Dan Gould

  • National Day of Prayer

    As I get started today here are the things that I am Praying for. I put it in an acronym I stole from Doug Fields. You can use this as a format for prayer.

    Adoration
    God you alone deserve my worship.
    Your faithful love amazes me.
    You have provided and blessed me beyond what I deserve: loving wife, healthy kids, friends that challenge me to grow, food and shelter, and the list goes on.

    Confession
    Sometimes I am fearful instead of faithful.
    Sometimes I am selfish instead of selfless.
    Sometimes I try to solve things in my own strength.
    I wish I talked to you more.
    Sometimes I catch myself going through the motions without being totally present.
    I need you.

    Thanksgiving
    I am thankful for my wife, she blesses me more than she knows.
    I am thankful for my kids, they area a joy/challenge but teach me everyday.
    I am thankful for the friends that have been prayer warriors for us this year.
    I am thankful for the opportunities to be used by you to influence students for your Kingdom.

    Uplifting
    I have been encouraged by the miracles we have seen with Jackson.
    Seeing students come to know you amazes me how you can use me as an influence.
    Following your leading even when we haven’t understood completely has blessed and encouraged us.

    Petition
    Guide my thoughts, actions, re-actions, attitudes, and time to maximze the opportunities I have as a Husband, Father, Friend Leader!
    Comfort those that are hurting from a loss or illness.
    Give our ministry a vision that is bigger that we are so when we look back we see that you have been with us.
    Give our church a clear unified approach to reaching and caring for the people in Collin County.
    Strengthen families and relationships in our community, nation, and world.
    Protect the innocent and those that have no voce for themselves.
    Convict us of our sin and help us to turn to you with all of our hearts.
    Lead pastors to be bold in proclaiming your truth with love.
    Give wisdom to our government leaders as they address issues and make policies.
    Give us wisdom as a nation as we begin to choose a new president.
    Please lower gas prices.

    God these and many other things are on my heart today. You know my heart, my thoughts, my needs, and my desires I pray that this day as christians gather around the nation to seek your face that you would hear our prayer and begin to turn hearts back to you! I pray all these things in the Name of Jesus

  • Ezekiel 37:1-14

    The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones. He led me all around among the bones that covered the valley floor. They were scattered everywhere across the ground and were completely dried out. Then he asked me, ‘Son of man, can these bones become living people again?’
    ‘O Sovereign Lord,’ I replied, ‘you alone know the answer to that.’”
    v. 1-3
    The dry bones represented the people’s spiritually dead condition. Your church may seem like a heap of dry bones to you, spiritually dead with no hope of vitality. But just as God promised to restore his nation, he can restore my church, no matter how dry or dead it can be. Rather than give up, pray for renewal, for God can restore it to life. The hope and prayer of every church should be that God will put his spirit into it. In fact; God is at work calling his people back to himself, bringing life into dead churches and spiritually dead people.

    Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

  • Jeremiah 38:1-13

    “So these officials went to the king and said, ‘Sir, this man must die! That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few fighting men we have left, as well as that of all the people. This man is a traitor!’” v.4
    Judah’s leaders persecuted Jeremiah repeatedly for faithfully proclaiming Gods messages. For 40 years of faithful ministry, he received no acclaim, no love, no popular following. He was beaten, jailed, threatened, and even forced to leave his homeland. Only the pagan Babylonians showed him any respect. God does not guarantee that his servants will escape persecution, even when they are faithful. But God does promise that he will be with them and will give them strength to endure. As you minister to others, recognize that your service is for God and not just for human approval. God rewards our faithfulness, but not always during our lifetime.

    Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

  • Jeremiah 36

    “Each time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took a knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up. Neither the king nor his attendants showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard. Even when Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll, he wouldn’t listen.” v.23-25


    Only three leaders protested this evil act of burning the scroll containing God’s Word. This shows how complacent and insensitive to God the people had become. Not only did the king reject God’s Word, he tried to destroy it. Speaking out against these actions took courage. Anyone who decides to live for God must be willing to stand for right even if almost everyone else turns away. It is in the climate of darkness and sin that genuine faith shines most brightly.

    When I hear things that confront sin in my life, unknown and known, how do I respond? Do I listen and repent, or do I ignore and indulge?

    Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

  • The Day from Crapville

    Today was one of those tuff days that you never want to repeat. However, when you look back on it later in life, it is sure to be a pivotal marker in your development.

    It all started with my evaluation. Not that the evaluation went bad, it was actually pretty good. I seem to be above expectations in all areas but one. I understand leadership development and want to grow as a leader, but I learned something today that I am still fleshing out. Today in my evaluation we flew through the things that were above average and spent most of our time on one area that was average. I think there were like 8 things that I was evaluated on but to be honest, I have no idea what the other 7 were because all we really talked about was the 1 area I was average.

    Lesson 1: Leaders are Learners I want to be the best leader I can be, but spending more time on the success instead of skimming them to get to the one average area, can cause people to miss the opportunity to celebrate successes. Growth has to happen, and challenges have to be given, but lets not overlook success to get to that point!

    Secondly, when you work with volunteers, sometimes it is hard to read what they mean by the way they say certain things. As much as you try not to read into a situation or comment, it is hard not to take things personally. I don’t think it was meant to be a personal thing, but it could easily be taken that way if I dwell on it.

    Lesson 2: Leaders are Learners I want to be the best leader I can be, but sometimes constructive criticism can be hurtful if you are blind-sided by it or take it in the wrong way or with the wrong attitude.

    I know these are times that I am growing and being stretched as a leader, but it isn’t fun!!!!!

    “As iron sharpens iron,
    so a friend sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)

    Refiner’s fire

    Purify my heart
    Let me be as gold and precious silver
    Purify my heart
    Let me be as gold, pure gold

    Refiner’s fire
    My heart’s one desire
    Is to be holy
    Set apart for You Lord
    I choose to be holy
    Set apart for You my Master
    Ready to do Your will
    Brian Doerksen / 1990 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing

  • Jeremiah 1:1-10

    “‘O Sovereign Lord,’ I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

    The Lord replied, ‘Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!’ Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,

    ‘Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
    Today I appoint you to stand up
    against nations and kingdoms.
    Some you must uproot and tear down,
    destroy and overthrow.
    Others you must build up
    and plant.’” v.6-10
    Often people struggle with new challenges because they lack self-confidence, feeling that they have inadequate ability, training, or experience. Jeremiah thought he was ‘too young’ and inexperienced to be God’s prophet to the nations. But God promised to be with him. We should not allow feelings of inadequacy keep us from obeying God. He will always be with us. If God gives you a job to do, He will provide all you need to do it!

    Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

  • Isaiah 53

    “Yet it was our weaknesses he carried;
    it was our sorrows[a] that weighed him down.
    And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God,
    a punishment for his own sins!
    But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
    He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
    All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
    Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.” v. 4- 6
    This prophecy was fulfilled by the death of Jesus. How could an Old Testament person understand the idea of Christ dying for our sins – actually bearing the punishment that we deserved? The sacrifice suggested this, but it is one thing to kill a lamb, and something quit different to think of God’s chosen servant as that Lamb. But God was pulling aside the curtain of time to let the people Isaiah’s of day look ahead to the suffering of the future Messiah and the resulting forgiveness made available to all people!

    Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

  • Isaiah 6

    “Then I said, ‘It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’
    Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, ‘See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.’
    Then I heard the Lord asking, ‘Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’
    I said, ‘Here I am. Send me.’” v. 5-8
    Seeing the Lord and listening to the praise of the angles, Isaiah realized that he was sinful before God, with no hope of measuring up to God standard of holiness. When Isaiah’s lips were touched with a live burning coal, however, he was told that his sins were forgiven. It wasn’t the coal that cleansed him, but God. In response, Isaiah submitted himself entirely to God’s service. No matter how dificult his task would be, he said, “Here I am. Send me.” The painful cleansing process was necessary before Isaiah could fulfill the task to which God was calling him. Before we accept God’s call to speak for him to those around us we must be cleansed as Isaiah was, confessing our sins and submitting to God’s control. Letting God purify us may be painful, but we must be purified so that we can truly represent God, who is pure and holy.

    Taken from the NLT Life Application Study Bible

  • Stealing Internet

    It’s almost midnight and I have had a slow internet connection all day on my secure wireless network. So just for my own curiosity, I have connected to an un-secure network from one of my neighbors. Though the connection only gives me one bar – it is light speeds faster than mire secure-wireless network that show 4 bars. I think I need a new router. This will be the second one I have replaced in 2 years. What should we get? Wireless G or N. Not impressed with my N right now!

  • PDYM Regional – Dallas

    Getting ready for day 2 of the PDYM Regional – Dallas. Last night was good. Megan talked about Life Hurts God Heals, starting with an overview of the ministry and moving into practical insights of how it can be used in our ministries, by showing how it is used in their ministry. I think that makes sense. Very good stuff!!! Especially the importance of leaders!

    Today, Doug will share about Purpose Driven Youth Ministry. I am excited! I have all of our paid youth staff and some of our volunteers at the conference and look forward to followup conversations with each of them. It will be interesting to see how Doug takes a 3 day conference and packs it all into one day. Should be great learning with the team!