Dan Gould

  • Church Stalker

    A couple of years ago my wife called me a church stalker because of the time I spend learning from and looking at other churches websites!  The name has kinda stuck! Because of this desire to learn it has allowed me to come across some really cool ideas that we can implement in the church.

    Recently I have been thinking of ways to make a website/blog/app more personal.  Today as I searched, I stumbled across one of my ideas that New Spring church is actually doing and doing very well.  It kinda has an I am Second feel to it but it seems to be more relational because it’s the story of everyday people.  I’ve only watched two of them so far, but the ones I have seen have literally made my eyes swell.  This is the power of Christ at work in the lives of everyday people.  It’s real, its raw and unscripted. It brings power to what the Bible says in Revelation 12:11,

    “They have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.”

    Here is just one of the stories that are featured on the New Spring Church website! If you have the time watch some others while you are there.  Powerful stories of what Christ is doing in the everyday life of people just like you and me!

    You have a story to tell!  Are you sharing yours with others? Would you be willing to tell your story on video?

     

  • The Bible Challenge

    Many of you have asked if I will continue doing the Bible Challenge since I am no longer at Grace Community Church?  This is a great question, and tho I started reading in Matthew instead of John in 1.2 The Gospels, the answer is YES, I will continue to blog my daily readings here.

    If you remember, we started the Bible Challenge as a push to engage people in reading scripture. We created a plan based on what I have found to work for me, a person who is not a big time reader, but who desire to be.  The plan is simple, read one chapter a day 5 days a week.  It’s not too much reading nor too little.  And, if you get behind, you have two days to catch-up.  This plan was not created as a check list for reading through the Bible, but a roadmap to help you develop the habit of spending time alone with God in His Word.  The Bible Challenge isn’t something that I do, its transforming who I am! It will do the same for you if you will make the time a priority and open your Bible!

    As my mentor use to say to me, God’s only a call away, His number is Jeremiah 33:3,  “Call to me and I will teach you things you do not know.” I pray that you will begin/continue the journey with me, so we can experience the work of Christ in the surrender of our hearts and lives!

    “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:8-9 (NLT)


  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 11

    “At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: ‘O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!’” v. 25-26

    Is God hiding? Could there be more of Him than what you and I have experienced? The answer is Yes! The things of God are hidden to those who do not believe!  If you don’t believe me check this out, “But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT) When you believe and surrender your life to Christ the Bible says that the Holy Spirit comes to live in you heart.  The Holy Spirit reveals the things of God to us. The more we surrender our lives to Christ, the more we learn about God and experience Him in our daily lives.  On the day of your salvation, the day you

    1. Admitted you were a sinner!
    2. Believed Jesus died on a cross because of your sin and resurrected from the dead to offer the forgiveness of sin and eternal life.
    3. Committed your life to Jesus by surrendering everything you are for everything He is.

    you received all of the Holy Spirit.  But in the everyday surrender of your heart, where you become more like Christ, is not you getting more of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit getting more of you! This is why it so important to be in the Word and Pray.  Its our opportunity to give our life away, so we can gain a life we can’t produce on our own. And it all starts with a child like faith that believes Jesus is who He says He is and He will do what He has promised to do. So the question is, are you playing hide and seek with God, or are you Following the Leader?

    Today, seek the Lord in a new way! Do something different that allows you to experience Him in a new way or causes you to grow deeper in Faith!

  • Matthew 10

    “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. 17 But beware! For you will be handed over to the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. 18 You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me.[e] 19When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” v.16-20

    Now let me help you understand some things here. Sheep are among the most helpless of all domesticated animals. They are also some of the most dumb and senseless animals on the planet.  Harmless noises can send them into a frenzy, and when they face danger, they have no defense mechanism.  All they can do is run, and unfortunately they are slow runners. So, the dumbest thing a sheep can do is to wander into a pack of wolves.

    Basically, Jesus is telling His disciples to go into the danger! We don’t think like this. We say things like, “The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.” We think, If it’s dangerous, God must not be in it. If it’s risky, if it’s unsafe, if it’s costly, it must not be God’s will.

    But what if these factors are actually the criteria by which we determine something is God’s Will? What if we began to look at the design of God as the most dangerous option before us? What if the center of God’s will is in reality the most unsafe place for us to be?

    You see the real question is this: Are we willing, like the first disciples were, to be the first to go into danger and possibly even die there in order that those who come behind us might experience the fruit of our sacrifice? What if such sacrifice is exactly what it takes for many of the unreached people in the world who are presently hostile to the gospel to one day surrender their hearts to Jesus?

    Today, will you go wherever Jesus tells you to go?

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 9

    “For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” v 13 (NLT)

    Pride is a dangerous thing.  It causes us to think we are healthier and better than we really are.  It’s a way that we can look good on the outside, and not deal with the insecurities, motives, hurt, sickness, … that is going on on the inside.  However, there is real freedom when we are able to step outside of the pride that tries to hold us back.  When we don’t fear what others might think and deal with our greatest needs and what truly makes us who we are, our pride begins to diminish and our humility begins to live.  This is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of true inner strength and beauty.

    Jesus says, that until we realize that we don’t have it all together, we will think that we have no need for Him.  When we admit that we don’t have it all together, that the place were we can begin to see Jesus do is greatest work in our lives.

    Today, has pride kept you from being honest with yourself? What areas do you need to turnover to Jesus so you can experience the victory found in Him through humility?

     

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 8

    “The disciples were amazed. ‘Who is this man?’ they asked. ‘Even the winds and waves obey him!’” v.27 (NLT)

    Today, when was the last time you were amazed by God? What would it take for God to amaze you? Something to think about today!

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 7

    “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell 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.” v13-14 (NLT)

    Some believe there are many ways to heaven.  They would say that we are all seeking the same God just in different ways.  But the reality is, there is only One Kingdom, and One way to get there. It’s not found in being a good moral person, going to church, praying, being baptized,  reading the Bible or other books claiming to lead to God, it’s not even found in being a religious person.  The way to heaven is only found in the simple yet difficult surrender of our heart.  Tho this list of things are good, and can help lead us to living more like Christ, they, in themselves, cannot remove our greatest problem … sin.

    The only way to remove sin from our life is found in the confession, surrender, and repentance of our heart.  It’s where we understand all that Christ has done for us and we surrender everything we are, so we can experience everything He is. Has there been a point in your life where you have surrendered everything to Him?

    Today, have you surrendered everything to follow Jesus? If not, and you would like to, click here!

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 6

    “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)

    Do you find it easier to serve when people are around? Is it easier to follow the commands of Christ when people are watching?  I think many of us would say yes to some extent. The fact is, we all want people to have good thoughts about us, so we try to do our best, and God wants our best.  But, when we are more worried about what others think of our serving, we have missed the whole reason we serve.  We serve in-order to advance the Kingdom and His name sake, not to advance our popularity, or to make much of our name.

    The reality is we serve because He served, we give because He gave, we love because He loved, everything we do should be a reflection of what He has already done.  As you go through today, think of ways that you can serve in secret.  The richest blessings are found in secret obedience, where worldly applause is silenced by a heavenly celebration!

    Today, will you serve in secret? Will you live for an audience of 1?

     

     

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 5

    “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” v. 14-16 (NLT)

    You are the light of the world …. Shine!  In the Christian lingo this phrase is said a lot, but for some reason it seems that we have tuned out the importance of this passage.  Maybe it’s because we have heard it so much that the weight of these words has diminished in the way the way we live.  There are several things that can impact how bright we shine for Christ. And honestly, some times it’s in the times of uncertainty that we end up shining brightest for Him.

    Today, You are the light of the world if Jesus is your Lord and Savior! However, your brightness is totally dependent on how much you surrender! Remember what Jesus says in Matthew 10:39,

    “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”

     

  • Bible Challenge – Matthew 4

    “Jesus called out to them, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ 20 And they left their nets at once and followed him.” v. 19-20 (NLT)

    Jesus was asking these fisherman to drop everything they knew to follow Him.  The call is the same for us. The essence of being a Christ Follower means that we have dropped everything that we once knew, once held onto, once perused, in order to follow Him and go where He goes.  Sadly, many times instead of dropping everything, we try to hang on to somethings.  It’s almost as if we say, “I’ll follow you Jesus as long as you don’t ask me to do this, or give up that.” And the power struggle begins.

    Jesus simple call requires surrendering everything.  It means that we recklessly abandon all we know to chase after Him.  It’s a commitment that requires dedication, discipline, and action. Have you given up everything to Follow Christ … or is there something you are hanging on to?

    Today, Have you dropped everything to follow Jesus, or are there areas of your life that you are still hanging on too?