Dan Gould

Author: dgould77

  • Secret Sin Video

    Well the file is toooooo big to post to this blog, but if you missed last Sunday, July 6, 2008, you can still watch the talk which includes the last song by clinking RIGHT HERE! Or you can watch it from our Student Web Site by clicking RIGHT HERE!

    Thanks for all the comments and notes of encouragement! Personally, it would have been much easier to talk about something else than “Secret Sins.”  But that is not the direction the Lord took me.

    Yes, the words were strong!  Very Strong, but the reality is, good people, even Godly people are falling victim to these sinful habits everyday.  The church can’t afford to be scared to talk about these things.  Yes, Jesus died for SIN, all sin, including every word that was said Sunday.  My heart was not to offend anyone but to see people get set free from the power of Secret Sin.

    These are the things that we don’t like to talk about.  However, people are now talking about some of these things.  I have heard very positive comments, thank you’s and even had a question about masturbation asking, “What does the Bible say about it?”  Great question!  I always point people to Ephesians 5:3 which says,

    “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”

    What is a hint?  I don’t think we can justify it after looking at this verse, do you?

  • Luke 7:1-17

    “When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to the crowd that was following him, he said, ‘I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!’” v.9

    In this passage today we see Jesus perform two different miracles, both showing His authority over sickness. But today, verse nine caught my attention.  Jesus says, “I tell you, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!” It causes me to think about my faith.  Sometimes I think it is easier to have superficial faith instead of supernatural faith.  I am still thinking through this but here are my random thoughts:

    Superficial Faith

    • has no depth . . . meaning it’s shallow faith that comes and goes
    • has no life changing commitments
    • isn’t very consistent

    Supernatural Faith

    • has depth . . . meaning it’s a deep faith that stays strong daily!!!
    • has caused some one to experience life change
    • is consistent and evident in a deep (consistent)  prayer life

    There is probably much more to this list, but the challenge is to think about my own faith, would I be more likely to fall in the Superficial or Supernatural?  How about you?  Can you add anything to the list?

  • Ministry Moment and Friends

    This week has been crazy, due to followup from the weekend service, final prep for our Mexico Mission Trip, everyone on the youth staff but me, being on vacation, taking students to Hawaiian Falls, and having to write a talk and print notes for the weekend, plus planning for small groups in the fall.  Man School is going to start before I know it.

    Anyway, the highlight of my week happened last night when my wife helped put together the outline for this weekend!  This is the first time she has helped doing the grunt work of a talk.  Yes she freely adds things I should do or not do, but this was different and really was a lot of fun.

    Then I couldn’t even pull in our driveway before Josiah’s friends were running to the house to play with him.  He instantly began saying, “My friends, My Friends.”  He has asked everyday at about 8:00 in the am if his friends were outside yet.  So he was suppppperrrrrr excited last night to see them running to our house.

    Oh yeah, and Joe has a new favorite song!!!

    He likes to sing, “I can ride my bike with no handlebars, no handlebars” over and over and over.  Did I say over and over?

  • Matthew 7:13-29

    The Narrow Gate

    13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[f] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

    The Tree and Its Fruit

    15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. 16 You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

    True Disciples

    21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

    Building on a Solid Foundation

    24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

    28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.

    This passage of Jesus Teaching ends His Sermon on the Mount.  The key, putting your faith in Christ is the only way to spend eternity in Heaven! Watch how you live and who you listen too!  Make sure He knows your Name.  How?  By putting your faith in Him and surrendering your life to Him!

  • Hawaiian Falls pt 2

    WOW, what a blast.  Little sun burnt but it was so much fun.  The cool part about this water park is that it is christian owned.  Scripture verses posted everywhere and a mix of secular and christian music being played!  Didn’t get a lot of pictures because I was having to much fun but here are the 3 I did snap before I left!

  • Hawaiian Falls

    Today we are taking Students to Hawaiian Falls water park in The Colony.  Should be a fun filled day in the sun.  I am excited, the park looks pretty cool from the highway.  The family is going also so I will post pictures later!  If your a teenager and want to join us it’s only $15.00 and includes lunch.  Meet us at Hawaiian Falls at 10:30am.

  • Matthew 7:1-12

    “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.” v. 1-2 (NLT)

    Jesus tells us to examine or own motives and conduct intead of judging others.  The traits that bother us in others are often the habits we have ourselves.  Our bad habits and behavior patterns are the very ones that we most want to change in others.  Do you find it easy to magnify others’ faults while excusing your own?  If you are ready to criticize someone, check to see if you deserve the same criticism.  Judge yourself first, and then lovingly forgive and help your neighbor.

  • Summer Sickness

    YUK!  I hate being sick and especially in the summer time.  I don’t know if it’s just from all the stress of the weekend, but I feel like I am going to cough up a lung and blow my nose off.  Any home remedies that work?  I just feel yukky!

  • Matthew 6:19-34

    “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” v. 33-34

    It is easy to get consumed by the things of this world!  We turn on the TV and see reality shows that put people in unrealistic environments and assume that that is the way life is supposed to be.  Sadly we begin to look down on ourselves because we haven’t kept up with the Jones.

    Jesus gives hard but to the point teaching here about money.  When you persue money as the primary nessity in life, you become controlled by the lack or abundance of money.  However, money is only temporary.  Situation change so fast, and money can be lost very quickly, thus causing you to compete in the rat race to always have more.

    Today, instead of thinking about money, lets think about all the things God has blessed us with.  Lets cast our cares on him and not worry about today, but pray about the things going on and see if results don’t change!  Father help us to live in a different mindset!

  • Matthew 6:1-18

    “Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.” v. 1 (NLT)

    Let’s be honest, we all want recognition for doing things well.  We wan to know that we met a standard or surpassed it.  In this passage today, Jesus addresses 3 things that we should do (giving, prayer, and fasting), not for the applause of people, but to please God.  When we get these out of place we no longer do them to please God, but to have people look at us and applaud.  Jesus isn’t saying that at times people won’t hear us pray, or find out that we fasted or gave, He is simply saying that it should happen in our secret place with God first.

    When we have that special time alone with God “our secret place” He begins to transform us from the inside out.  He begins to change the way we pray, give, and fast.  We begin to pray as the Lord leads, we give as the Lord leads, and we fast not for others to know, but that God would see that we have a burden and desire for change to happen.  We do it, out of our Love for the Father.  This is what is pleasing to Him.

    Let’s learn from Jesus Words and find a secret place to meet with God!