Journey of Shawn Peoples' Walk in Grace!

So I woke up singing "it's too late for pumpkin pie" this morning with this tune I knew I had heard before. As I searched the Internet I found it "Apologize by Timberland featuring OneRepublic. I have to admit I really like the guys voice, he has incredible control and sound for a white guy. As I am becoming addicted to this song, I began to listen to the message it seemed to portray. I have watched a couple of different videos on this song and have come to the same conclusions. (a little legal note: I have not researched what the author says the meaning of this song is and will not assume that my definition of this song is the intent, I just see a few messages this song sends besides the awesome sound) 1. (and this one is true to many times) We humans think it's too late to apologize when we do something wrong. How many relationships have we lost because of a lack of humility or concern for others. Never mind the fact that we might be dead wrong and be h...

You bet! Wait, I know what is going on inside of you is something like this thought: "if Jesus is the all loving God, then how can He get angry?" or "it isn't nice to be angry?". First, let me point you to a passage that while in my quiet time today God pointed out some issues in my own life. "But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God"                                                                                           Mark 10:14 The word indignant means "I am Angry", incensed, or greatly displeased in the Greek. So Jesus' reaction to the disciples not allowing the children to come to Him resulted in Jesus getting angry at His followers for not getti...

Wait, that was Nathan this morning in my bed. He tends to sleep sideways thinking that our bed is big enough for him to sprawl out. And right now he is right, as long as he stays on his side of the bed. Well, I thought after scaring everyone with my last post about my struggles, I would write about what God has done in my life this past year. Hold on, this might be long... 1. He has shown me that I take on too much. I don't mean projects or events. What I mean is that I usually carry the burden of making ministry happen. Through a few friends named Paul, Vance, Mac and Aaron, God began to show me that it is not my job to grow the church or ministry but to stay connected to Him and allow His life to live through me. So many times I get overwhelmed at what I think needs to happen and I begin to carry the burden of making those things happen. But that's not what God has asked of me (or you). He asks me to stay connected to Jesus and allow the life of the vine to give me the bear...

I have had a great a refreshing time in TN and OH. I feel as Job did at the end of the book of Job: I may have lost temporal communion with those we left to move to Hawaii but I am one blessed man. So many people in my life have been an incredible blessing. Although our time here in the mainland is coming to a closure, I am excited about the road ahead. God has used this trip to both refresh me and refresh those I once was in constant fellowship with. Here are a few things the Lord did in and through my life! 1. Vance Pitman preached three time during Urbancrest's missions conference and here are the three things that the Lord taught me while listening: a. We don't pray before the work, PRAYER IS THE WORK, then GOD WORKS! I needed to hear this. I have been asking God for months now for how He is going to use us and He answered through Vance's preaching 1 Timothy 2:1-8. We are going to be a praying people and allowing God to join us to His activity in our lives, in Kap...

Today, as I was struggling through my Christ Walk (funny how I can struggle with Christ while walking with and in Him), I stumbled across a verse that is very freeing. As I challenged you in my last blog, I have been taking each few days to study the scriptures in the New Testament that have "IN CHRIST" within them. The study has been rocking my world and I am loving the freedom from the flesh and from worrying. Alongside this study, I have been reading "Walking in the Will of God" by Steve McVey (I suggest everyone read it, unless you like to worry and struggle with life). Today, as I was finishing chapter 4, Dr. McVey challenges the reader to study a few passages. As I read one of them, I almost jumped out of my seat and began to dance on the table here in Starbucks ( maybe I should have!) Here it is and here is what I saw!             "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire again...

           The past month and a half have been an incredible roller coaster of emotions and events. I have gone in and out of depression, seen people leave our ministry, watched our core team grow spiritually and have come to a place of total insecurity. It has been amazing what we have been through and what God is directing me in. Since I finally admitted to a few people that I suffer from depression, Paul Gothardt; the pastor at Life Baptist Church Las Vegas, has been counseling me. Really I feel more like it is discipleship. I thought Paul would talk about my history, analyze my childhood and come up with a few techniques I needed to get through the depression. However, he has taken a totally different approach which I am finding incredibly freeing. Instead of working on my past, he is pointing me to God's present and what it means to live the "Christ life". He wrote a book called "8 Questions" which I believe everyone that is a believer needs to read. H...

No, not really. But as I reflect on the past year and read all of my journals, tweets, Facebook posts and bloggings I realize that I have written a ton through my pain. It has been one great journey of pain, heartache, joy, tears, happiness, peace, comfort and more pain. What started as a small step has become a running to Jesus (most of the time). Today I would like to write to all who will read this out of my current pain, not that I am looking for comfort from my readers but that I would be comforted by what God is doing. Isn't it amazing that we can hurt and God hurts with us. Isn't is also amazing how painful growing is. Think about this, when in my childhood years, my legs use to ache night after night. As I became older, relationships failed and that hurt. As I learned to work, I failed and suffered the anguish of my bosses. When training as an athlete I had bruises, breaks and hurts. As I got married, I had to learn not to be so selfish which turned into me denying my...