The word pastor appears once in the bible, while the word shepherd appears approximately 120 times. A true pastor is one who loves and protects people. A true pastor will place his sheep above his own welfare, his life will be a continuous sacrifice similar to the example Jesus set for us. A pastor has a special calling on his life and is a special gift to the church.

Jesus is willing to heal you. When we are suffering with physical ailments remember that Jesus preformed "physical healings" in the bible, not just spiritual ones. Just as he had the authority to forgive sins and heal 2000 years ago, he still does today. As children of the most high God, we need to have faith, trust God and to remember - Nothing happens in our lives that doesn't go through the hand of God!

Can you let go of an offense? What if you were truly treated unfairly, could you forgive the person who hurt you? How we respond is critical for us because our response to an offense will determine our future! Letting go of an offense starts a healing process in our life, but are we willing to let go?

There are five offices/officers in the church, they are the teacher, pastor, apostle, evangelist, and prophet. These 5 gifts to the church are given for three purposes; to perfect the saints, ministry work and to edify the body of Christ. A Teacher is an Equipper and a major blessing to the church to bring insight, knowledge, and wisdom to the people of God.

Laughter can be the best medicine. Hospitals are recognizing the importance laughter plays in our health. Many hospitals today will play cartoons to help patients refocus their minds and improve attitudes. Still there will be times stress, frustration, pain or heartache will push us to our human limits. When faced with these situations we need to face them with a Godly prospective and faith that God is in control. There will always be things to bring us down so make sure your Joy Meter remains full!

Ever been around someone with trench coat mentality? It's the appearance that everything is fine when in fact, it's nowhere near fine. You can use sense that they are hiding something on the inside while wearing a smile on the outside. God knows when we are hurting. We are not being spiritual because we pretend that nothing's wrong. Jesus wants to heal us, but are we letting pride stop the healing?

How do we find our gifts? We find our gifts as we find Christ As we grow and mature in Him, we grow and mature in love. It is this love, His love in us, that moves us, compels us, to act in ways that are a benefit to others and our service to them is a gift to them.Gifts are all about service to others; so that through His body (you and I), together, we can serve as a witness to the world of the goodness and greatness of God and of His power that works in the lives of His believers.

A good team is one that is able to focus on a common goal and achieve it. But it is the coach who directs the team, set an agenda, chooses what role each member of the team plays, corrects and motivates the team. A pastor is like a coach, there is plenty of work but not a lot of glory in equipping God's saints to fulfill their potential within the Body of Christ.

Every time you read your bible you will walk and talk to God, but are we seeking him out? Hunger attacks God, so we need to be continuously seeking Him out with passion. Passion and an open heart are key to our search for wisdom. But as you search for wisdom, remember: God will only tell you what you want to know. God does not impose revelation. He responds to hunger. He hides Himself from those who don't want to see Him. If we believe in nothing, expect nothing, we get nothing. He only shows you what you want to see.

God created us with His purposes in mind, but we need to be connected to Him for it to come to fruition. His purposes will come to light as we follow Him day by day, and our job isn't to "make it happen" but rather to stay close to God. When we stay close, He will make it happen as we walk in the path pre-arranged for us in His perfect will.