Off to the farm in Jamestown, Missouri today to celebrate Christmas with my parents and siblings and their families. Might squeeze in a few hours of bow hunting. I hope it snows. I love sitting in a tree stand in the silence of the woods while it is snowing.
I am really blessed to have a family that all got saved in the same year! (1987). God worked in each of us in a slightly different way, but it all came together amazingly. I have to say, my family is really fun! Looking forward to some Nert's and other great games.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas Tonight
Tonight we are going to celebrate Christmas in our Wednesday night Bible study by singing some old fashioned Christmas songs and reading the Christmas story. Afterward we will share testimonies of God's help, provision and miracles in 2010.
We will be serving hot chocolate and hot apple cider. Should be a very nice time.
The children's ministry is having a Christmas party in the lower level of the church. The youth will meet with the adult Bible study for the Christmas story since Dylan and Laura are traveling tonight.
I wish everyone a merry Christmas!
We will be serving hot chocolate and hot apple cider. Should be a very nice time.
The children's ministry is having a Christmas party in the lower level of the church. The youth will meet with the adult Bible study for the Christmas story since Dylan and Laura are traveling tonight.
I wish everyone a merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
God's Timing at Christmas
In the Bible, Luke 2:1 says, “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.” (NIV) Caesar needed taxes and he wanted as much as possible. The wheels of politics were turning. Those wheels had no feeling for a young woman about to give birth to her first baby. She had to travel 70 miles in her ninth month to be enrolled properly.
Arriving in Bethlehem, the designated town of registry, the young woman and her husband found no rooms in the inns. They did however find a stable, a home for farm animals that would have to do. That night the baby came. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was born into the world.
Galatians 4:4-7 says, “But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father!" Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.” (The Message)
At just the right time, God sent his son Jesus to earth so that you could be free from sin, the breaking of God’s laws and standards. How exact was God’s timing? Micah 5:2 promised hundreds of years before, "But you, Bethlehem...out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. " (NIV) God promised that Bethlehem would be the place of Jesus birth. If Mary had gone into labor a few hours earlier, it would not have been so. If Caesar’s decree would have been a few days sooner or later, Mary would not have been in Bethlehem. God still intervenes in our time. He is working out the details for those who trust him. The global concerns and fears plod on without feeling for individuals, but in the middle of despair, God offers hope. God can work in a horrible economy, political division, fear of the future, or any other difficulty to bless you and your family this Christmas. Call out on Jesus. Trust God with your concerns. Seek God and you will find him. You will find him doing something amazing in the middle of a horrible time. When you trust him, God is always on time. You could call it, “Christmas time.”
Arriving in Bethlehem, the designated town of registry, the young woman and her husband found no rooms in the inns. They did however find a stable, a home for farm animals that would have to do. That night the baby came. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, was born into the world.
Galatians 4:4-7 says, “But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father!" Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance.” (The Message)
At just the right time, God sent his son Jesus to earth so that you could be free from sin, the breaking of God’s laws and standards. How exact was God’s timing? Micah 5:2 promised hundreds of years before, "But you, Bethlehem...out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. " (NIV) God promised that Bethlehem would be the place of Jesus birth. If Mary had gone into labor a few hours earlier, it would not have been so. If Caesar’s decree would have been a few days sooner or later, Mary would not have been in Bethlehem. God still intervenes in our time. He is working out the details for those who trust him. The global concerns and fears plod on without feeling for individuals, but in the middle of despair, God offers hope. God can work in a horrible economy, political division, fear of the future, or any other difficulty to bless you and your family this Christmas. Call out on Jesus. Trust God with your concerns. Seek God and you will find him. You will find him doing something amazing in the middle of a horrible time. When you trust him, God is always on time. You could call it, “Christmas time.”
Monday, December 21, 2009
Primal - Recent Reading
I have been reading Primal: A Quest for the Lost Soul of Christianity. The author is Mark Batterson of National Community Church in Washington DC. This is his fourth book, and each one gets better.
In Primal, Mark dives into the four parts of the great commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Those areas relate to compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy. I like the organization of material in this book. It is very easy to follow and know where the author is going.
I am not sure how he does it, but the book is packed with interesting information. I am reading it much slower than the other books I have have read from him. I was hoping to be finished by this time today, but I am taking my time on this one. He has really outdone the previous books.
One thing Mark is right about. We lose the heart and soul of Christianity when anything other than loving God creeps into our religious routine. Ministry, money, business, creativity, style and many other neutral factors can creep into our Christian practice and make it practice only. A set of modern, meaningless, religious rituals. Our walk with God has to be focused on relationship with God and loving him with all our heart.
In Primal, Mark dives into the four parts of the great commandment, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Those areas relate to compassion, wonder, curiosity, and energy. I like the organization of material in this book. It is very easy to follow and know where the author is going.
I am not sure how he does it, but the book is packed with interesting information. I am reading it much slower than the other books I have have read from him. I was hoping to be finished by this time today, but I am taking my time on this one. He has really outdone the previous books.
Christmas Time
It is Christmas time. Cold weather and a real hope this year of snow at Christmas!
We took up an offering to help out some families with food this Christmas. I am also raising money for the trip to Africa in January. The benevolence offering was $540, plus some extra that we already had. Since sending out the Africa letters last week we have received almost $200 and the Africa Fund is at almost $400, we need over $2,000. Have to really pray.
I hope you and your family have a very merry Christmas week.
We took up an offering to help out some families with food this Christmas. I am also raising money for the trip to Africa in January. The benevolence offering was $540, plus some extra that we already had. Since sending out the Africa letters last week we have received almost $200 and the Africa Fund is at almost $400, we need over $2,000. Have to really pray.
I hope you and your family have a very merry Christmas week.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
A Little Mental Floss
Yahoo news directed me to an interesting blog entry on a blog called Mental Floss. The article is about eight signs of boredom. I don't know anything else about the blog, so if there is other stuff you don't like, sorry.
If you are a Small Group leader or teach anything at church you really need to read this and take parts of it to heart. Think about this. When teens listen to a talk on dating how are they sitting? When they are in the same room a few minutes later how are they sitting while playing a video game? When you are a greeter at church, how often are your conversations with other men are squarely fave to face? You can tell when someone is trying to get away when they don't fully face you. Go check it out!
http://blogs.static.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/42350.html
If you are a Small Group leader or teach anything at church you really need to read this and take parts of it to heart. Think about this. When teens listen to a talk on dating how are they sitting? When they are in the same room a few minutes later how are they sitting while playing a video game? When you are a greeter at church, how often are your conversations with other men are squarely fave to face? You can tell when someone is trying to get away when they don't fully face you. Go check it out!
http://blogs.static.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/42350.html
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sharp
Sunday I continued the "Wisdom" series. We are reviewing a few themes from the book of Proverbs. This Sunday was, "The Wisdom of Friendship."
The challenge was for every believer to develop and keep seven friends who meet four strict criteria. This is no one-week project. It is a life goal requiring continual attention. One reason to do this is found in Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (NIV)
Interestingly, this week seems to be a week for me to be with people that make me sharper. I have had several meetings and conversations with individuals who have really helped me stay sharp. Who makes you sharp? Who inspires you to be a great believer in Jesus Christ, a great citizen, a great spouse, a great money manager, or a smarter person? Why not schedule lunch with them this week?
The challenge was for every believer to develop and keep seven friends who meet four strict criteria. This is no one-week project. It is a life goal requiring continual attention. One reason to do this is found in Proverbs 27:17, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (NIV)
Interestingly, this week seems to be a week for me to be with people that make me sharper. I have had several meetings and conversations with individuals who have really helped me stay sharp. Who makes you sharp? Who inspires you to be a great believer in Jesus Christ, a great citizen, a great spouse, a great money manager, or a smarter person? Why not schedule lunch with them this week?
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Pleasant
II Samuel 23:3-4
3 The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock of Israel said to me:
'When one rules over men in righteousness,
when he rules in the fear of God,
4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise
4 he is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings the grass from the earth.'
Good leadership is pleasant to serve under. As a Pastor I must also follow my leaders. The truth of the last words of David are more apparent every year I grow older. Sometimes I learn it by seeing the frustration of those I serve, and other times I feel it in the leadership that I am under authority to.
No matter what your political or denominational affiliation, no matter what area of work you are in, good leaders are pleasant to serve. Here are a few hints from David.
1. Lead with righteousness. That is justice, fairness, hard work at the top, appropriate mercy and grace.
2. Lead with humility and fear of God. That is willingness to take criticism, advice, and admit mistakes.
Your leadership could perhaps be measured with a pleasant factor.
Do those we lead feel the excitement and peace of a dazzling sunrise when they think about us? Do they feel refreshed like the earth after rain when we serve them? Do we see signs of personal growth and excitement for the future in those we lead?
In high school choir we sang a piece that quoted these last words of David. When I think about leadership the tune comes into my head and the words tumble around.
"When one rules over men in righteousness,
when he rules in the fear of God,
he is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning."
on a cloudless morning."
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Why Attend Church?
Go interesting places.
Make great memories.
See more smiles.
Meet great people.
Have fun!Always good clan fun, but you may need a handy wipe.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
40 Days of Purpose
December 27th we will kick off our 40 Days of Purpose Campaign. This is going to be an awesome way to charge into 2010!
40 Days of Purpose is a plan to have everyone in the church study and learn, in an extremely focused way, the five purposes that every believer needs to balance in their life and relationship with Christ. The five purposes include, we are made by God to worship, mature, belong, serve and reach out. By linking the every Small Group, sermon, youth and kids ministry event each week we will focus heavily on each purpose. It is a fun and exciting journey that can change your life and our church.
The 40 day journey is aided by the reading of the book, The Purpose Driven Life, by Pastor Rick Warren. This book is broken into 40 small chapters that function as daily devotionals for you that will also follow the sermons and Small Group lessons.
Next week we will have hard copies of The Purpose Driven Life and copies of the Small Group Study Guide available. You can sign up this week to reserve a copy. The hard cover books are $10 and the Study Guide is $5. If you would like we will also be photocopying the Small Group material, so you could get a photocopied folder for $3 (we have purchased rights for this. It is a lot of copies, the actual printed guide is much more compact).
If you know a person who is out of church or not saved, this is the time to invite them! Bring the for Christmas and then the next week invite them to be a part of 40 Days. The first two sermons are great messages for the unsaved and the others will take them on a very fast discipleship course. Some churches who have motivated members have testimonies of growing by 20% during the 40 days of the campaign. We will have invitation post cards for you to give to friends in the next few weeks. Don't miss this.
40 Days of Purpose is a plan to have everyone in the church study and learn, in an extremely focused way, the five purposes that every believer needs to balance in their life and relationship with Christ. The five purposes include, we are made by God to worship, mature, belong, serve and reach out. By linking the every Small Group, sermon, youth and kids ministry event each week we will focus heavily on each purpose. It is a fun and exciting journey that can change your life and our church.
The 40 day journey is aided by the reading of the book, The Purpose Driven Life, by Pastor Rick Warren. This book is broken into 40 small chapters that function as daily devotionals for you that will also follow the sermons and Small Group lessons.
Next week we will have hard copies of The Purpose Driven Life and copies of the Small Group Study Guide available. You can sign up this week to reserve a copy. The hard cover books are $10 and the Study Guide is $5. If you would like we will also be photocopying the Small Group material, so you could get a photocopied folder for $3 (we have purchased rights for this. It is a lot of copies, the actual printed guide is much more compact).
If you know a person who is out of church or not saved, this is the time to invite them! Bring the for Christmas and then the next week invite them to be a part of 40 Days. The first two sermons are great messages for the unsaved and the others will take them on a very fast discipleship course. Some churches who have motivated members have testimonies of growing by 20% during the 40 days of the campaign. We will have invitation post cards for you to give to friends in the next few weeks. Don't miss this.
Internal Threats
In 2 Samuel 22 David writes a song of thanks to God for all his faithfulness. In verse 44 David says, "You have delivered me from the attacks of my people..." Most of the song is about God saving David from foreign enemies, but there in the middle of the song is this line.
The same day I read this I read a portion of a book that indicated that the Church grows the fastest under persecution. But, U.S. churches (especially in the mid west) it seems that Pastors deal with internal attacks from the church, but almost never deal with persecution from without. Maybe the reason church growth in the U.S. is stagnant nationally is because we spend too much time attacking each other and not enough time attacking the Devil. Let's spend our energy loving people who don't live for Jesus.
If you feel the pressure of attacks from within your organization, begin trusting God like David did. God delivered him from the attacks of his own people. Then, spend your energy loving those who are not, "my people."
The same day I read this I read a portion of a book that indicated that the Church grows the fastest under persecution. But, U.S. churches (especially in the mid west) it seems that Pastors deal with internal attacks from the church, but almost never deal with persecution from without. Maybe the reason church growth in the U.S. is stagnant nationally is because we spend too much time attacking each other and not enough time attacking the Devil. Let's spend our energy loving people who don't live for Jesus.
If you feel the pressure of attacks from within your organization, begin trusting God like David did. God delivered him from the attacks of his own people. Then, spend your energy loving those who are not, "my people."
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Songs for Climbing
Tonight we continue our series of messages from the Psalms. We are studying Psalm 120 through 134, the songs of ascent. As we learn we are learning to climb into the presence of the Lord. One theme that really stands out in these Psalms is that we live in God's presence and favor, not enter his presence on Sunday and then leave it for the rest of the week. The songs are for singing in the temple, on the fifteen steps that lead into the presence of the Lord. But, the principals and pictures in the songs relate to daily life.
Let's live lives of trust and obedience to God all day, every day, not just on Sunday or special occasions. A Wall Street Journal marketing poster I hung in my dorm room in college read, "Success is a Daily Issue." Worship, faith, relationship to God, and spiritual success is a daily issue. Climb into his presence and learn to stay there.
Let's live lives of trust and obedience to God all day, every day, not just on Sunday or special occasions. A Wall Street Journal marketing poster I hung in my dorm room in college read, "Success is a Daily Issue." Worship, faith, relationship to God, and spiritual success is a daily issue. Climb into his presence and learn to stay there.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Confusing Testimony
Occasionally we have people share testimonies at church. Some can be very confusing, even hilariously confusing. An 80 year old lady who had blood pressure problems stood to announce, "I want to praise the Lord, I ain't got no blood pressure!"
Funny stuff aside, there are some stories in the Old Testament that are very confusing testimonies. In the life of King Saul we find several of those confusing stories. One is in 1 Samuel 19:23-24. God's Spirit moves Saul to prophecy so that David has time to escape from Saul. We don't know the exact nature of that prophesying, but it apparently overcame Saul so that he forgot about or neglected David for a brief period of time.
Saul is showing the signs of the anointing, but it is not due to his relationship with God, but it is due to David's need! Never base the quality of your relationship with God on outward ministry effectiveness. God may be using you because he loves those you minister to, not because you are acceptable. Judge yourself according to the Word of God and it only.
Here is the bottom line, at the end of your life what kind of testimony will you leave? A confusing testimony or a solid testimony. People ask at funerals, "Pastor, did you get to pray the sinners prayer with him/her?" Most of the time I can say yes I did. Many times I did pray with them, but they never devoted themselves to God and the life was never transformed in any way. Yes, I prayed with them. Were they saved? I don't know. There was no fruit to bear witness to the presence of God in their life.
Don't live out a confusing testimony! Do what God asks. Be fully devoted to him. Don't serve God half hearted. Leave no question in the minds of those who know the Word of God and know you best. Make your testimony a solid one. Make your epitaph honest and like David's: "A man after God's own heart."
Funny stuff aside, there are some stories in the Old Testament that are very confusing testimonies. In the life of King Saul we find several of those confusing stories. One is in 1 Samuel 19:23-24. God's Spirit moves Saul to prophecy so that David has time to escape from Saul. We don't know the exact nature of that prophesying, but it apparently overcame Saul so that he forgot about or neglected David for a brief period of time.
Saul is showing the signs of the anointing, but it is not due to his relationship with God, but it is due to David's need! Never base the quality of your relationship with God on outward ministry effectiveness. God may be using you because he loves those you minister to, not because you are acceptable. Judge yourself according to the Word of God and it only.
Here is the bottom line, at the end of your life what kind of testimony will you leave? A confusing testimony or a solid testimony. People ask at funerals, "Pastor, did you get to pray the sinners prayer with him/her?" Most of the time I can say yes I did. Many times I did pray with them, but they never devoted themselves to God and the life was never transformed in any way. Yes, I prayed with them. Were they saved? I don't know. There was no fruit to bear witness to the presence of God in their life.
Don't live out a confusing testimony! Do what God asks. Be fully devoted to him. Don't serve God half hearted. Leave no question in the minds of those who know the Word of God and know you best. Make your testimony a solid one. Make your epitaph honest and like David's: "A man after God's own heart."
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Shooting Stars
Friday I took the kids to my parents house in the country for a bonfire. The weather was perfect! We ate dinner, started the fire, roasted hot dogs and then laid out to watch the stars. In one hour of story telling and conversation I saw five shooting stars.
Elizabeth says that she saw one of them. Back in 1992 I was with Stephanie, who is now my wife, and we were looking at the stars when a shooting star shot through the sky. It was her first shooting star and we saw it together. I am so glad that Elizabeth and I saw her first shooting star together.
Trivia: The term bonfire may be from an old Celtic practice of cooking an animal at a celebration or religious festival and then throwing the bones in the fire (bone fire) to ward off evil spirits. Our hot dogs had no bones and we have the Holy Spirit who always makes us over comers.
Elizabeth says that she saw one of them. Back in 1992 I was with Stephanie, who is now my wife, and we were looking at the stars when a shooting star shot through the sky. It was her first shooting star and we saw it together. I am so glad that Elizabeth and I saw her first shooting star together.
Trivia: The term bonfire may be from an old Celtic practice of cooking an animal at a celebration or religious festival and then throwing the bones in the fire (bone fire) to ward off evil spirits. Our hot dogs had no bones and we have the Holy Spirit who always makes us over comers.
Conviction
I am convicted.
I am convicted that I have not been doing more blog posts. I want to have better chances to make contact with the church and the blog is a great way to do it. Most importantly, I want to be prepared for the people God will send to our church. Being prepared is being prepared to communicate with them. I feel that the blog will be a very important part of that communication.
If you are on Facebook my blog entries will show up as notes on my profile page. When I started linking my posts to my Facebook my hits on the blog site drooped by over half. I still get a lot of comments about postings, so I know they are being read. I also get more Facebook comments on the blog notes than I get comments on the blog itself.
Whatever. What matters is good communication and leadership. I know the blog can help with that. So, sorry for the very few blog posts in the last several months. I will be working hard to improve. Don't forget to check it out.
I am convicted that I have not been doing more blog posts. I want to have better chances to make contact with the church and the blog is a great way to do it. Most importantly, I want to be prepared for the people God will send to our church. Being prepared is being prepared to communicate with them. I feel that the blog will be a very important part of that communication.
If you are on Facebook my blog entries will show up as notes on my profile page. When I started linking my posts to my Facebook my hits on the blog site drooped by over half. I still get a lot of comments about postings, so I know they are being read. I also get more Facebook comments on the blog notes than I get comments on the blog itself.
Whatever. What matters is good communication and leadership. I know the blog can help with that. So, sorry for the very few blog posts in the last several months. I will be working hard to improve. Don't forget to check it out.
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