DAN GOULD

FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Author: dgould77

  • 2 Corinthians 4

    “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are[e] being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” v. 16-18

    The way you live matters! People watch the way we handle difficulties.  I know this first hand because of the encouraging words people have shared with me over the last couple of month.  My wife and I have a deep faith in Christ.  It is that very Faith in Christ that has gotten us through some very scary and difficult times concerning our youngest son Jackson.  We could have easily blamed God or turned our back on Him.  Instead, we prayerfully sought Him out and asked Him to give us the strength we need for each day . . . and He has!

    This passage talks about that very thing, when trouble comes your way, don’t spend all your time focusing on the trouble, seek the Face of God and you will see that challenge in a new light and have a better perspective on how to handle it and get through it.  You will also experience the peace of God.  Remember, you are not a lone! God cares so deeply for you, and He is only one prayer away!  Will you seek Him today and trust Him for a better tomorrow?

  • Bust a Move – Jackson Style

    Jackson has been working on his dance skilz.  We happened to catch a short clip on video of it this weekend.  Here is his debut, enjoy!!!

  • 1 Corinthians 15:33

    “Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for ‘bad company corrupts good character.’” v. 33

    Paul addresses the debate about the Resurrection of the dead, claiming that the Resurrection has to happen or the faith we proclaim is a false faith.  In doing this he makes this statement about the people and environments we allow ourselves to be a part of.  These people and places have an affect on us.  They can be places of encouragement, inspiration, and accountability, or they can be places of trouble, selfishness, and disobedience.

    The fact is this, the people and places we spend our time influence what we do, say, and believe.  How are the people around you and the places you spend your time impacting you, your witness, and the Kingdom?

  • 32 oh man!!!! (not old man)

    Yep, its official . . . today I turn 32!  Hard to believe I know!  So I thought I would do 32 random facts about me:

    1. My wife is my best friend!
    2. I love my boys and they teach me so much about life and God!
    3. I have never craved Ice Cream.  I will eat it but don’t really like it that much!
    4. I like warm weather!
    5. It excites me to see people come to know Christ and then experience Him regularly!
    6. I love working with teenagers, and Believe God can do great things through them!
    7. I have a black belt in Taekwondo, so you better watch out!
    8. I use to play the drums and thought I was going to be a band teacher!
    9. Football is my favorite sport!  However I like playing Volleyball and Softball also!
    10. I don’t understand soccer but am learning it because of Josiah!
    11. Ephesians 3:20 is one of my many favorite verses in the Bible along with James 1:22, Romans 12:1-2, Hebrews 12:1-2, Psalm 37:4
    12. Romans 8 has become my new favorite passage of Scripture and the book of James kicks my butt, but is still my favorite!
    13. I like to play racing games at the arcade (Dave and Busters)  My wife tries to win but . . .
    14. I like riding dirt bikes and look forward to doing that with my boys!
    15. Stephanie says I am no fun to play Volleyball with because I am so good and competitive! (that’s the way I interpreted it)
    16. I like to watch baseball at the field not on TV. Go Cardinals!
    17. I still watch Wrestling on TV! (sad i know)
    18. LOST and The Office are our favorite TV shows with Friday Night Lights and American Idol being close behind!
    19. If I had a million dollars . . . don’t have the first clue how I would spend it.  Would definitely pay off debt, save, and make sure my family is taken care of!
    20. My first car was a red Firebird!
    21. My first job as a teenager was as a Painter, Mowing Yards, Mechanic, and working at McDonald’s!
    22. If I had more time I would, read more, write more, spend more time with family and friends!
    23. One of my favorite memories as a kid was going to Disney World and riding dirt bikes with my dad and brother!
    24. Jamaica still holds a special place in my heart!  Have been there for 4 mission trips and Honeymoon!
    25. Blue is my favorite color!
    26. I have become a Mizzou football fan and will always like the KC Chiefs!
    27. Springfield MO has the best Chinese Restaurants.
    28. I like to be on the water! (wave runners are my favorite, but boats are cool also)
    29. Stephanie and I went on a 7 day cruise on our honeymoon!
    30. I drive a jeep and wish I had the money to deck it out more than just the tires!
    31. I use to Golf, it’s been awhile but want to play again soon!
    32. I love my life! Everyday is a gift and an opportunity to experience God through the challenges and victories that each day brings!

    Wow, I made it.  I got stuck at about number 8 but was able to pull it through!

  • Josiah aka Womanizer

    So, today was valentine party day at MDO where Josiah goes to school.  On Tuesday Night Stephanie had Josiah put his name on all of his classmates Valentine cards.  As he was filling them out he asked if he could give one to Dani “his girlfriend”.  Dani was the girl that Joe played with all last year.  They were in the same class but this year they are not.  So this morning, he went to the other class and gave her the Valentine present that he had picked out for her.  Her eyes got real big when she saw him and saw the little heart shaped box of chocolates, Josiah got ready to walk away and she gave him a hug! It was a proud moment for the Gould boys.  Josiah was on cloud 9 and I was so proud of him!

    When I picked him up, Dani came into his classroom and gave him a special valentine.  Again it ended with a hug.  At this age it really cute and so innocent . . . I just hope I am not training him to be the womanizer that Brittany Spears describes in her song but a young man that will treat girls and women like a daughter of the King.

    Here are some pics of him putting his classmates gifts together!

  • 1 Corinthians 13

    “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” v. 1

    Love!  Its such a big word that is miss used so often.  We throw it around like we do a football on a Sunday Afternoon.  Because of this we have lost what it means to love others the way the Bible describes.  We have become good at saying we love, maybe we even sound convincing, but the real test of true love is found in our actions.  When our actions and our words don’t match we have a problem.

    This past weekend we had a conference and the theme of the conference was LiveLove!  It challenged us to look for way to love others and share Christ with them.  Here are my two thoughts when it comes to loving others.

    Experience God’s Love PERSONALLY!

    As I grow older, my love for God grows stronger with each day and challenge I face, why?  Because I am spending more time with Him and getting to know Him deeper personally.  This has major impacts on my personal life and bleeds into how I treat myself and others.  If I don’t experience God’s love personally, I will not be able to do this next action.

    Express God’s Love PUBLICLY!

    Because of my personal experience, I can share and express God’s love to others.  You can’t express what you don’t know or haven’t experienced.  That’s why the Bible says that that having the right things to say, or even knowing what and how to say things doesn’t mean you genuinely love that person.  If our words and our actions don’t match up we sound like a gong or clanging cymbal.

    Today, lets begin by thanking God for His love and spending time with Him.  As we begin to do this consistently, our love for HIm will grow deeper because of His love for us and we will begin to be people that truly LiveLove!

  • Romans 12

    “And so, dear brothers and sisters,[a] I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.[b] 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” v. 1-2

    This is one of my favorite passages in the scriptures.  It truly talks about what it means to Love God and Love Other.  One of the things I told the students this last weekend was that out Private Worship impacts our Public Presence.  This is so true.  Being a living Sacrifice isn’t easy.  There are many times that I want to get up off the altar and do what I want to do instead of what the Lord wants me to do.  I want to please myself instead of pleasing Him.  As you read this today, how can you be that living sacrifice?  What are the things that you need to give up in order to be the person God has created you to be, and love others the way the way it is described here . . .

    “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[e] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[f] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

    14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!

    17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.

    19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,

    “I will take revenge;
    I will pay them back,”[g]
    says the Lord.

    20 Instead,

    “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
    In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”[h]

    21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.”

    Romans 12:9-21

    Today, who will you live for and how will you live?

  • Romans 8:19-39

    “And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” v.28

    This has been a verse that several people have sent me over the last couple of weeks concerning the challenges we have faced with Jackson.  This verse doesn’t promise that good things will always happen but that God will bring good things out of the process.  Whatever situation we face, if we have a relationship with Jesus we are not alone!  During the good times and the bad times He is shaping us into His image so we can be more like Him.

    The reality is this, as we face difficult times, it’s easy to want to blame God or think something is wrong and that God is punishing us.  I don’t believe that to be the case.  We live in a sin filled fallen world and the Enemy tries to do anything he can to get our eyes off of Jesus, to cause us to doubt our relationship with Him, or even cause us to lose hope and give up.  These times can be scary if we don’t keep our faith rooted in Christ, better yet, even with our faith in Christ, they are scary, but the good news is that God is with us every step of the way.  As we seek Him, he comforts us and gives us the hope we need for every situation thrown our way and in this process, he teaches us and makes us more like Christ.

    What about you?  What are some challenges you are facing?  Have you asked God for His strength and understanding, or have you put God on pause and tried to solve them yourself?  Today, give those challenges to the Lord, because the Bible says that God causes EVERYTHING to work together for the GOOD of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

  • Weekend Review

    I had a great weekend.  I really enjoyed my time at Student Life with our HS students.  Francis Chan spoke and Kristian Stanfill led worship.  For most of our Students Friday Night when we had the worst seats seemed to speak to the the most.  Francis talked about How Holy God is using this passage of scripture –

    After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

    In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

    “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”

    9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
    11“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
    for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”

    Revelation 4

    Student Life was awesome! Afterward we sat in a park and had some time of reflection.  I challenged to students to respond to this question Francis challenged us to ask God, God look at me right now and tell me what bothers you!  Help me to love you enough to get rid of those things!!

    Great Question for each of us to ask.  What is keeping you from experiencing God completely?  Do you love Him enough to give those things up?

    Still diggn this song!!!

  • Student Life Conference – Lord of All

    We had a great time last night.  God used Kristian Stanfill and Francis Chan in a big way to bring to lofe just how big and how Holy God is!  This song kicked our rears.  The words are so powerful!!!

    I am excited to see what God does today . . . in me and our group!!!