How do we live today to make the biggest and best impact on tomorrow? How do we invest wisely the most precious commodity we have… our time? This short motivational clip shot in Sydney Australia will inspire and instruct you to confidently invest everyday in the most productive way. Please enjoy and pass it on to the generations. For more, please check out twitter.com/pjhburns and pjhburns.wordpress.com
Montreal is one of my favorite cities in the world. It is full of art and its cafe culture reflects it. I took a moment in old Montreal to record this short video about the value of art. My desire is that this simple lesson will inspire you to be all you can be. Please enjoy and pass it on. For more check out twitter.com/pjhburns and facebook.com/pjhburns
Living life bigger, healthier and friendlier are some of the blessings of imagination. This short video message, shot in Penrith, Australia, uses the backdrop of Imagine Nations Church to identify these powerful truths that apply to all areas of life. Enjoy and pass it on. For more check out twitter.com/pjhburns and youtube.com/johnhburns
This was one of the toughest things I have ever done. I really didn’t think it would be that hard. My training was to jog the course one time in the morning 3 or 4 days a week, but I had been away in Australia the 2 weeks prior… getting home on Saturday and playing the 100 holes 2 days later on Monday so I think even that was a little washed out.
My plan was to get to the course really early so that I could finish the first round and get onto the second before anyone else started playing (from then on I would have to play through the normal golfers and there were lots of them that day). I started about 4:45 AM (in the dark) and ran the first two rounds with no interruptions. When I went to start my 3rd round, the first tee was backed up and players were plentiful so I went to the back 9 which was still open… that too I ran, bringing my total to 45 holes and I was very soar and very tired.
One of the greatest unexpected blessings was my wife bringing me a change of clothes (mine were soaked with sweat) and finding a shower in the dressing room… that was the best shower I had ever taken!!! After that I felt like a new man. Another great blessing was a young man, Jose, who showed up at 5:00 AM saying he was going to walk with me every step of the way and help me. He wanted to carry my clubs for me but I had told all my sponsors that I would walk the course carrying my clubs so I wouldn’t let him. He had no knowledge of golf but after a few holes of learning, he became a great blessing. My back was very stiff and bending over was almost impossible so Jose would bend down and put my ball on the tee… that was a huge blessing!
The part I disliked the most was playing through other groups. The pressure of hitting good shots so as to not disrupt their game any more than needed, was not fun! I hit some of my worst shots then. It was great to have Jose along because in times like that he would preach to me… he preached my messages back at me… “Pastor John Jesus love you”, “Pastor John, the joy of the Lord is your strength”…
The best part of the day was hearing the reports coming in of the sponsorship continuing to rise. My goal was to raise 20K to pay for the construction of the classroom for our first Canadian Mercy Home. We started the day with about 15K in pledges but as the updates kept going out on twitter and facebook, the pledges kept coming in and the final total was over 30K!!!
My message on Sunday was on how not to lose heart (you can download it from itunes podcast at “Relate Church”)… this was what I learnt as I survived this marathon. I am very grateful to all that sponsored me (and they are still coming in… go to relatechurch.ca to continue the miracle), to all that prayed for me, to all that helped me on the day, and mostly, to God for health to accomplish it. Here’s a short glimpse of it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BMPXP9rw50
Thanks for your sponsorship,
John
“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” 2 Peter 1:3
My understanding of faith has been a journey that I’m definitely still on. This verse has really helped me. From this promise I know that ALL things that I will ever need to fulfill my purpose in God (beyond whatever I could imagine or think [Eph 3:20]) has already been given to me and my receiving comes through knowing God. Years ago, Dr Lester Sumrall said to me, “People are always looking for more faith. Their real lack is they just don’t know God!” Knowing the heart of God then acting in confidence accordingly is faith.
Everything we need to live a life pleasing to God and thus fulfilling our purpose comes through faith… and faith comes through an uninterrupted existence of pressing in to listen to God’s Word with a desire to understand and know God. I like to take verses like this and against thoughts of opposition that would say, “you don’t have enough wisdom, love, patience, peace, finances, talent, opportunity… I do what Josh 1:8 teaches… “I don’t let these words depart from my mouth” – in other words, I quote these words as much as I can and I keep all my words in line with this truth… I don’t speak words that are contrary. ”I meditate on them day and night”… in other words, I’m continually chewing them over in my thinking, seeking for wisdom in how they apply to every situation of my life. ”So that I can do all that is written and thereby make my way prosperous and have good success”. Action always follows believing.
I encourage you to take this promise and work it into your belief. Know the God who has already supplied everything you will ever need to have the absolute best life! And then, live like it!
Pastor John
p.s. please take a moment to post your comments regarding this verse
Last night Relate Church hosted our second annual MMA Amateur Championship. Of course, I fielded a lot of questions like, “How a church could be involved with something so violent?” This gave me a prime opportunity to teach some simple Truths.
1. There’s a difference between violence and aggressive behavior. I believe that aggressive behavior in and of itself does not need to be bad… as long as it is controlled and stays under the guidelines of a healthy purpose. Violence crosses the line from healthy competition where the goal is to become your personal best, to the unhealthy place where your intent is malicious. Every boy grows up with a dream to be a hero… that means conquering great challenges. His idea of fun is pushing himself to become his best. Overcoming fear is a huge motivator… a few cuts and bruises is just part of the package. MMA in its purest form is very aggressive but not violent. I have witnessed the great respect the fighters have for their opponents and the fans have for the fighters. The rules and refereeing are strictly enforced to protect the participants. Every sport requires a compelling charge of aggressive behavior along with developed self-control to protect against violence.
2. Meekness is power under harness. Jesus said that the meek shall inherit the earth. We have misunderstood the word meek. Many think that it just means weak but that is the farthest thing from the truth. Jesus was our supreme example and He was not weak! He displayed great strength but never lost control. The coaching principles of MMA purpose to teach its participants this very principle. They are taught to never fight out of anger. The goal is to at all times maintain control thereby allowing the participant to maximize his skills and strategies.
3. Respect will guard against the dark side. Any casual observer of a MMA event would walk away marveling at the obvious level of respect the participants have for each other. I believe this is heavily encouraged and taught because of the intrinsic dangers and potential dark side to any fighting sport. Respect will guard you from the temptation to cross over to malicious thinking and violent actions. This in itself sets up MMA clubs as much needed classrooms for character development. Anyone who is capable of harnessing strong aggressive behavior while still maintaining control with respect is a candidate for greatness.
The event was a huge success. We packed our facility and the general comment was that in our area it was the best MMA event ever! We are glad we could provide a positive healthy environment. About 80% of the crowd were unchurched and it certainly challenged some old stereotype thinking as to what to expect of church. It was definitely ‘out of the box’ which is always one of my goals.
“Church, but not as you know it”,
John
1 John 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith”
Christians are overcomers and the way we overcome is by faith. Challenges are just opportunities to exercise our faith.
I have encountered many challenges along my journey and have witnessed many victories… I once was totally debilitated by a fear of stuttering = Overcome! by faith. Thank You Jesus!
I stepped out of the boat in 1986 and began walking on water as I started what now is “Relate Church” (= a great victory journey still unfolding) – all by faith!
I confronted a myriad of character flaws in me that were causing much pain in my marriage and family (this too is a great victory journey still unfolding) – all by faith.
Faith has become a way of life to me. I no longer just wait for challenges to come to me, now I look to take on challenges on behalf of others. Our world is full of challenges and by faith we can serve… every week I use faith to produce and air our TV show, “Relate with John and Helen” that is seen in a number of nations and helps people overcome their challenges in relationships. My wife and I have taken on the challenge of building the first “Mercy Ministries Home” in Canada to help hurting young women get healed. It all takes faith.
Faith is a gift and its like a muscle… we must exercise it. Every challenge is an opportunity to grow stronger faith. As our faith grows, our capacity grows and we get to tackle bigger mountains. I believe this is our journey of life… and its not boring!
Please comment on your journey and victories of faith… it will encourage others.
Pastor John
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor 5:17)
This scripture has been part of my staple diet for the last 31 years! I have used this scripture to close the door on yesterday and motivate me to a better tomorrow. When I was full of fear of stuttering, hiding in alcohol and struggling in marriage I quoted this scripture over and over to renew my mind to the fact that I was changed. ”Old things have past away” to me meant the old me had ‘passed away’ as in died. Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ” (Gal 2:20) so a dead man no longer struggles with fear or alcohol. “All things have become new” meant there was already a new me and I needed to discover this new identity.
Jesus said everything hidden will be revealed. I chose to believe that He meant the Holy Spirit would reveal to me the new creation that I am in Christ… it was hidden because it wasn’t readily apparent to me. My life since then has been a journey of discovering who I am, what I can do and what I have in Christ… an amazing journey that gets more exciting as I walk with Him.
How has this scripture changed your life? Please take a moment and add your comment to the blog.
In His grip,
John
We’ve just kicked off a new series at Relate Church – Organic Faith. It’s simple, it’s pure, it’s real. Each week we’ll challenge ourselves to put another key faith scripture in front of us and commit it to memory. Are you in?
Is there a way that we can leave today to set ourselves up for success tomorrow? This short video message recorded in the Berlin train station is about understanding and operating the principle of leaving and entering to do just that… set yourself up to succeed in the future. Enjoy and pass it on. Please join me on twitter.com/pjhburns or facebook or our blog at youtube.com/johnhburns
