Joel Tippitt

Our Prayers

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:21:00 +0000

Just read this...

"I think a lot of our prayers make God wonder why we think so little of Him." Erwin McManus Wide Awake

When I ask God to do something in my life, why don't I ask for the impossible in my mind? I usually pray, God will you make the pain in my leg go away. I should be praying, God, would you heal my leg. We tend to pray things that just get us bye. God is bigger than those prayers of a timid believer, he wants our prayers to be wild and real. Just challenged right now in what I am asking God.

matthew 5 insight

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Sun, 24 May 2009 03:05:00 +0000

So I was l reading with my wife in matthew 5 where Jesus is talking about murder and then shares that if you say to your brother "you fool" then you are in danger of being thrown into hell! He also says that about saying to your brother "Raca"... Raca??? What does that mean? I asked my pastor this question and his response was really interesting. He said that if you say that to your brother it would be like saying that you don't care about his/her soul! In fact when you say the word Raca correctly you have to use the back of your throat and say the word, almost spitting. As if you are spitting on your friend in condemnation!!! No concern for the person in any way, you then would be in danger of hell. In first John it says, how can you say you love God when you do not love your brother.

Very interesting!

I an Ordained....

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Fri, 08 May 2009 16:21:00 +0000

So,

last night, I was ordained in the Nazarene Church! Just wanted to let you all know, my name is still Joel!

Please Pray for me in these days ahead...

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:15:00 +0000

I want to share with you all what happened, but this is also for me to get it out writing it down. My councelor told me that this would be a good thing to do (write it out).

This last Monday, ya, it has taken me this long to get it out, but I was in Hayward, CA and came out of a Peet's Coffee after studying for about 2 hrs and put my backpack in the trunk of the car and turned the corner to get in to my car when a man that was crouched my my drivers door jumped at me. It starteled me, but I did not expect what happened next. The man simply said, "I want you to take out all the cash in your pockets and give it to me and if you do not, I will shoot you and kill you!" At this time, he pulled out a black gun and pushed it to my stomach. I immediatly reached in my pocket and got the $26 that I had and gave it to him. He then asked what was in the bag that I was holding in my hands, and I told him, "Just books" (Bible and Hebrew Prophets Book, and a Timeline of hebrew prophets). He did not believe me, so he took it. Then he said, I want you to get in your car and stay there or I will shoot you and kill you if I see you get out!" All I had going through my mind was a picture of Amy and I said, "Ok, Ok, just don't shoot me!!" I unlocked my car and started to move past him to get in the car (It was narrow between him and I because a car was parked close). As I moved past him, he was now behind me, the man decided to punch me as hard as he could in the right side of my neck and it threw me into my car door that was now open... I cannot express that fear that went through me even now thinking about it, but I honestly thought to myself, that if this man at 4 pm in public is hitting me this hard, he is not going to stop, this is it!!! I really thought he was going to kill me! So I threw my body in the car and slammed the door thinking he was still right there, but in the corner of my eye I saw him jumping a fince about 20-30 feet away and I started to sob and put my head back and said outloud, "Thank you God for sparing my life!!!!!" I kept looking ahead and dilled 911 and hooked my phone up to my AVX in my car so that I could just speak and hear the opperator through my speakers... In 10 min, there were 6 cop cars swarming the area and well, long story short the cops came to me and I was shaking when I got out of the car and they asked where he went again, so I pointed where, and well, they never caught him. They are assuming that he jumped on BART and took off.

This has been a week of emotional pain and reflection and it is now 4 days later, and I am still really hurting (physically and emotionally).

Please keep me in your prayers.

Thanks,

Joel

Catalyst 09

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 03:56:00 +0000

So I am almost finished with a conference called Catalyst in southern California. I have to say, this by far has been the best conference I have ever been to. I will have to share later, but look in the future on my blog titled "Catalyst"

Another oppertunity at "El Pollo Loco"

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:01:00 +0000

I was at El Pollo Loco for lunch today in the San Pablo area, and I was eating some chicken when a kid about 16-17 years old walked in with a very noticable limp... I felt the presence of God on me. I literally felt what to me felt like an anointing and so I approached the boy. I asked him about his limp and how long he had had it? He said that he had it his whole life and with broken english asked why I asked. I began to ask him if he knew who Jesus was and trusted Him. He knew very little about Him, but was like a child in wanting to know some more. I asked him if I could pray for healing in his leg, and he told me that I needed to ask his mom that was at the counter ordering lunch. So I walked over and asked mom, who did not understand what I was saying until I pointed to my leg and put my hands together symbolizing Prayer... She immediatly knew what I was asking and said, "Si, Si!!" so I went over and sat down and asked if I could put my hand on his leg. I prayed and worshiped God in the process and asked God to create faith and do a miracle. I said Amen and asked him to stand up. I saw him struggling to get up, and I said walk around. His limp started to look noticably different, so I said, what are you feeling, and he said, "I feel and see a difference!"

Praise the Lord!!!

I gave him my card and told him to keep me posted in any changes.

Three Nights In A Row (4:35am)

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 21:02:00 +0000

So last night (or I guess you can say this morning) I woke up again at 4:35am again!!! This is three nights in a row. Each time, I have a numb leg and I usually get up and pray. Read last 2 posts if you have not clue in what I am saying... Last night though, I was like, this is not just by accadent, God is really wanting to say something to me! I immediatly heard to get up and go look at LUKE 4:35... First off, I doubted serriously that there even was a 4:35- there are not a ton of chapters in the gospel with 35+ verses, but I got up and went to my backpack and grabbed the Bible. I went and looked at Luke chapter 4 and searched for a verse 35 and IT WAS THERE!!!

Here is what it says...

Luke 4:35

"Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

If you know the context of my last month, this might be something...

I am praying about this and if anyone hears something and I should hear what you are hearing, please, please, let me know.

Two healing yesterday

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:12:00 +0000

I will have to add more later, but it is 5 am and I just felt the need to write this all out now...

Yesterday, I woke up at 4:35 am with my right leg that was numb and cold. My toes we also very cold. I was not in a position where it would be easy for my leg to go numb when I was sleeping. I sat in bed and asked God if there was anyone that I needed to be praying for? Did not hear anything so fell back to sleep after walking around a little. Yesterday in staff meeting, Anne Harris (Director of our Preschool) stated, "Please pray for me, because my leg is really inflamed." This immediately got my attention and I asked her, "Anne, is it your right leg and she said yes." She had to leave to get back to the kids and got up, and we prayed for her in our meeting. I shared all this with Pastor Rick and then went out to see her and share my experience and prayed with her (oh, by the way, my leg is still a little numb and all day was cold!) and in the middle of praying, my leg noticeably got warmer and came back to normal temperature. After praying, Anne stood up and started to walk around and noticed change. She said to me, "I will let you know a little later more how I am feeling." So about 20 min later, I came out and asked her how she was doing, and she said, "Much better!"

Last night at SALT group with the teens, I asked the kids if anyone needing healing, and Rachell Pilisdorf said that she needed prayer for her Left leg. She explained and we had her sit in the middle of our family room and I had her put her hand on her knee and we began to praise God and thank him for his love and power. We prayed for healing and after we were finished praying she stood up and said "SHE WAS HEALED! NO PAIN!" PRAISE GOD!

Rachell kept thanking God all night... I could see her mouth moving and I asked her what was up and she just said that she wanted to thank God. She had a HUGE grin on her face all night. She had never experienced physical healing yet, and well, it was a good night.

SO why do I write at 5 am? I woke up again this morning at 4:35 am AGAIN with a numb leg and started to pray for both of them and well, my leg is now normal!

PRaise GOd!

Much Greater Things

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:46:00 +0000

"Truly, I tell all of you with certainty, the one who believes in me will also do what I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12

So Jesus was referring to Much GREATER things in the context of raising the dead, healing the sick, and casting out demons. Are we seeing that today? Two weeks ago, my thoughts on this changed.

I was going to pick up pizzas for youth group at Little Cezzars Pizza when a man outside asked me, "Sir, do you have any spar change?" I responded, "No" and walked into the pizza store. I ordered my pizzas and walked outside and felt the presence of God say to engage in conversation with the man, so I said, "I really did not have spare change, because the money that I had was for the pizza, but I do have something better than money." The guy (about 30 years old) looked at me with excitement and said, "What do you have?" and so I responded, "I have Jesus Christ in me!" I tell you the truth, the man started to freak out!!!! Started to scream and yell like I have never seen and fear was all over his face! This was just beyond just average yelling and fear though when inside my mind I heard a voice speak. "Germaine".... That was it, "Germaine" (A name, but not this guys name, but the name of the demon inside him). As the man was still screaming and the workers in Little Cezers started to try to see what was happening, I Just whispered that name Germaine and then the guys eyes got HUGE and started to scream even louder! I immediately said, "In the name of Jesus, I command you to get out of this man!" and the man's legs looked like they buckled and he fell to the ground and started to cry. I got down on the ground with him and asked him, "Do you want Jesus Christ in your life? and he responded, "Yes I do in a calm voice" (The man was shaking and crying). I explained what that meant and he prayed and confessed his sins and received Christ right there outside of Little Cezers Pizza! I asked how long that Germaine was in him, and he said, "Since I was a little Kid!!" I gave him my number and shared the importance of going to church and more follow- up and told him to call anytime.

Amazing what God is doing.

Next post I want to share about yesterday and God healing 2 people at SRNC! Keep reading if you want!

SALT Meeting in 2 weeks

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:35:00 +0000

Yo SALT,

Just reminding you all that we are meeting in 2 weeks. It is the first tuesday of each month.

We are going over spiritual gifts of team.

Summer Calendars are out

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:30:00 +0000

HEy YOuth,

Summer calendars are out! Do I have your mailing address. I don't want to hear it, "I never got one" I always am saying if you want things, I need your CORRECT mailing address. Consider yourself warned.

Randy Clark... You heard of him?

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:27:00 +0000

So amy and I went to Monterey this weekend and on our way down, I listened to a CD that my friend Jose gave me, and wow, it really rocked me.

Here is his website and again, let me know what you all are thinking and processing in all this that I am sending

58 and 10

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:21:00 +0000

So at youth group the other day I encouraged the kids to bring their friends to youth group and... they did! We had 58 teens and about 20 of those teens had never been in church. 10 kids that night gave their lives to Christ and I would say that they have a good understanding of GRACE. It is such a powerful video on Grace that Louie Giglio presents. Here is the link for anyone interested in seeing the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAa3cDIKp2k

There are quite a few videos to watch in a row, just get the next one.

Let me know what you think

This Thursday Night

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Wow, God is showing me great things about this Thursday Night youth group! I have heard that you all are totally stepping out and inviting your friends! SO proud of you all. The Gospel will be preached and your friends will have an opportunity to receive Christ.

There will be a ton of pizza and our youth calendars for this summer will be out that night, so make sure you come!

Thursday, March 19
Pizza and message from Louie Giglio (video teaching- Fruitcake and Ice Cream)

6:30-8pm!

Hope you have a good time in Oregon

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 22:57:00 +0000

Archie and Chris,

I just wanted to say, that I hope that your time in Oregon goes well. I will be praying for you both and Chris, stay in touch and keep reading about the ministry. We need a covering of prayer and this last month has been blessed from your prayers. God bless you both and may God show Himself in even greater ways to you as we are apart for this year.

Joel

Louie Giglio- Youth Group Next Week

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:42:00 +0000

Next week, we are going to have a huge party at youth group. Invite all your friends to come and have a party with us and we will watch an amazing video together. I can almost guarantee that there will not be a dry eye in the house.

March 19th
6:30-8pm

PIZZA WILL BE THERE!

Seasons come and go

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 07:36:00 +0000

So right now this is a season that I am incredibly busy. I am working a full time job, taking two classes that each demand a lot of time (one being in Hayward, about 1 1/2 hrs away) and on my days off right now I am trying to make a little extra cash working on a house in Napa. I do not have one extra minuite right now to think or breathe.

It will all be over too in the same week in May. Oh ya, I am getting ordained for all of you interested in knowing. May 7th at our church. I can't wait!

Sure there will be a party....

I could feel God's Presence

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 18:54:00 +0000

So at our Student Leadership Team meeting the other night, something powerful happened when we were meeting together. We were praying for the future of the youth ministry and laying a foundation of prayer for the years to come when we split up in groups and prayed in twos. After Isaiah and I were done praying, I felt such a desire inside to lay my hands on each of the heads of the students and pray for them outloud. When I started to pray, I felt God leading me in what to pray. After I finished praying for all of them, I lifted my hand off of Isaiah's head and my hand was tingly and a little numb. I really felt the presence of God in the room also as we continued to meet together. Pretty cool experience!

Amy Enters HEAVEN...

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:27:00 +0000

So an amazing thing happened on Sunday. Outside of all the amazing testimonies, my wife Amy had an awesome moment! She has been sick with Strep throat, and has had a hard time talking not to mention sing. I have felt impressed lately to push her out in worship at SRNC, and this week felt like God was going to use her. She was not seeing that because of her voice and when I told her in practice that I wanted her to lead a song- Revelation Song, she said no, but everyone encouraged her to.

Donna Bassett was praying with her during Sunday school and Amy felt like she was somewhat healed. Before she stepped up on stage to sing, she noticed that her voice was really scratchy and was really doubting singing but pressed in and walked up front. In her words, "I walked up on the stage and stepped up to the mic. When I stepped in, I litterally felt like I stepped into a different relm. I sang like there was nothing wrong with my voice, I felt like I was singing in Heaven!" After the set, she sat down and said a few words to me with a totally scratchy voice! I was also experiencing a lot of God's glory because when I sat down, I was physically shacking and Donna kept saying to me, "More God, More God!!!" It was as if we were all anointed with God's presence and when we sat down, we were coming off a "anointing high..."

Awesome moment!

"Prayer has a cumulative effect"

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:16:00 +0000

In staff meeting today, it was like a ton of Revelation to me and insight into scripture! Serriously, it was like everyone was annointed by God to say something today that God was going to speak powerfully into my life...

Revelation 8:3-5

"Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake."

When we pray, it has a cumulative effect. I used to wonder why I prayed and prayed and it looked as if nothing was happening... Something was though and things that we pray for years, not the prayers where we ramble on, but the prayers that are continuous are as the text says rising like incense before God. Those jars of prayers eventually fill up and overflow!

So keep praying. When it looks like nothing is happening, there is. It will have a cumulative effect. We were talking about how the prayers of all the saints before us in the "Strickland" years are being seen and felt today. So, who is praying the prayers to prepare to future? Our prayers are laying a foundation for future generations and as soon as "I" wake up and realize that, I can be a HISTORY MAKER!

More Later...

Church today was off the hook!

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 02:09:00 +0000

WOW, all I can say! But I'll say more to journal. Today, Chris Keys and Dave Arnald were baptized in our church. When Chris shared his testimony of God redeeming him from the bondage of sin, I was totally and physically taken back! His testimony was powerful (I will try to load it on to the sight). When we sang together in worship, it was amazing to hear everyone sing. It felt like we were singing in heaven! When we got to our last song AMAZING GRACE, I had about 18 mission guys (redwood gospel mission) stand up and sing. I think Molly Bassett said it best, "I had goosebumps all over!" When Pastor Rick got up and spoke the Word, he said, "If we all left right now, that would be enough!"

I will really try to learn how to post videos on here so you can see.

headaches for 4 weeks- possible movement of God

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:24:00 +0000

Ok, so today I might have seen another connection of God wanting me to intervine in something. I have had headaches for 4 weeks now and I get them when I read. I am reading about 10x more than I normally do right now because of a class I am taking online for Church History... Today, I was reading some posts that I missed and about 3 weeks ago, a lady named Korlia in my class posted a prayer request saying that she needs prayer. She has been getting migrain headaches and might have to stop taking our class as a result of the migranes.

I just emailed her and shared with her what God is doing in my life these last 6 months, and I am waiting to hear back from her if she wants me to pray for/with her. I will keep all you posted in what happens.

Book- Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 09:44:00 +0000

I am reading a book right now that I want to encourage all readers to pick up. It is called Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster.

It practically walks people through Spiritual Disciplines. He explains that they are not for just the high intelectuals or the eliet, but it is for the avarage Joe. Any person who wants to go DEEP with God. Funny, that is what I have been praying for myself, and it is everywhere in the book...

Pick it up and lets talk through this blog

Santa Rosa Christian School- Chapel Movement of God

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:34:00 +0000

This last Thursday, I was asked by Harry Scandera to speak in chapel at Wells Fargo Center, Santa Rosa.

I was very clear on what God wanted me to share. It was on Identity. We always hear things thrown at us all the time. Statements like,

-you're not good enough
-you're not smart enough
- you are stupid
-you are ugly
- etc....

all lies!!!! But they soak in and without truth of who we are, we start to believe them. Those lies start to become our identity! I shared at chapel that this was a lye. I shared how God views us and had all the lies written on a mirror with a blacklight (students wrote these on the mirror). When I shared how fed up we can get with the lies and just wished sometimes the the lies written on that mirror could be shattered, I took out a hammer and shattered the mirror and behind the shattered mirror what the truth of who we are in Christ. There were kids crying in pockets all throughout chapel. I stayed after chapel for about an hour and a half to minister to these pockets of kids. One girl shared with me her brokenness. I shared with her that God wanted to minister and that she needed the Spirit to fill her up and so I prayed with her and she physically started to shake! I asked her if her "shaking" was normal, and she said no. I told her that this was a physical evedence that the Spirit was at work in her. The hand of God was touching her in that very moment. It was weird, but I felt so close to God in that moment even though He was doing the work in her... Make sense? He was right there! We prayed and worshiped God in that moment. Many Jr Highers came up to me sharing God moving in their lives. It was an amazing day.

Many God Moments to Share!

noreply@blogger.com (pastorjoel) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 10:28:00 +0000

I have not posted in a long time, but there have been many friends who want to hear and read about what God is doing in my life, so I will try to make this more my online journal for you all to see. This is really streaching me to do it this way, but I will try to make this a habit.