Brad Wilkerson // COC Metro

Jesus ALWAYS Wins

I am constantly amazed at how the devil continues to try to derail the faithful servants of the Lord knowing all along that Jesus ALWAYS wins.  Recently our household has felt the sting of the enemy and been put in a faith test but we have seen Jesus come through and win on our behalf.  For those of you who don't know our story, I thought I'd share it this week and also share it in a way of saying, "thank you" to our awesome family (both blood & church) for your many prayers, blessings and concerns.

The whole story begins on Sunday, April 10th.  I was in the middle of the Last Impressions sermon series at COC Metro.  I was bolding preaching the cross and the final statements of Christ without apology. I had just finished up the events of Sunday's ministry, preaching passionately on the subject of Paradise, when I settled into bed totally exhausted.  I had been asleep for about an hour when I heard something that sounded like the heavens were falling right on top of my roof.  Our whole family was startled by the sound finding that we were in the middle of a huge thunderstorm and passing over our house was a hail storm with hail stones from the size of golf balls up to tennis balls.  Added to the size of the hail were wind gust of up to 80 mph.  So basically we were being hit with tennis balls of ice being served at us at a clip of 70 to 80 mph.  After the 3 to 4 minutes of hail (seemed like 30 minutes) we found our house and vehicles in a mess.  My daughter's car was a total mess.  Front / rear wind shields gone, huge dents and even interior damage all adding up to her first car being totaled.  With damage to the house in the $50,000 range, needless to say we had a lot of work to do.  Crazy but for some reason I just didn't panic or worry.  I knew the God who had store houses of hail stones was in control and would work all things out.  Now Haley, probably wasn't that peaceful but she handled it pretty well.  Loosing your "Sweet 16" car three months after getting it can be tough.

After the clean up and taking a deep breath we all went back to bed and waited for daylight to really see the damage.  Needless to say, sunlight magnified the damage and it was a bit overwhelming.  

So now with all the insurance companies contacted we started out on our daily lives.  Only difference is that our son, Ryder, age 11, was still suffering from a weekend stomach illness.  By noon on Monday he was doubled over in pain, vomiting and had a high fever.  After assessing him I took him to the ER.  By 4 p.m. he was transported and hospitalized in the Children's Medical Center in Plano, TX.  Seemed he decided to let his appendix burst sometime early on Sunday morning and we all (including him) thought is was just a stomach bug.  He was taken in for surgery (just hours from being septic) and had an appendectomy.  Ryder came through surgery just fine but due to the high level of bacteria in his blood and swelling from the infection, he spent the next eight days in the hospital.

Now, I must ask at this point, how many of you have met your homeowners, vehicle and health insurance deductibles all within a time frame of 48 hours.  I know, CRAZY and a bit overwhelming.

One of those, "Ok, God, you have my attention moments."

So here is where Jesus ALWAYS wins:

1.  I still have my son!!!  That's a good thing!!!!  He is continuing to heal and he went back to school this week.

2.  I still have a roof over my head...even though it needs a new roof....I still have one.  We are warm and dry....some that went through the storm were not so fortunate.

3.  We came out good on Haley's car and we are fortunate to have had full coverage on it so it can be replaced.

4.  I have a great set of parents and family who prayed, visited us, and stayed in constant contact with us on Ryder's progress.

4.  I have a great church family that have stepped up and helped us with money, meals and love beyond comprehension.  

5.  And I still have my GOD who takes care of me in every single moment and situation

So here is the deal, devil, you can go back to hell because you cannot stop me with hail.  You can try and in those moments you might derail me, but you cannot stop me.....WHY, JESUS ALWAYS WINS!!!

Lessons From The Masters Conclusion

Running a bit behind on my weekly blog.  To say the least, since Sunday, April 10th all HAIL & HELL broke loose here at the Wilkerson hacienda.  Can I just say the devil sucks and I am glad that Jesus always wins....EVERY TIME....Period!  Thanks for all the prayers! We are coming out of this faith test stronger and more fired up for Christ than ever before.

Alright, lets finish this, Lessons From The Masters, thing up.

The last lesson is this...."You Gotta Have a Ticket!"  For years, a ticket to The Masters, has been one of the hardest tickets to get a hold of.  However, once you get a ticket, you can roam the grounds freely and take in every bit of the splendor that is, Augusta National.

Last Lesson:

Heaven is the same.  You gotta have a ticket!  Once you get the ticket, Eternal Life, begins immediately and Heaven awaits.  By the way, you are free to roam and take in every bit of the splendor of the goodness and the forgiveness of God!

One major difference....it's not a hard ticket to get.  As a matter of fact you don't have to pay for your ticket. It has already been paid for by, Jesus.

Just as I jumped at the opportunity at a free ticket to The Masters, why wouldn't you jump at the opportunity for a ticket to PARADISE?

Take the ticket....receive the gift....enjoy and live in REAL LIFE!

Have an incredible EASTER WEEKEND!

 

Lesson From the Master Conclusion

Running a bit behind on my weekly blog.  To say the least, since Sunday, April 10th all HAIL & HELL broke loose here at the Wilkerson hacienda.  Can I just say the devil sucks and I am glad that Jesus always wins....EVERY TIME....Period!  Thanks for all the prayers! We are coming out of this faith test stronger and more fired up for Christ than ever before.

Alright, lets finish this, Lessons From The Masters, thing up.

The last lesson is this...."You Gotta Have a Ticket!"  For years, a ticket to The Masters, has been one of the hardest tickets to get a hold of.  However, once you get a ticket, you can roam the grounds freely and take in every bit of the splendor that is, Augusta National.

Last Lesson:

Heaven is the same.  You gotta have a ticket!  Once you get the ticket, Eternal Life, begins immediately and Heaven awaits.  By the way, you are free to roam and take in every bit of the splendor of the goodness and the forgiveness of God!

One major difference....it's not a hard ticket to get.  As a matter of fact you don't have to pay for your ticket. It has already been paid for by, Jesus.

Just as I jumped at the opportunity at a free ticket to The Masters, why wouldn't you jump at the opportunity for a ticket to PARADISE?

Take the ticket....receive the gift....enjoy and live in REAL LIFE!

Have an incredible EASTER WEEKEND!

Lessons from The Masters Part II

Well it's time for our weekly installment of the second part to my blog series on lessons I learned from Augusta National and The Masters 2011. Only one lesson this week as this one is very important if you are a Pastor of a church or anyone running a business.

Lesson #3

Pay attention to the details.  EXCELLENCE is in the details.  This is the 13th green at Augusta.  The name of this hole is Azalea.  I'll let you make the decision how it got it's name.  Pretty simple isn't it.  It's an incredible hole with the most beautiful azaleas running down the whole left side of the fairway and framing in the green.  Crazy thing is, this picture was taken the Monday of the tournament week.  Notice very few of the azaleas behind the green are in bloom.  Why is that?  When I wanted on Sunday they were busting with color lighting up  the HD TV screen.

Well here is the secret.  At Augusta they pay attention to details.  They don't want the azaleas to come into full bloom until the weekend rounds when CBS picks of the TV coverage.  So, they delay the bloom. Yep, you heard me right, they delay it by putting hundreds of pounds of ice on the roots to keep the buds from opening.  Now thats attention to detail.

The same should be true for us if we are running a business, a church, a family or a leader of any kind.

Excellence is found in attention to the details and then consistency with that excellence is at a premium.

So, how you doing in the details?  Do you pay attention to them?  Are they even on your radar?

I believe COC Metro is a great church with great leaders not just because we serve a great God but because we have a excellence in the details.  

We serve and excellent God who covered all the details concerning our salvation....He deserves that from us as well!

Lessons From The Masters

So for those of you who do not know, I had the opportunity this week to cross off one of the items on my bucket list.  I was so blessed and privileged to be able to take in Monday's practice round at this year's Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, GA.  I could spend days telling you all about the history and aura of the place but I won't bore the non golf enthusiast with that kind of stuff.  I will just tell you this, "When Jim Nance, long time CBS sports commentator says, "A tradition like no other," he's telling it just like it is."  It is absolutely the most incredible place in the world for a golf nut like me.  I would call it God's backyard!

Now in this week's blog, I am going to start a little dialogue with you called "Lessons From The Masters." I am going to share some things I learned via my visit to one of the most incredible but most interesting places on earth.

Lesson #1 goes with picture #1:

In the picture is myself and my great friend, Aaron Allen.  BTW...he was the ticket hook up....LOVE THAT GUY!!!!!  Now Aaron and I are pretty good golfers but there is a huge difference between us and those who will be teeing it when the tournament starts this Thursday.  But really the main difference or barrier is a simple nylon rope.  You can see it in the picture behind us.  It is really what separates Aaron and I from the field of play.  It is a whole different world on the other side of that rope.  TRUST me, a WHOLE different world.  So here's your lesson, no matter your talent, skills, status, stature or even the cloths you wear, with God....we all get to be on the AWESOME side of the rope.  His grace and mercy gives us that ability.  I may not look like the greatest, swing like the greatest or score like the greatest but with HIM, I am a part of the greatest.  With God, I can experience life on the other side of the rope.

Lesson #2 goes with picture #2:

In the picture you see a bunch of white outdoor tables and chairs sitting on the most manicured rye grass you have ever seen.  Those tables are reserved for the members of Augusta National and their family/guest to eat at while we all stand and watch.  Whats the separation? Again, a nylon rope.  A rope separates, "The Have Nots" from "The Haves".  Trust me on this as well....those who eat on the other side of that rope, by the world's standards....THEY HAVE!  Now with God, I get to eat on either side of the rope.  With & through HIM I don't have to stand on the other side of the rope and watch the HAVES enjoy the pleasures of life, while I eat my $2.50 bar-b-que sandwich. Through Christ I am an heir to the throne of God.  I am HIS kid and with that comes great privileges. I'll probably never eat on that side of the nylon rope in this life but I have a God who says that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  He tells me that He takes care of me & meets my every need.  By the way, I like $2.50 bar-b-que sandwiches better than that fancy food anyways.

So there is the first two lessons from THE MASTERS & Augusta National Golf Club.

Keep watching for more to come & have a great week whatever side of the nylon rope you find yourself on.