Dan Gould

  • Weekend Review – Scarred

    What a weekend!!!  Crud war was nasty but fun.  I think i finally stopped smelling tomato/banana/ranch/mustard today.  Here is the announcement video from yesterday shot at Crud War.

    This weekend we started a new series called Scarred.  The students responded in a big way, and God really met them where they were.  I am excited to see what happens this week and see how many students will take the next step and sign up for Life Hurts God Heals.  Here are some pictures of our Student Worship Team before the service and the Intro Video Andy made for the series.

  • 1st Peter 2

    “Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.” v. 11-12 (NLT)

    As believers, we are “temporary residence and foreigners” in this world because our real home is with God.  However, it is very easy to get caught up in this world and forget that the world we know right now is only temporary.  Our true loyalty should be to our citizenship in Heaven, not to our citizenship here, because the earth will be destroyed.  Our loyalty should be to God’s truth, his way of life, and his dedicated people.  Because we are loyal to God, we often will feel like strangers in a world that would prefer to ignore God. Thus, the battle for how we live and what we live for rages on the inside of us.  There is always the temptation to put God on pause and live for ourselves in “the moment.”  The enemy will try to convince us to live how we want and ask God for forgiveness latter.  This type of lifestyle cheapens what Christ did on the cross.  Because of the cross and my love and dedication to Christ should cause me to live my life differently.

    Today, lets focus on the coming kingdom and not just the worldly kingdom we see here and now.  Depending on how we live now, in this world, will determine how and where we live in the future.  Don’t cheapen the cross by believing the temptation to live how you want now, and ask for forgiveness later.  Choose today to live for Christ, not for yourself or for anyone else, and you will experience God in ways you never thought possible!

  • James 3

    “Dear brothers and sisters,[a] not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2 Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.” v 1-2 (NLT)

    What you say and what you don’t say are important.  To use proper speech you must not only say the right words at the right time but also not say what you shouldn’t. Examples of an untamed tongue include gossiping, putting others down, bragging, manipulating, false teaching, exaggerating, complaining, flattering, and lying.  Our words have the ability to build people up or tear them down.

    I have found that if I think before I speak, I use better words.  This forces me not to spout off in the moment. (i am still working through this).  Before you speak ask yourself are my words . . .

    TRUTHFUL – is this fact or gossip?

    HELPFUL – Do my words help them or hurt them? Constructive criticism is helpful when it’s done in love. When its not done in love that’s just criticism.

    INSPIRATIONAL – Does it bring them closer to God or push them further from God? Does it inspire them to do grater things?

    NECESSARY – Do I need to even say anything? Sometimes we are smarter with our mouth’s shut!

    KIND – Are my words kind?

    Today, let’s think twice before we speak once.  Words are powerful … use them wisely!!!!

  • James 2

    “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?  Can that kind of faith save anyone?” v. 14 (NLT)

    We have all heard it, actions speak louder than words.  If you never spoke a word, would people know that you are a Christian by the things you do.  The reality is, the things we believe begin to change our actions.  “When someone claims to have faith, what he or she may have is intellectual assent – agreement with a set of Christian teachings – and as such it would be incomplete faith.  True faith transforms our conduct as well as our thoughts.  If our life remains unchanged, we don’t truly believe the truths we claim to believe.” (Life Application Study Bible)

    Today, let’s begin to put our faith into action and show others our faith instead of something we talk about.  It’s easier to talk the talk, but the challenge and question today is can we walk the walk?

  • Fast Trip and a Fast Weekend

    Where did it go?

    The weekend was filled with highs and lows but defiantly one we wont forget.  The highs would include seeing our families, celebrating with Rachel on Graduating College, Eating at Mexican Villa in Springfield MO, taking the bots to Dunnigan Park in Bolivar MO.  This is the place that Stephanie and I started dating and have been dating ever since. The weekend ended with a great end of the year small group party at the Winters Home for our 11th and 12th graders and a Craw-fish Boil today at the Millsaps.  These were some awesome times in a cram packed weekend. But it wouldn’t be a Gould weekend without some sort of Drama.

    Here are the lows from the weekend, Pizza Hut in McAlester OK, The Drive to Missouri, Josiah getting croup while in MO, The Drive back to Texas in the rain, which caused us to miss the Big Cabin exist forcing us to take the long way home. But the real kicker came Sunday Morning when our projectors went out just before our MS service.  This through me off so much because I had 2 videos taking up 8 minutes of my talk.  We ended up showing it on a little 27 inch stage monitor turned to the crowd.  Talk about throwing you off your game.  I was thankful we got one projector working for the HS school service.

    However, even though it went by fast, it was a good weekend filled with several memory markers.  Here are some pics that I captured from the weekend:

  • Home: No place for Bible Study

    A San Diego pastor and his wife claim they were interrogated by a county official and warned they will face escalating fines if they continue to hold Bible studies in their home. The couple, whose names are being withheld until a demand letter can be filed on their behalf, told their attorney a county government employee knocked on their door on Good Friday, asking a litany of questions about their Tuesday night Bible studies, which are attended by approximately 15 people.  Read More

  • Kris Allen – Heartless

    Ok, I may have just become a Kris Allen fan. I really liked his version of Heartless. If you missed it here it is!!!!

    Vodpod videos no longer available.

    more about “Kris Allen – Heartless“, posted with vodpod

  • James 1

    “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.” v. 22-25 (NLT)

    When I first started reading the Bible at the age of 18 James was the place I started.  I think I picked it because it was short and I wanted to say that I had read a book in the Bible.  The Bible can be intimidating, especially if you are not a good reader or don’t like to read.  Those usually go hand in hand.  Well it did for me.  But I still remember the first time I read these verses.  They were so convicting, but encouraging at the same  time.  You see I was guilty of hearing and knowing a little bit about the Bible, but I didn’t live out or reflect the things I had heard or learned.  (this is still a challenge today)  But the secret to the Life that God wants us to live is found in the pages of the Bible, His Word.  When we read, or hear them they should move us to a different place in our thoughts and actions.  What we truly believe will be seen in the everyday life we live.  My prayer today is that I would practice the things I read and hear, so I can live the life God desires me to live.  One filled with adventure, challenges, and victories!

    Today, will you ask God to help you to apply the things you have heard and read so you can live the life He has created for you.  If you aren’t or haven’t read or listend to the words written in the Bible, I want to encourage you to grab a Bible, and start reading one chapter a day.  Highlight the things that speak to you and commit those to memory and action.

  • Twitter & FaceBook have wounded my blog, and life is busy!!!

    I must admit that I haven’t been posting many blogs lately other than some devotionals or thoughts on American Idol.  There have been a couple of reasons for this.

    1.) Life has become so busy – In March Stephanie switched jobs and moved from working the front desk at Grace to working at Grace Christian Preschool at the church.  She made the switch for a couple of reasons, the big one was to allow me to be in the office more, which  you would think would make work easier . . . but it hasn’t.  It seems that there is always more to do.  However, I have enjoyed the time to have random lunches with staff, students, and other leaders form area churches.

    2.) Twitter and FaceBook – I must admit, I was a little hesitant in getting twitter.  At first, I thought it was unrealistic to let people know every time i was going to the boys room.  But, twitter has become so much more than what I expected.  I am not the best at it, but now I find myself checking twitter more than reading blogs.  Here is why:

    • It’s short and to the point.
    • I can see several people from one page.
    • It interfaces with FaceBook.
    • I get more dialogue through Twitter and FaceBook than my blog

    These four things have caused me to blog less and twit more. Yes it is cool  to see my loyal blog readership increase, but this new concept of micro blogging has really become addicting,  In fact, I have had way more interaction with people that follow my twitter or are friends on FaceBook, than I did having dialogue with people on the blog.

    So with this being said, I want to encourage you with this, if you don’t know what Twitter is, click this link to see my profile http://twitter.com/dgould77 – If you have FaceBook and can txt from your phone, think again about joining twitter, you would probably really enjoy it.

    3.) Apathy – I’ll admit it, I have become apathetic in writing new things.  I have several idea’s for new post but just lack the drive to sit down and type the details.  Please keep in mind that I don’t know how to type! (yes, I still hunt and peck, but I sure have become fast at it over the years.)  It’s hard to justify coming home late and then telling the world about my day at the expense of spending time with my family.  Not perfect, but it is really something close to my heart, and something I have been trying to work on.

    So, I said all of that just to say this . . . I will continue to blog, but for the fastest or most up-to-date info on whats going on in the Gould household, follow me on Twitter or catch me on FaceBook.  It’s much easier for me to post a thought, pic, or statement from my phone in 140 characters or less than to get the laptop out to write a new post at the end of the day!

  • Hebrews 12

    “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” v.1 (NLT)

    The Christian life involves hard work.  It requires us to give up whatever endangers our relationship with God, to run with endurance, and to struggle against sin with the power of the Holy Spirit.  To live effectively, we must keep our eyes on Jesus.  We will stumble if we look away from him to stare at ourselves or at circumstances surrounding us.  We should be running for Christ, not ourselves, and we must always keep Him in sight.

    Today, lets keep our eyes on Jesus, and surrender every circumstance and decision to Him.