Heritage

Having the opportunity to be in Washington this past week, gave me the chance to go see my Grandmother Sargent who will be 94 in just a few weeks. I took Carson with me and it was an awesome time. She told us about her experience in receiving the Holy Ghost many years ago. It was incredible to hear her tell how real the Holy Ghost still is and how much she needs it in her life - SHE IS ALMOST 94 - WOW!!

I had her lay hands on Carson before we left and the power of God came down in her apartment as she began to pray and prophesy over my son. I will never forget those few hours we spent together last Friday with one of my heroes in life. I have been given such an awesome heritage and I want to pass it down to my children.

This Present World

I woke up this morning with this thought on my mind for today. The Bible says that Paul was forsaken by Demas because Demas loved this PRESENT world. The thought grabbed me this morning that Demas was so in love with what IS whereas Paul was in love with what IS TO COME!

Can we become so enamored with the present, the tangible, the same o same o that we neglect to live our lives for what is to come? Are we so comfortable in the present that we refuse to step into the future because we have grown accustomed to our surroundings, afraid to venture beyond here - afraid to commit to the unseen beyond.

Everything in God's economy is measured by two things - FAITH AND OBEDIENCE. The Word of God says that obedience is better than sacrifice and it says of faith that without it - we are unable to please God - two non tangible things that are required to venture beyond where we currently are to where God is instructing us to go.

Abraham BELIEVED GOD and it was counted unto him for righteousness - HE simply BELIEVED God was taking him beyond the here and now, even though he couldn't see it, to the place of promise for his life.

I want to believe and I want to obey whatever it is God is asking of me. That is the only way we will ever get a glimpse of the unseen future!

Just a thought,

DS

THANK YOU WASHINGTON!!

I want to say thanks to the leadership of the youth department of the WA District. You guys and gals - did an excellent job putting on a great youth convention. To all the young people - thank you so much for responding the way you did, flowing in the spirit, and allowing God to challenge you for the future. I believe in each of you and I look forward to hearing some great reports coming out of this group.

Thanks for your kindness and hospitality. I will forever be impacted by what we experienced together in the realms of glory. Let God continue to use and guide your lives.

For Young People,

Darin S.

Washington Youth Convention First Night

Wow!  God is good.  We had an awesome service last night and I am thankful for what God did on the very first night.  I have included a short video to show you the altar time of the service.  Some great kids up here hungry for God to work in their lives.  Stay tuned.

On Our Way

Carson and I are on our way to Washington to preach the Wa Dist. Youth Convention and this is what we look like having to get up at 4:45am.  Stay tuned for updates throughout the week and a report of all that God is going to do this week.

God bless

DS & CS

What's On Your Mind?

I have recently been intrigued by the portion of scripture that says "Let this mind be in you as it was in Christ Jesus."  It is clear by looking into God's Word that it is His divine desire that we have The Mind of Christ.  

What does it mean to have His mind?  Paul talked about this in Romans when he mentioned that in order for us to remain unconformed from this world we must allow ourselves to be transormed BY THE RENEWING OF OUR MINDS!

There is such a battle in the generation that you and I are a part of to keep our minds unfettered.  Daily there are countless darts thrown that distract us from what our main purpose is - To have the mind of Christ.

I want my mind to be what God wants it to be.  In a time where there are so many distractions, take time to renew your mind.  Take time to ask God to give you His mind for the things you are dealing with daily.  Paul seems to tie in with the fact that if we renew our minds and allow the transforming power of God's spirit, we will have the ability to determine the will of God for our lives.

Now that is what I want on my mind!

DS

Changes

Change is good!  I never said it was easy I just said it is good.  I am often amazed how people respond to change.  That sort of change that attacks the status quo, change that ruffles the feathers of life and challenges you to dig a little deeper in your relationship with God.  I have watched people resist change and I have many times wondered why.  The benefit that change brings into ones life is usually much better than the rut they were in.  

But suffice it to say change is hard.  We grow comfortable where we are.  We like the familiar, we take comfort in the same surroundings and when God comes along and says - Can I take you higher?  We often dismiss the voice because it requires us to leave where we are to where He wants us to be.

In my life, I do not want to be resistant to change.  I want to grow, I want to become, I want to prosper in my relationship with God and with others so I must learn to adapt to the moving of the Spirit.  I must remember that God is not a MONUMENT - HE IS A MOVEMENT!  He has been moving since the beginning of time as we know it.  

Genesis describes that "The Spirit of the Lord MOVED upon the face of the deep."  When God gets to moving and working things start to change - things that had no shape begin to be shaped.  He brings light into dark situations.  Oh what change can do!

The eagle is majestic.  Watching an eagle fly is something that is awe inspiring to me.  But that eagle did not always fly like that.  There was a day that that eagle was just an eaglet in the comfort of the nest till Mama eagle decided to make the nest a little uncomfortable.  Uncomfortable to the point that the baby eagle makes his way to the edge only to be pushed over the edge by the mother eagle.  Sounds cruel but it is the only way that little eaglet is going to learn to fly.

I guess there are times God has to make things uncomfortable in our lives to teach us how to fly. Well these are just my thoughts this morning.  God bless!! 

DS 

Order Yours Today

Well the wait is finally over.  You can order the Special Edition Pre-Release DVD of Clergy Comedy now.  Go to www.clergycomedy.com for yours!

Thanks for all the support that we are receiving across the nation.  To every one of you that have emailed and already ordered your copy we say THANKS - THUMB UP!!

Hope you laugh so hard your stomach hurts the day after watching it!!

God bless

DS

Getting Closer!

Clergy Comedy is becoming quite a ride. Kelly V and myself recently met in Los Angeles with our editing team to put the finishing touches on the project. It is causing some stir which is exciting. We are receiving a lot of hits on our website, blogs and emails in anticipation of when this project will be released. To order your copy go to www.clergycomedy.com

With all that said I have been asking God that He would use this approach to His glory. Something like this is different than anything else I have ever been a part of and I want to make sure that we are doing the right thing. I guess sometimes you just walk through doors that open and pray that God will give you the courage to make the right decisions. I know we are living in a world that is hurting, a world that needs some thing to lift them up above the pain of life. Maybe this will be an inroad into lives like that, an opportunity to share the gospel with people that may not darken the doors of a church right away.

I would ask each of you that read this blog today that you would pray for Kelly and myself. Pray that God would lead us and give us the direction for this endeavor. There is a fear within me that this will not be perceived in the right light, that some will think it is stupid or uncalled for. I guess that we will do our best to follow God and submit ourselves to the right authorities in our life for counsel and guidance.

Thanks to each of you for your excitement, encourageing words and emails. I promise that you will enjoy what you see - PRETTY FUNNY STUFF!!

THUMB UP!!

DS

The Challenge of Crossing Over

Sunday NPWC had one of those services. The kind of service that people do not want to leave. It has been that way the last few months and I am so excited about what is going on @ "The Point." But every victory comes at some expense. The battles that many are facing and our church is facing have been difficult. There is always a challenge in crossing over and it has to be that way. You will never appreciate the beauty of what lies beyond unless you have to work for it.

I remember when I was 14 years old. I wanted a Mongoose Californian BMX bike. I wanted it bad! I remember going by the bike shop and drooling over that chrome BMX dream machine. The jumps I could do, the trails I could ride, the races I could win - they were all wrapped up in that bike with the white tires. We lived in Idaho and money wasn't something that grew on trees for the Sargent family so if I wanted that bike I needed to work for it. I saved up my money, money that I made working in the farmers fields near our house - pulling cockleburs. We would get up early and head out and believe me it was not fun. What 13-14 year old boy wants to spend his summer mornings walking through the rows of beans pulling weeds to make a couple of bucks an hour. But what used to keep me motivated is that I kept a picture of that bike in my wallet. I had cut it out of a newspaper and stuffed it between the empty pieces of my velcro (cool velcro checkered money carrier by the way) wallet.

I finally saved up the money I needed and I got that bike and boy was it sweet. The work it took to get there was worth it because I had what I spent many days dreaming about.

What are you dreaming about? Has life and the struggle dimmed the view of what could be on the other side of what you are dealing with? Has the challenge grown larger than the crown? I think from time to time we all need to recognize that the harder it is in getting over the greater it will be in receiving what is over there. Sometimes you have to put a picture in your wallet so to speak, and look at it every once in a while. This is why I am enduring the hardship, this is why I am wrestling through the things of life.

May your challenges prepare you for your crowns!

Darin Sargent

CLERGY COMEDY IS ALMOST HERE

Hello everyone!  Sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything up on our blog.  There has been so much going on it is hard to keep up with it all.  Many of you know that Bro. Kelly Ventura and I did a live comedy event that will be out on DVD soon.  This was a blast and we are excited about the project coming out sometime in the next couple of weeks.  Until then you can check us out on youtube under clergy comedy.  I have included some of the clips from the live event that we currently have up on youtube. There is still a lot of work that is going into this project but we trust that it will be worth it all when it is finished.  Give us your feedback and let us know what you think.  Hope you enjoy.

A Compelling Message

I recently pulled one of my many bibles down from one of the shelves in my office and came across something I had written in the back. I do not remember when I put this in there but it stirred me once again as I read the words of this famous quote from Sir Francis Drake written in 1577:

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

Enough Said!!

DS

Anticipation!!

It is Sunday morning! I always wake up early anticipating what is going to happen today. I know God doesn't just work on Sunday's, but for a pastor Sunday is a day of expectation. I know God works everyday of the week but I really look forward to when the doors of the church start swinging open and people from all walks of life start pouring in. The needs, the desire, the hearts yearning for a change, make my faith reach up to heaven believing that there is a God that is touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Since I was kid Sunday has always been a special day.

I hope you wake up today with more than sleep in your eyes. I hope you wake up today with a faith filled anticipation - THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE!! Let's see what can happen.

May all your days be SUNDAYS!
DS

So thankful

I woke up earlier than I wanted to this morning. It was the first night in my own bed this week due to the fires around us. The first thought on my brain was how thankful I am for God's hand of protection upon our family and the Escondido church family. We are so blessed. One of our newest members of the church lives in Rancho Bernardo where a lot of the damage has been caused by the fires. I spoke with him yesterday, knowing he had to evacuate and asked how things were. He told me that the house behind him and the house beside him was destroyed but his place remains standing. Our prayers continue to go out to the many that are hurting during this time. If you read this I would ask you to pray for us that we will have God's direction in reaching out to our community during this time.

Thankful that I know HIM!

DS

First day of fire

I have posted some pictures of the fire in our area. I will post as many as I can for you to look at. God is good.

We are back in our home

What a wild week. God kept his hand on the Sargent family and the NPWC church family. We are thankful that our home was not destroyed and that no one in our church experienced any loss of property. Below is the footage taken on Monday, the day we had to evacuate, and the days following. We are now back in our home and are thankful for that. No one in our neighborhood experienced any damage that we know of even though the fire came right up to our subdivision. Please continue to pray for many that have experienced the tragedy that this fire has caused.

Where Did the Summer Go?

Can you believe it? My last post to this blog talked about the first day of Summer and all that Summer brings to us and now here I am sitting in my kitchen on the 3rd day of October wondering how in the world I missed most of this great season. I vaguely remember kids being out of school wanting to dive in the pool the minute they woke up (at 6 am). I kind of remember the vacation we went on and the fun we had. It all happened so fast I feel like I missed it.

At this stage of my life, long gone are those days where it seemed would never end. Life happens and if we are not careful it will be here and be gone before we know it. I guess what I really am trying to say is - Dont let life pass you by without enjoying the things that have been placed in your life - take time to enjoy a sunset - take time to laugh with your kids - take time to remember why you were placed on this earth. Stop long enough to breath in and be reminded of the goodness that God gives to each of us.

I dont want to be 99 years old and wonder what I have done with my life. I want to seize every moment like it was my very last and live to the fullest of the potential that God has placed within me - I want to have an impact on my generation, my friends, my neighbors, my family and my church.

I refuse to let life pass me by and look back one day and say where did it go? I read a book one time that challenged me, it was called CARPE MANANA - seize tomorrow - Makes sense to me! Lets do it - lets live for today with tomorrow in our grasp.

For more summers (and falls, winters, and springs) filled with fun and ice cream,

DS

Those Summer Days and Nights

Well the first day of summer has arrived - it is official! Summer is here. Summer always brings those nostaligic feelings of days gone by. As kids we use to get up early, run outside and stay there till it seemed the sun would drop out of the sky. What memories!

For a lot of people living in yesterday is a way of life. All they do is think of what has happened and they live in the past and still react to life based on those experiences. You must remember "there is no future in the past." I am thankful for all those experiences - they brought me to where I am today but I cant live my life thinking about all that. The Apostle Paul said that he had to forget those things that were behind him and he had to move forward so to speak. Pretty good stuff.

I have to face TODAY. I have to live in the NOW. I cant spend my time worrying about what could of been or "if only...." Life is full of things to work on right now. Jesus said HE promised to bring ABUNDANT LIFE! I think that is something I can have for today. So enjoy your summer but be ready for your TOMORROW - It is going to be good!

Have a great summer


Pastor Sargent

God, Help me to make a difference!

I want to make an impact. I will just be honest and tell you - I want my life to count! I heard it said one time that if you want to make an impact you have to be committed to the collision. I want to make a difference in the life of my children. I want to make a difference in the people I meet on an ordinary day around town. I want to make a difference in the life of the people that God has blessed me to pastor.

It is so easy to live life and never understand that you were created for so much more than just existing. I want to show others that there is a better way to fulfill the purpose of life God has given to each one of us. So I awoke this morning with all this running through my brain (as small as it is) and I just wonder if I am living my life in such a way that others are impacted.

I definitely do not want to get to the other end of my life and realize then that I just lived never really "Living." Jesus said that He came to give ABUNDANT LIFE! That sounds pretty good but I fear sometimes we get used to "life" and do not really go after the abundance Jesus spoke of. I want to stand out in a crowd! I want to speak in a way that brings people closer to the things of God and God himself. I dont want to just float through life because that is what others are doing. I want my kids to see I believe in God and I believe in His word and that it is what we do for Christ that will last. I dont know, maybe I am not making sense but I have tasted of the good things to come and I cant settle for normalcy, lets just get by, why rock the boat mentality. I want to LIVE and I want God to LIVE in me and I want to make a difference. Thanks for reading if you get this far.
DS

When Tragedy Strikes

I sit here in the early morning hours of this Sunday contemplating a week of tragedy that has shaken our nation. I prayed for the families of those that were effected by the Virginia massacre and couldnt help but feel helpless as I sit here miles away from the event.

Once again our nation is asking the questions of why. Why did this happen? Why would God allow this to go on? Questions that could be asked for days but are difficult to answer. I think the question of "why does evil exist" should be left for another time and our focus needs to be on the fact that during these times there is a God that is there for the hurting. Evil is everywhere we turn but there is a God that does work in miraculous ways in the aftermath of destruction.

I once read a book entitled "God works the night shift" and how true that is. When it seems that everything that could go wrong does - God is able to turn it for good. We often look at what is and have a difficult time seeing anything good come out of it but God has proven time and time again that joy can come in the morning.

If you are reading this and in your heart there are questions and you are hurting - I want to reassure you that God is close. He is not some religious icon - He is alive and He is real! All you have to do is call out to Him and He will be there.

May God bless you!

Pastor D. Sargent