s seen you in the nude, there is NOTHING you could do to ever impress her!!! Seriously…she is NOT your servant but rather your opportunity to SERVE. If you want her to treat you like a rock star then you are on dangerous ground because you will hop in the sack with the first lady that does.
#7 – Set guard rails in place – Don’t travel alone…don’t ride in a car with a lady alone…don’t counsel a woman alone…JUST DON’T! We KNOW the areas we are tempted in…and for us to NOT establish some sort of boundaries is simply stupid! AND…if some people think that these kinds of things are extreme…it’s BECAUSE THEY ARE!!!
Can God forgive sexual sin? ABSOLUTELY! He is a God who loves unconditionally! BUT…pastors/church leaders…PLEASE HEAR ME ON THIS ONE…God’s Kingdom is TOO important for ANY one of us to sell out for momentary pleasure. We’ve GOT to fight…we’ve GOT to RUN FROM THIS TEMPTATION (I Corinthians 6:18-20!)
AND…one more thing, Jesus didn’t die on a cross so people that claim to follow Him could run around and screw whoever they want and then scream “grace” and “you’re being judgmental” when people point out the sin and plead for repentance!
We’ve GOT to fight through this men…we’ve GOT to ask for help and have integrity…our ministries and marriages AND THE CROSS are TOO IMPORTANT to sell out for sex…I’m praying Psalm 69:6 for all of us!
May
18
So there is something changing in Cleveland more than Lebron James house being up for sale and other events being needed to fill the Q (we have a plan for that too). But I think there is a group of people out there that understand why when Jesus died they went to the upper room and just prayed…so if you want more info, watch this video. Email me at pkerlin@gmail.com or text me at 440.532.0669 for directions.
May
18
I woke up this morning and God led me to Proverbs 24 in my book The Message//Remix: Solo and here is what it said:
3 It takes wisdom to build a house,
and understanding to set it on a firm foundation;
4 It takes knowledge to furnish its rooms
with fine furniture and beautiful draperies.
15 Don’t interfere with good people’s lives;
don’t try to get the best of them.
16 No matter how many times you trip them up,
God-loyal people don’t stay down long;
Soon they’re up on their feet,
while the wicked end up flat on their faces.
17 Don’t laugh when your enemy falls;
don’t crow over his collapse.
18 God might see, and become very provoked,
and then take pity on his plight.
19 Don’t bother your head with braggarts
or wish you could succeed like the wicked.
20 Those people have no future at all;
they’re headed down a dead-end street.
21 Fear God, dear child—respect your leaders;
don’t be defiant or mutinous.
28 Don’t talk about your neighbors behind their backs—
no slander or gossip, please.
29 Don’t say to anyone, “I’ll get back at you for what you did to me.
I’ll make you pay for what you did!”
——
I love this passage because I think we live in a culture and in a world where we’ve have made it almost a common practice to step on someone to get a better deal, a better price, a better job, a better career, a better ministry position, a better speaking event, etc. etc. etc.
But I beg the question, who defines better in your world? What wisdom, understanding, and knowledge do you have that help you define what is better and even more importantly the route you will take to get there.
Some questions to consider that may help reveal to you, how you define better:
1) Is there someone in your life who you would consider “good” that you always feel the need to outdo or compete with or try to get the best of that person?
2) Do you try to trip people up and make people look back to get what you want?
3) Do you always feel like you are flat on your face why others are succeeding? (Ref Proverbs 24:16)
4) Do you laugh at people when they fail or give up instead of encouraging them? (Remember God see’s all, ref Proverbs 24:18)
5) Do you wish to succeed with techniques of those that are successful around you? Even if you see wickedness in the way they did it?
6) Do you talk about people behind their backs? Do you gossip or slander them?
7) Is your first instinct revenge in a situation where someone hurt you?
—–
My encouragement here is that I had to repent of some things during the reading of this passage, I think if we are truly honest we all will in some way. Do yourself a favor and truly sit down and talk to God and ask him to reveal the condition of your hurt when it comes to your pursuit of success. Yes we all are a product of our environments in some way, but there comes a point with all of us when we can either choose to let the world define us or allow God to define us through His word…you decide…
