DAN GOULD

FROM THE INSIDE OUT

Author: dgould77

  • Acts 4:23-31

    “When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: . . . After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.” v. 24; 31

    Prayer changes everything when it comes from a pure heart.  In what seemed to be their greatest hour, Peter and John have come back to report what had happened to them as they faced the council.  The disciples at this time had a choice, to run and leave behind what Jesus had taught, or to press in and believe that He would be faithful to His teachings.  Instead of running, they pray.  This wasn’t just a whining prayer, this prayer was asking God to help them endure this tough road that could get even tougher.

    God hears their prayer and shows up in a big way through the promised Holy Spirit.  The Bible says that they (everyone) preached the Word of God with Boldness.  The same is true for us today!

    The power of the Holy Spirit first came with the attitude of prayer!  Are you facing a tough situation?  Have you taken the time to talk to God about it?  When you do you unlock the power of God for that situation.  Give it a try today and see if prayer doesn’t impact and empower you and your situation.

  • Illuminate – Be Our Guest This Christmas Eve

    christmas-eve-08

    Make plans to join us at Grace Community Church in Plano, Texas for Christmas Eve.  We have four different services you can attend:

    2:00 pm – Celebration Service with Nativity

    4:00 pm – Celebration Service with Nativity

    6:00 pm – Celebration Service with Nativity

    11:00 pm – Celebration Service with Candles, Choruses and Communion

    We would love to have you as our special guest this Christmas Eve as we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Here is a glimpse of what you could experience.

  • Guys Night

    Last night Josiah and I camped out!!!  Yeah, we set a two man tent up in the living room and watched TV and slept in the tent.  He was so excited about it all day.  This is an easy way to create lasting memories. To see his excitement made it all worth it, even if I didn’t sleep good and my back hurts today!  Here are some pics of our Guys Night!

  • New WordPress Dashboard

    I am going to have to get use to this new dashboard set up! Once I figure everything out I think I might like it. I think there are some lessons to learn here that are bigger than wordpress changing the dashboard.  Here are a few I can think of

    1.  Change can be difficult – It doesn’t matter how well you have thought through changing something, there will always be those in favor and those that oppose it to some degree even if it does make things better, we are creatures of habit.

    2.  Everyone responds to Change differently – It is weird what changes can do to some people.  Some people accept change easily, while other take it hard and some may even try to resist it.  However, Change has to happen sometimes, so don’t be afraid to make changes when they are needed.

    3.  Change creates new opportunity for growth and learning – Let’s face it some changes are easier than others, but some changes cause us to have to learn new things or even create new opportunities for others to get involved.  When you change something, or something has changed on you, don’t be afraid to guestions.  This allows for the best outcome and most production.

    Just some random thoughts.  Now I am off to hang out with the Family.

  • Acts 4:4-22

    “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.” v. 13

    This passage is so awesome!  Here you have Peter and John who heal a crippled beggar at the temple, Peter tells the crowd that gathered in amazement about Jesus, then the two of them, Peter and John are arrested.  After they are questioned, the council concludes that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures.

    This is faith under fire!!!  Peter and John did what Jesus would have done and they taught as Jesus would have taught.  Because of this, they were arrested and told not to talk about such things anymore, but instead they responded with this statement;

    “’Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.’” v. 19 – 20

    When your faith is tested, how do you respond?  When you hit opposition, do you move forward or shrink back?   Let’s be bold and faithful to the things and places the Lord has called us too.  Let’s remember His teachings and His Life and tell others about His Grace and Forgiveness, even if some do try to keep us quiet!

    Father give me boldness that’s not careless, but intentional, passionate, and relational to those I come in contact with!  May they see Jesus in me!

  • Acts 3

    “But Peter said, ‘I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene,[a] get up and[b] walk!’” v. 6

    This was the very first verse I ever lead a devotional on, when I was in College for our Jamacican Mission Team.  As I read it today, I am reminded of that devo and challenged to make the most of every opportunity.

    Peter could have easily walked by this man ignoring him like everyone else, but he stops and acknowledges him.  Peter didn’t necessarily have what the man wanted, but Peter had something the man needed, Jesus.

    Jesus had the power to change this man completely, all Peter had to do was be available to be used by God to impact this person.  But the story doesn’t end there.  This event drew a crowd beacuse the begger was drastically cxhanged and praising God for what had happened to him.  Again, Peter steps up with boldness and proclaims the message of Christ to the people that had gathered there at the Temple.

    Opportunities await us everyday.  Do we take the time to be used by God, or do we ignore those opportunities and move on to something else, maybe a litte easier, less demanding, or requiring nothing from us.  When we ignore the opportunity, we miss out on the potential of that moment.  Let’s be like Peter, and offer what we have, a relationship with Jesus, it may not be what others are asking for, but it is what they truly need, because Jesus has the power to change everything!

  • Thanksgiving Rewind!!!!

    We had a great Thanksgiving with our family.  As we drove from place to place it gave me some time to think about all the things I am thankful for.  So here is a short list of the things I am thankful for:

    1. Jesus – I am not trying to sound super spiritual here but I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for Jesus. At a young age giving my life to Christ was something I did because I wanted to go to Heaven.  At 18, when I learned more about what it truly meant to be a Christian changed my life forever.  Today, I am so thankful for His grace, mercy, and blessings.  Every time I look at the things in my life I am reminded of how good God is!
    2. My Family – I can’t imagine life without my family of 4.  It has been a challenging year with Jackson being in and out of the hospital with really non-related things, but to be honest, we are so blessed and it really could be much worse.  Seeing Stephanie smile and hearing her laugh still lights me up on the inside like it did the first day we met.  Josiah is growing so fast!  Watching him look and experience new things in life helps me remember what it was like to be a kid and experience things all over again!  Jackson has a way just to brighten any situation.  From his laugh to his babble, when I look at him i see the miracle of God and am reminded just how precious life is and how faithful God is!
    3. My Extended Family – Stephanie and I come from very different families.  Our families have played such a huge role in developing us, caring for us, and helping us succeed in life.  It’s always good to come home, and sad to leave because the time goes by so fast.  The boys have had a blast with the family over the past couple of days.  We are so blessed and the boys are so spoiled because of them.
    4. Our Church Family – We have been humbled and blessed by the generosity of our church family.  Words can’t even explain the feelings of gratitude we have.  To be loved on in such a big way spoke to the depths of our hearts.  All we can say is thank you!
    5. Our Friends – We have great friends around the nation.  Your prayers, time,  and words of encouragement have been a blessing to us.

    What about you, did you take time to think or talk about the things you are thankful for?  What would your list include?

  • Acts 2:42-47

    “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper[a]), and to prayer.

    43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity[b]—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”

    What are the first thoughts that come to mind when you read this passage?  Leave a comment so we can learn from each other!

  • Another Thanksgiving Meal, Family Portrait, & MU Football

    Today started early with a nice appointment to the Chiropractor.  While adjusting me the Chiropractor said “You really needed this didn’t you?”  I guess was a nice way to say, “Man, you are messed up!”  After about 10 minutes she was done and moved on to Stephanie.  Visiting the Chiropractor seems to be the family stop when we are in Salem.  I have no idea why, that’s just the way it goes.

    At noon all the family showed up for another Thanksgiving meal.  This time we had ham instead of turkey.  The food was so good.  I think I have gained 15 pounds just this week!  We took tons of pictures!  It seemed every time I turned around someone was snapping a picture.

    Sadly, Mizzou lost to Kansas today in Football.  It was an exciting game and KU played good.  Sad day for MU fans but a great way for KU to end the season and hopefully get a bowl game.  Yes I said it, that’s for you Mike and the Cunningham’s!

    Here are some of the pics from today.

  • WordPress.org vs WordPress.com

    I have been thinking about switching to a wordpress.org account so I could have more freedom with my blog.  However, I like the fact that wordpress.com is free even though it is limited. So here is my real question, is it better to pay for the custom css on wordpress.com or to transfer over to a web host with a new domain and use wordpress.org and pay a monthly fee?  Help wanted . . . any suggestions?