Author Archives: expressyourself4him

As I was listening to a sermon this morning on heaven and hell, I am reminded of the words of Skip Wilkins, a famous Christian speaker while I was in high school.  After a freak water skiing accident left him paralyzed from the waist down, he was forced to spend the rest of his life on earth in a wheel chair.  Skip went from a high school all-American athlete in 4 sports with thousands of scholarship offers to a high school senior with shattered dreams.

In his second letter to the church at Corinth, the apostle Paul addresses this issue in 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:5.  Skip’s temporary situation and body was bound to a chair.  Other people have lost their sight, hearing, an arm or leg or other things people take for granted.  However, 2 Corinthians 5:5 is a powerful promise.  God has given us the Holy Spirit as a deposit, a down payment on our future in heaven of a new body.  Paul does not say this might happen, this will happen.

While many of us may not be in a wheelchair, we all have perishing bodies, 1 Corinthians 15:53-54.  Our bones, joints and limbs are in the process of breaking down.  Surgery’s may help momentarily, but in the end we will return to the dust of the earth.  Instead of holding on to this temporary world, we need to remember the promise of Revelation 21:1-4.  The old will pass and the new will come in a place without wheelchairs or tears.  Set your eyes on the prize of heaven, Philippians 3:12-14.

by Jay Mankus

Over the course of my life, I have met thousands of people who claimed to be Christians.  Since 1984, I have attended countless conferences, retreats and seminars about how to dear near to the Lord.  What I have learned from these experiences is that you can tell a lot about someone’s relationship with God by their prayer life.  Every once in a while, I will hear someone pray out loud who astounds me by their passion, biblical knowledge and connection with God.

As I read Psalm 18 this morning, it is clear that David truly was a man after God’s own heart, 1 Samuel 16:7.  From my count, there are at least 6 famous worship songs today inspired by David’s prayer.  David didn’t take the credit for his victory over his enemies, rather the Lord received all the glory.  During this battle, based upon the context, the Lord was David’s rock, fortress, shield and deliverer.

The greatest aspect of Psalm 18 is the amount of details from every day life given to the Lord.  Most people either trust their own ability or gifts for simple things, yet David trusted God for every little aspect in his life, including each step.  As a shepherd, David had to travel from valleys to mountains to find green pasture, often encountering uneven ground, filled with holes, rocks and slippery terrain.  The depth of David’s relationship with God is found in Psalm 18:36, “You broaden my path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.”

When I was 16 years old, I was about to have reconstructive surgery on my ankle.  Before the surgery during my junior year of high school, my doctor was trying to be honest, “you’ll never run again and you will probably walk with a slight limp the rest of your life.”  Despite this reality, I had several people praying for me during this operation.  After a long procedure, the steel pin wasn’t necessary and by the grace of God I was able to run cross country my senior year of high school.  Since this day, I have claimed Psalm 18:36 every time I go running.  The Lord is good and worthy to be praised!

by Jay Mankus

If you have seen the movie Rudy, a true story about a boy who dreamed of going to Notre Dame to play football, then you can relate to his life.  All of his have probably been told by at least one person, likely many that you can’t, you won’t or you’ll never succeed at something you really want to do.  Well, this morning I had a Rudy like moment.

My favorite scene in this movie occurs at a bus station.  After the tragic death of Rudy’s best friend Pete, the only person who believed in him, Rudy is about to get on a bus headed for Notre Dame, located in South Bend, Indiana.  Before getting on the bus, Rudy’s father tries to stop him from attempting to fulfill this dream.  Rudy’s father had good intentions, yet he basically disses his son.  Rudy hears your not good, smart and strong enough.  Despite this message, Rudy get’s on the bus, risks failure to accomplish his life long dream.  With his Notre Dame jacket given to him by Pete, Rudy believes in his heart that he was born to attend and play football for the Fighting Irish, stepping out in faith, he gets on the bus.

Since January, I have received many responses when I told people I am writing a movie script.  After completing Express Yourself in March, I still receive odd comments and replies today.  However, something deep down in my soul is telling me this is what I was design to do, write.  I won’t know anything about my script until August, although I remember the times in the movie Rudy that he wanted to quit.  Rudy was denied 3 times before finally getting accepted into Notre Dame.  I have received many more rejection letters than 3, yet I am holding on, clinging to this movie God revealed to me, hoping that one day all of the suffering that I have been through will make sense.  Never give up, keep fighting and rely on the Lord for strength until you reach your earthly dreams!

by Jay Mankus

On their 2010 debut album, the group Sixteen Cities created a song called Only After You.  The song is about someone who has reached a point in their life that they no longer care about the materialism of the world.  Therefore, the lyrics describe a person who begins to concentrate on having God as their first and only love.

As I have learned through the school of hard knocks, life appears to be more complex the older you become.  The apostle’s Paul message in 1 Corinthians 7:32-35 makes a whole lot more sense to me now as oppose to when I was younger.  Having a spouse and children divide your interest and can be distracting unless you take time out of your busy schedule to be still before the Lord, Psalm 46:10.  The message of this song has struck a cord in my spirit, a desire that I have, yet I haven’t devoted myself fully to this calling.

Jesus as recorded by Matthew in chapter 10:32-39 drives home the theme of Only After You .  Jesus is talking about the commitment level necessary for someone to become a disciple.  I think Jesus is trying to tell us that truth fulfillment in life is only found in Him, John 10:10.  There will always be people that hold a special place in our heart, but they can’t provide us with the abundant life Jesus promises.  Therefore, we need to be willing to risk everything, place all our concerns at the altar of our Lord and pursue Jesus.  May all of us follow the calling in Only After You.

by Jay Mankus

As another season of graduations are approaching in May, I am waiting to begin the second part of my life.  Like a second commencement, I look forward to having a fresh start.  The only difference to my situation is there isn’t a celebration, or a gathering together and dressing up is needed, yet only for interviews.  Instead of sitting on a stage, I am waiting on the Lord to call my name, open a door or clue me in on this new beginning.

I love adventure, once living in 6 states in 6 months after graduating from college.  However, this new beginning is getting old in the sense of not having a clue to where to start.  I feel like I a reliving part of my past, like playing Candyland with my daughter, so close to the end, only to draw a card which puts me back at the very beginning of the game.  I am not sure what lesson God is trying to teach me, but its not that fun of a class right now.

While at the University of Delaware, I discovered that they did not have the major that I desired, Golf Course Design.  Thus I sat down with my guidance counselor and we put together a plan which would prepare for this career if the opportunity arose.  There is where I am today, except my counselor is the Holy Spirit and each daily experience is preparing me for my next calling.  I am ready for my new beginning, I just don’t know what it is?  As for now, I am clinging to Lamentations 3:21-26 and Philippians 3:12-14 to get me through each day.

by Jay Mankus

Last night I received another response from an interview.  After being disappointed once again, the Lord revealed to me a truth from within Proverbs 16:1.  To man belongs the plans of the heart, plans which I believed were from the Lord.  However, the second part of the verse says but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue.  According to the N.I.V. Study Bible commentary, God must be able to give the ability to articulate in order for someone to accomplish these plans.

As I start over my job search, like searching for the lighthouse in the fog, I have to trust the Word of the Lord.  Like Proverbs 19:11, people have many plans, yet God’s purpose prevails in the end.  The hardest part is remaining patient while in my boat, waiting to come ashore, but the spiritual fog is blinding me from the proper direction I need to go.  It’s obvious that God is trying to stretch me, praying in faith that the fog will burn off by the light of the Son.

Instead of taking control, I am yielding my lifeboat over to Jesus.  Only He knows the direction of the wind, the flow of the tides and when the fog will evaporate.  As for now, I am lost at sea, trying to keep from tipping over into a sea of worry.  My only hope is to receive the articulation that I need to discern and set sail til I find the Lighthouse.

by Jay Mankus

I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to attend a local Vineyard Church this morning.  After the second song, the senior pastor addressed the congregation, asking people to listen to the Lord during the next song.  If God puts a passage from scripture on your heart or a rhema from the Lord, please come up to the mic to enhance our worship.

After a moving, Bible inspired song highlighting the true nature of God, a few members formed a short line up front.  As I was listening, I realized the last voice I heard was one of my former Bible students.  She is a junior in high school who recently has been dealing with many difficult issues.  Through this trial, the Holy Spirit led her to Isaiah 53:11-12.  While pouring out her heart, I was touched by her maturity and yearning to trust God during this tough period in life.

“After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied by his knowledge, Isaiah 53:11a.”  I was humbled by the example the worship I experienced today.  God convicted me of my ritualistic, going through the motions mode of worship.  Although I had never heard of 3 of the songs sung, I was brought to tears, felt goose bumps and awestruck by the participants of worshipers.  What I saw, what I long for and what I need to seek in the future is true worship as demonstrated today, John 4:24.

by Jay Mankus

Last year was the first season I committed to coaching my oldest son’s baseball team.  Since my dad had coached me for 2 seasons, I decided to do the same for my son James.  During the season I realized James and I had the same perspective about baseball, it’s fun but in the end its only a game.

This year I decided to coach my middle child, Daniel.  After losing my job in January, I volunteered to be the head coach as long as I had a few assistant coaches.  The team I was suppose to coach had so many people sign up before our first practice that this group was split into 2 separate teams.  In the end, God knew what he was doing allowing my wife and I to coach our son together.

Now we will be taking our family out to 2 ball games a week, except we will be on the field, not along the sidelines.  Our coaching philosophy is simple: play hard, respective one another and have fun.  While I enjoy winning, my focus is on developing players and giving them a chance to play every position if they wish.  If players can prove to us they belong or are willing to make the improvements necessary, we will continue to give them opportunities to succeed.  As in the song, its not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.  Make the most of every opportunity, Ephesians 5:16.

by Jay Mankus

Philippians 4:6 is one of the more quoted passages among Paul’s epistles.  Deep within this verse lie 2 opposing forces, anxiety and prayer.  Anxiety is self inflicted, often due to a lack of control within a situation.  Prayer is reliance on God, yielding concerns or control over to the Lord.

Since the beginning of 2012, I know anxiety well.  Each day I have tried to be diligent hoping that answers and or clarity about my future would soon follow.  As each day passed without any clear direction, a cloud of worry grew within my heart.  Month after month have followed, grasping to a glimmer of hope and optimism.

On the flip side is prayer, like a spiritual rechargeable battery.  In my distress, prayer is an outlet, a vessel to discharge anxiety.  When used properly, prayer is powerful and effective, a source to tap into the Spirit of the living God.  As I have wrestled in prayer, working to have a prayer life like David, I am still faced with 2 opposing forces.  Do I return to anxiety in the darkness of my future or do I cling to the light of prayer, a spiritual guide to find my future destination.  The answer is obvious, yet Romans 7:15-21 reminds all of us that in life, choices are not as easy as they appear.  In the end, choose life, Matthew 7:13-14.

by Jay Mankus