The Place FBC

Full Life

2011-02-22T11:37:00.000-08:00

When people get saved most of them get saved for the end product = HEAVEN. A lot of times salvation comes from a fear of HELL. A massive part of the Christian life is being missed…RIGHT NOW! Don’t get me wrong, being saved from HELL is significant!!! And having the promise of HEAVEN is outstanding!!! But what about when Jesus said: “I came to give life-life in all its fullness.” (John 10:10b NCV) He isn’t talking about when we die! He is talking about RIGHT NOW!!! He is giving you an abundant, full, jam-packed life with HIM!!! He doesn’t promise us riches or happiness. In fact He tells us that the world will HATE US because it first hated Him (John 15:18). He promises us a life FULL of HIM!

He is with us every second of every hour of every day…and night. He listens to our prayers, He knows our hearts, and He is constantly talking to us and guiding our paths. Elijah was watching and listening for God in 1 Kings 19 when wind, earthquakes and fire came bursting upon the scene. What if Elijah would have thought that this was God speaking and he jumped into action and began working for God. If that were the case Elijah would have missed the “still small voice” of God speaking to him! There was a reason that Jesus often went to a quiet place to pray…it’s because He wanted to hear that “still small voice” from His Father! Don’t let life get in the way…the busyness the craziness and the noise…spend time with God and listen for Him to speak!
That is what salvation is…A LIFE FULL OF A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS HIMSELF!!!

If all salvation is to you is getting to go to heaven when you die…you are missing the boat…start living a FULL life TODAY!!!

Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place

Never Passed This Way Before

2010-12-17T07:28:00.000-08:00

“You have not passed this way before.” Joshua 3:4

What an amazing verse. This verse can apply to a lot of life’s situations. As a Christian in today’s world it’s hard to stick with “TRADITION.” Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever…but that doesn’t mean you could fit His life and everything about Him into a neat little box…people believe certain things…and they think that is all there is to being a Christian.

Growing up I was always taught to live a “good Christian life.” I was taught to be in church EVERYTIME the doors were open, read my Bible every day, ask forgiveness of my sins daily...

But…now as an adult I see that’s ALL WRONG!

I can’t live up to God’s expectations…God only accepts perfection…through my own power…I will never be perfect! Only through dying to myself and surrendering to God and allowing Jesus to live His life through me can I reach perfection!

I’m positive that I’m gonna have a lot of “You have not passed this way before” moments in my lifetime…Lord give me the wisdom to know that the “TRADITIONAL” way isn’t always Your way!

TRADITION = this is how we’ve always done it!

Jesus didn’t do TRADITION!!!

Jesus did what His Father directed Him to do…REGARDLESS of what anyone else said, felt, thought, or believed! Shouldn’t we too?

Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place

Burst Through The Doors!

2010-11-22T19:09:00.000-08:00

“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

A story is told of Tad Lincoln bursting through doors into his father Abrahams office during a cabinet meeting…in the middle of the Civil War…the men were probably agitated at this young boy and his cries of a turkey “Jack,” his friend being killed for Christmas dinner. Tad pleaded his case openly and sincerely to his father…he didn’t care what everyone else thought…he wanted his request known to his father. And Abraham in the midst of one of the most turbulent times in American history…put everything to the side…dropped his papers…picked up his son and listened to his every word…and took care of the request!

It is unbelievable that I can approach the God of the universe in the same way Tad approached his father, the President of the United States…he didn’t need permission or approval…he simply had to open the doors…and make his request known.

Prayer is the same exact thing…anytime, anywhere I can approach God with my requests…He just like Abraham will drop EVERYTHING to listen to my every word and pull me to Him and as Zephaniah 3:17 says: He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place

...Waiting...

2010-11-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

Scars

2010-11-08T09:44:00.001-08:00

I have a lot of scars…I have scars from dog bites, bike wrecks, football games, punching garbage bags with glass in them (I was 4), falling out of trees and many…many other ridiculous circumstances where I’ve hurt myself. Physically I’ve gained a lot of scars. But emotionally I have scars too. I have those moments in my life where I have been let down or hurt. All of these times serve as reminders of how “unfair” life can be. Often I am reminded of these scars and the deep cuts they have left. Many people…scratch that…ALL people have some kind of emotional scars that they deal with. Whether it’s the abandonment of a parent, physical or verbal abuse, strained relationships, or wrong decisions we all bear some kind of scars. And if we aren’t careful we allow these scars to define us…we can use them as excuses or as crutches for shallow reasons as to why we are the way we are.
BUT…the Bible tells us about some scars that reach farther and cut deeper than our own. The scars of Jesus know our pain! They were put there to give us an opportunity for a new identity and a new future! If we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, His scars have replaced ours!!! One day because of His scars we will be given a new body that will be unblemished and perfect!

Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place

Step Out

2010-10-22T09:45:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite Bible stories growing up was Peter walking on water. (Matthew 14:22-33) I can remember hearing this story multiple times from many different speakers. And it seems to me that every time I heard this story there was a focus on the part where Peter began to sink, he cried out, Jesus caught him and then Jesus discussed his lack of faith. We were always told that we should always have faith…we should always trust…we should NEVER doubt…and I can remember thinking to myself…okay you go out in the river on a stormy night and just step out…see how fast you start crying out and flipping your lid like Peter! I think that this portion of scripture shows us just how HUMAN, how NORMAL and how SIMILAR Peter is compared to us.
The part that I like to focus on is verse 29 where Peter steps out of the boat. That is FAITH! Not one of the other disciples stepped out of that boat!!! NOT ONE!!! Yes Jesus scolded Peter and said “You of little faith.” BUT…Jesus also said that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you can move mountains and that nothing is impossible for you! (Matthew 17:20)
Peter did something that no other person in the history of this world has done…He walked on water!!! I want to have the faith that when everything around me is screaming STAY IN THE BOAT…I step out. If I have the faith to do that…I KNOW that Jesus will catch me!

Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place

Simplify

2010-10-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

This past week I read an article by Beth J. Harpez that was hanging in the teachers’ lounge at school. The title caught my attention quickly… “Is the newest generation of children the dumbest?” I found it online @ Boston.com under the title “Are we raising a generation of nincompoops?”

Link to article: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/09/27/are_we_raising_a_generation_of_nincompoops/

The more I read the article the more I could picture specific moments in my mind of teenagers @ The Place struggling with simple contraptions like tire pumps and water hoses. It honestly worries me that because people have simplified life so much…today’s generation will struggle in the future.

BUT…What worries me even more is the fact that for too long the same thing has happened with scripture. Jesus Himself told us in John 5:39 to “search the scriptures,” and find out for ourselves who HE is. Unfortunately, we as youth leaders want to simplify our youth groups and our message about Jesus. We add more games, more events, more social time, more entertainment, expect larger crowds, and then beg for a few minutes to talk to them about Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, the entertainment aspect is important…BUT…the message of Jesus is more valuable than anything else we could ever offer!

We’ve wasted too much time giving teens a “KNOWLEDGE” of Jesus…

James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God: thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

We as leaders need to be showing teenagers what a “RELATIONSHIP” with Jesus is like. When they begin that relationship they will be given an abundant life that will begin TODAY…and last for ETERNITY! And this relationship will give them a passion to eagerly attain a deeper relationship with Him through His word!
John 8:32 and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

I guess it’s pretty…SIMPLE…

Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place

Line of Sight

2010-07-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

Psalm 31:22
In my alarm I said, “I am cut off from your sight!” Yet you heard my cry for mercy when I called to you for help. NIV

Have you ever seen a kid who is lost somewhere? It could be at a grocery store, a Wal-Mart, the mall, the park, or anywhere. You can see the worry in their eyes, and you can almost hear the question before they squeak, “Where’s my mommy?” You can even feel the pain in their stomach as they wonder what to do. Maybe, just maybe, you’ve been in that same situation once.

As you might have guessed, that happened to me a couple times when I was little. I had a tendency to stop to look at something that was of interest to me, and I thought that anything that important to me was important to mom and dad, too. Unfortunately, I found out that was not usually the case.

Luckily, my mother realized that I needed to be watched closely . . . very closely. So, she didn’t really stray too far, but it was far enough that I couldn’t see her anymore. I was fine looking at that toy on the shelf until I turned around to find her missing. As a little kid, my world just fell apart as that shiver of worry worked its way through me.

My mother, the person who fixed my lunch and bandaged my many hurts, was missing. I didn’t know how I would ever find her. I would think, “Maybe I’ll be alone forever.”

Of course, that is when I would yell for her. I would cry out, “Mom!!” I would yell out “MOM” as if no one else in the store went by that name. Just think of how many “moms,” “mothers,” and “mommies” are walking around Wal-Mart on a given day. Each one of those mothers has their own group of children who use that name to mean “their mom,” and not yours. I mean, imagine every mother simply hearing a child say mom, mommy, or mother. But every time a child yells that name, the right person responds to their cry. They know their child’s voice, and they know who their child wants.

As you read this little message, it might not seem like such a big deal to you, but I can tell you from experience that it means a lot to each little kid who has ever been in that situation. The verse above is from one of David’s psalms, and it tells us a lot about what God is like when we go through these situations.

David is talking about one of these situations. Some circumstance is pressing in on him, and he can’t seem to find God in it. Maybe he’s writing this during one of the long nights he spent alone as a young man tending his sheep. Maybe this is about one of the many nights he spent with his army before a battle. Maybe it is after one of the times that he forgot about God and allowed himself to be carried away by sin. The Bible tells us about many of these things in David’s life.

Do you ever feel like David does in this verse? Where God is nowhere to be found? Do you feel like you’ve gone down the wrong path and become lost from God? Even though you can’t always see God in your life, He’s there. When you think He’s left you behind because of where you’ve been or what you’ve done, you’re wrong.

Like those mothers, He can recognize your voice. He doesn’t hear your cry and say, “Some kid’s crying in the next aisle.” You are not some random, unknown person to Him. This God has taken the time to count every hair on your head. So, your cry is the cry of HIS child, and you are precious and lovely to Him. He wants to pick you up and wipe all the tears from your eyes. He wants to comfort you. But most importantly, HE LOVES YOU. God, the One who made the universe and who holds it together, LOVES YOU.

Jason Nance
& The Leaders
@ The Place

Drifter?

2010-06-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

Even when I feel far from God, or how some say "Drifted Away" it's comforting to read God's word and KNOW that even though I feel like that at times...in all reality...I'm NOT!

Psalm 139:1-18 teaches us that every thought, action, path we go down or words we say aren't a surprise to our God! No matter where we go to hide...He's there! His precious hand...the one that put the stars in the sky...is holding YOU! Think about that, the God of the universe is cradling you in His arms! Whether I'm awake, asleep, happy, sad, grumpy, mad, young, old, educated or not - He is with me - And YOU!

Just something that put a smile on my face!!! Hope it does you too!!!

Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place

Pieces

2010-05-20T05:08:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody, let me introduce myself, if you do not already know who I am. I am Chris Bane, I am one of the “leaders” here at The Place, and a life-long member here at First Baptist(with a short stint at another church-but First Baptist will always be home). I am married to Lorie (most of you may know her from when she taught at Fairland, and she also sings here at church), and I also have 2 awesome kids, Brady -4 and Sydney -8, that you probably have seen around The Place.

Ok, enough about me; Why am I writing on the blog? Well, at first I told Glenn that I wanted to add my own form of humor to this blog, but the more I prayed about it, the more I felt God leading me in a different direction with this whole thing. It is sort of ironic that I felt pulled into a different direction while doing what I always do while driving 50 miles one way to work everyday--LISTENING TO MUSIC! I love music, I consider myself an expert on the subject (not really, but I do love it). I can’t sing. In fact, the only place you will ever find me belting out some tunes is in my car. I am sure many passers-by have thought - “What in the world is that freako doing?” Oh, it’s just me getting into a KLOVE song or maybe some Skillet tune on my iPod.

Music, to me, used to be some cool instruments, a beat and some words until I learned how to let it speak to me. And the great thing about music is that a certain song may say one thing to me and yet another thing to You. What I want to do is take some of the many songs that mean a lot to me and that have also helped me grow in my personal relationship with my Savior, Jesus Christ, and show you how powerful they can be. All you have to do is open your heart and your mind and let God do the rest.

Let’s start with probably my all time favorite song - Pieces, by Red. Now, remember, this is only what I think the band is trying to tell us with this amazing song. To sum up this 6 minute song as easily as I can, I would say that the writer is a Christian who has lost his way in life and realizes that for everything that he has lost, all he has to do is…..LISTEN. Listen for God to call his name and the pieces, that his life has become, are made whole again.

Think of your life as a puzzle, and when you become a Christian your “puzzle” is completely put together. But, as we all know, when we get saved, life does not just stop being hard, and our puzzles can easily be broken into pieces. But OH the good news!!! Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the Ultimate “PUZZLE MASTER”. And all We have to do is look to Jesus and know that We are His children and that He will always love Us and no matter how many little pieces our lives have been shattered into, He WILL put our puzzles back together and make us WHOLE!! Nothing in this crazy world is too bad that your scattered pieces can not be made into the beautiful puzzle that You are! Just let Him call your name, come to Him in pieces, and He can make you WHOLE!

Chris Bane
& The Leaders
@ The Place

Stand Firm

2010-04-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

1 Corinthians 16:13 tells us "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."

In the midst of a storm it's hard to stand firm...when everything around you is trying to knock you down and show you how small you truly are...it can be very complicated to stand firm.

The Christian life is like standing in the midst of a hurricane, a tornado, or a tsunami...it seems like there is no safe place for you to go...everything is swirling around you, (picture the cow from the movie Twister) ready to smack you across the head.

Standing firm in the faith means standing up for God's word...being courageous...being strong! There are times that people aren't going to like or agree with things that you do or say...and it's going to be tough...but remember what Jesus told His disciples in John 15:18-19. "If you find the godless world is hating you, remember it got its start hating me. If you lived on the world's terms, the world would love you as one of its own. But since I picked you to live on God's terms and no longer on the world's terms, the world is going to hate you." (The Message)

As much as it hurts at times to stand firm in the faith...it's worth it!!! Remember, if you have Jesus as your savior...you are in this world, not of it!

It's all temporary...STAND FIRM!

Glenn Dillon
& The Leaders
@ The Place

A Discussion With Jesus

2010-03-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

"In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3

As a young Christian I was intimidated to pray. Often times I would listen to the prayers of the elders in the church and hear the BIG words that their prayers were filled with and then would convince myself that my words weren't eloquent enough...or sincere enough...compared to theirs. But, the older I have become the more I have realized that God simply wants to hear from me. He longs for me to talk to Him!

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says "Pray Continually" or "Pray without ceasing." That tells me that God wants to know all about me. I talk to my wife because I want a "Relationship" with her...not because I have "Committed" to talk to her. I want to know her...and talking to her and LISTENING to her is one of the most important aspects of accomplishing this. It's no different with God...we wants us to talk to Him...and He wants us to LISTEN to Him. He wants to have a RELATIONSHIP with us...and Prayer is a great Avenue to that journey!

Take some time to talk to your Father today...you won't regret it!

Glenn Dillon
and the Leaders
@ The Place

Love?!?!

2010-02-17T13:56:00.000-08:00

John 15:13
No one has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

As I begin the first official blog for "The Place" I believe that this topic is where I want to start. I have worked with teenagers since I was a teenager. I am now 28 and have been a teen leader for 10 years. And now, just like then, I still come across teenagers that are looking for someone to "prove" that they love them. As teen leaders we can care about them and help them with physical needs, but that is simply like putting a band-aid on a mortal wound.

When a teenager can grasp this verse (John 15:13), they will understand that they are loved beyond measure! Jesus Christ loved each and everyone of these young people before they even took their first breath. Jesus didn't have to die...He wanted to die...He made a choice to give us a choice.

When you think no one else cares...Jesus does!

God Bless,

Glenn Dillon
& the leaders
@ The Place