Work That Energizes

Monday night, four people met with me to work on the new building in the evening.  It was great!  We were able to knock out some very important items that allow us to move forward Tuesday morning right away.

After a three hour work session like that, I am so energized!

Now, on Tuesday morning, I am still feeling that energy as I study and pray for Sunday's sermon.  I am putting the last touches on my study and then its off to work I go.

Love University

 

I am having a great time preaching Love University: Summer Term.  The messages are so basic, but so important.  Don't miss this Sunday!  The sermon title is, "...as yourself..."  I want to talk to you about what the Bible says about loving yourself and seeing yourself like God sees you.

I encourage you to catch up on past sermons by listening to the podcast on our web site.  I especially urge you to listen to the message, "What's In A Name."  I will have it posted later this week.  If you have not heard the message describing our name change, you need to hear it before you enter the process of helping choose a new name.

Thanks to National Community Church and their team for cool logo for the series!

Crazy Bits Of News

I have been so crazy busy with the building project and name change that my blog has fallen behind.  Sorry.

Here are some recent highlights and bits of news.
1.  We are working very hard to get everything done that is necessary for us to have our occupancy permit by August 4th.
2.  We are going to have more to finish after we move in.
3.  We desperately need workers who can paint and sand drywall in the next week.
4.  We are about ready to put down the new tile.  If you have any home experience with tile you will be a perfect helper.
5.  We have begun the process of changing the name of First Assembly of God.  You will get info in the mail this week!  Ballots will be received all week and at church this Sunday.  This is not a survey.  This is a vote.  Anyone 12 and older can vote.
6.  We are starting to plan for our public grand opening on September 8th!  Let's have at least 300 people at church that day!  Service at 10:00 a.m.
7.  The first night of MEGA Sports Camp was very good.  Go find more friends who can be there this week!  We have plenty of room.
8.  Plans have progressed wonderfully for youth camp and kids camp.  Our students are going to have great camping experiences with God this year.

It is a historic summer for our church.  I don't have time to contact each person and beg you to get involved.  So, jump in with confidence and help out and be involved in some great opportunities this year.

Thank you Lord

There are times when we need to stop and just say thank you Lord.  God is faithful.  I am just feeling grateful today for God's goodness.  I am thankful for my wife and family.  I am thankful for the people of our church.  I am thankful for lots of friends.  I am thankful for the truth and the beauty of God's word.  I am trusting that this will be a very good day.

New Service Schedule

There are some changes coming in May!

First, we are going back to two services for the summer.  Our attendance is usually lower in May, June and July.  So, we are giving the workers a break.  Based on last years numbers, we have room for summer crowds and room to grow in two services.  Don't let up in inviting friends to church.  We will have room.  The new times will be, 9:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.

Second, we are going to really mix it up on Wednesday nights in May and work on the building each Wednesday night.  There are many who have not been able to join in the work and really feel like they are missing out.  To make time for you, we are going to take the adults to the new building each Wednesday for a short burst of work.  My goal is simply to give a new outlet for workers.  Kids ministries will still meet at the 408 East 8th building from 6:30 to 7:30.  If you want to work early, I'll be there by 6:00 each Wednesday (with coffee).

Building Blog

We are having great success with the volunteer work on the building.  Amazing work has been finished by many helpers.  Huge thanks to St. Jame First Assembly of God for a great team Saturday.  What a huge blessing you were!  They also took up an offering for the project and raised over $1,300.00.

This Saturday Rolla First Assembly will be sending a team to help.  It is going to be a great day.

Check out the latest video blog.
http://www.firstagwashington.org/category/building/

Celebration Sunday Spring 2013

Sunday was a great Celebration Sunday.  Every six months we have a joint service at a rented facility so that our entire church can be together.  It won't be long and we will not need to rent a place for one service.  By the fall celebration, we will be in our new facility. 

I am so glad that four people responded at the end of the message.  The most important thing that can happen at church is a changed life!  It was amazing to see and feel people responding to the preaching during the sermon.  Attendance was great, our offering was great and lunch was great too!

It is sad to think that this may be our last meeting in a rented place for a few years.  But, these celebrations have been wonderful!

Virtual Reality

Ecclesiastes 10:10 is one of my favorite Scriptures.

If the ax is dull and the edge unsharpened,
more strength is needed,
but skill will bring success. (NIV)

I love the passion of this view of life.  No victim mentality Bible reader will make this their theme verse!  This is an, "I will win," attitude. 

If my tools are dull, then I can overcome with more strength, greater effort and time.  If my tools are dull, I will sharpen them.  I can increase my effectiveness by working to be sharper and more efficient with my limited strength and time.

Finally, when my strength and effincey are not enough, I need skill.  The same word Solomon used in this verse, is the word he used in Proverbs 1:7, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom..."  When my strength is all used up, and my resources completely spent, I know that God's wisdom and ability will step in to help me be successful at accomplishing his will.

The starting point for this wisdom and skill is the respect of God.
Respect of God will develop a true perspective.
Respect of God will eliminate a victim mentality.
Respect of God will create the work ethic to sharpen and swing hard.
Respect of God will bring success.

Virtual Reality

We live in a world filled with virtual perceptions of reality.  Often the image driven culture creates an world that is not really there.  One of the greatest images our culture distorts is the image of death.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-2 says,
"A good name is better than fine perfume,
and the day of death better than the day of birth.
² It is better to go to a house of mourning
than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart."  (NIV)

Think about what our image driven culture says.  "Death is bad, dark, scary, and there is nothing good about it."  Then we also tend to say, "Birth is joyful and happy, the future is bright and do birthdays are happy days."  The Bible says the opposite!  How can the Bible say, "...the day of death is better than the day of birth."  Why?

Look at the words around this reality check.  "A good name is better than perfume."  A good name is not given at birth, it is earned by a reputation of being good.  So the day of death is better than the day of birth because at birth nothing has been willingly or consciously accomplished.  But at death we have the opportunity to celebrate a life well lived.  At death we can look at an entire life and rejoice in its courage, service, honesty, labor, success, friendships, and family.

In that regard it is better to go to the funeral home than the party.  As a kid I went to scores of funerals.  We lived close to all the extended family and had huge family reunions and huge funerals.  Some parents disagree, but I was glad for the reality check of funerals.  I understood death.  Grandma did not just disappear, I saw her funeral.  Burying my loved ones was not an imaginary concept, it was real.  Today when I  attend a funeral, I always think about my life and living it so that my day of death is better than my day of birth.

How can you make the day of your death the best day possible?  Live life for Jesus Christ.  Let him do his redeeming work in you.  Allow his word to make your life abundantly blessed as you obey his plans.  My job is to live my life for the greatest glory to God for the greatest amount of time.  Then, I and all my friends will be rejoicing.  Some friends rejoicing on earth.  Some rejoicing with me and Jesus in Heaven.

Virtual Reality

This week I have been rediscovering how much I love Ecclesiastes, the Old Testament book of Wisdom.  What resonates with me most is the hard hitting reality of the book.  I am a very optimistic and idealistic type of person who is thrilled by adventure and the opportunities of life.  At the same time, I am very down to earth.  I despise pretense and the impracticality of a facade.

For me, living in our virtual world is like a nightmare!  Last week I saw an advertisement on an internet website I was reading from.  It directed me to the Social Security Administrations site where you can sign up for disability benefits.  I was shocked!  I’ll say it again, I was shocked!  It looked like a web site for Edward Jones, Shelter Insurance, or a financial service group.  There were banners and pictures of happy, quite well dressed, wonderfully healthy people.  That is the virtual reality they create.  The actual reality that I see people dealing with is different.  Going on disability is very difficult, no one does it because of good health, and by the time the process is approved some are in extreme financial difficulty that can never be recovered from with limited benefits.  That is the reality of life.  What makes me frustrated is when an image is portrayed that is so far from reality.

What I love about Ecclesiastes is the extremely honest nature of the book.  There is no fake mask on the truth of God’s word in this wisdom book.  This week we will look at some of these truths.

Declarations

I have seen a lot of friends on Facebook posting declarations.  It seems to me that the key word in these declarations is the personal pronoun, "I."  I declare that I am...

Without splitting hairs, it would be more correct to state what God declares.
God says, "You are forgiven."  Thank you Lord for your forgiveness to me!
God says, "...by his (Jesus) stripes you are healed."  Thank you Lord for healing for me!
God said, "I am going to prepare a place for you."  So great eternal hope is mine!

I am thankful that the promises of God are mine because Jesus is my Lord.  I am glad that I don't have to earn God's promises by stating them over and over to come true.  Just trust him.  We don't earn miracles and blessing by saying the right things repeatedly.  We receive all God's gifts and blessings because we love and trust HIM.  And, he loves us always.

Stay positive.  Keep saying positive things because you are positive, not just to get something in return.  Keep trusting the Lord, not your own effort.  The effort that pleases the Lord is not effort to earn his blessing, but effort to love him more.  His love for us is so abundant!  His love is amazingly faithful!  Let's let our love for him be growing toward that abundant and faithful love in return.

2 Pledges Completed!

Yesterday, I learned from our business manager, that another pledge to The Journey, our capital campaign was completed over the weekend.  Then, I opened an envelope in the mail from a friend who also completed their pledge!  I am so thankful for God's provision for us and for his provision for you!

Praying Together

Today we heard the striking news that Pope Benedict will be resigning at the end of February, citing health issues.  I know that we are not Catholic, but I think that we need to be praying.  The Pope is a man and people need prayer.  We also need to pray about what happens next.  What the Catholic Church chooses in the next month will have an effect on every Christian since about half the people in the world that claim Christianity are Roman Catholic.

This is striking news because a Pope has not resigned for well over 500 years.  This is striking news because he is resigning for health reasons and that may be a new and different reason for resignation.  Although it has become culturally reasonable for leaders to step down for physical incapacity, it is not (to my knowledge) a strong tradition in the Roman church.  If all that is being reported is the full story, I commend him for his honesty and willingness.  Like Tolkien’s Frodo Baggins, giving up the ring of power is not easy once it has been touched.

So, let’s pray for the Catholic Christians.  Pray that they will have a leader who will keep them theologically and culturally conservative.  Though they hold to many extra non-Biblical doctrines and superfluous exercises, I know many born again Catholics who love Jesus and put him first.  For their sakes, for the sake of Christian unity, and for the influence of the Church universal, we need to pray together.  Because we take some moral and ethical stances with the Roman Catholics, we should pray together.  And, I think it would make Jesus happy if we all prayed together in his name, to our Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

How To Get the Most From Chruch

I made this for my Small Group, but I think it is worth using this tool to coach every believer to get the most that they can from Sunday church.  How do I make the most of what church has for me, what God has for me?

Be there.
Being at church regularly helps us grow.

Hebrews 10:25 says, "...not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Clear Your  Mind of Distractions.
It is tough to hear from God and encourage others when we are running late and have had a rough morning already.  Stop and quiet yourself before worship, even if worship has already begun.  Take a second or two to stop.  You can pray, or just sit down and close your eyes and get your breath.

Worship
Enter God's presence with thanks no matter how you feel.  Thanking God changes our perspective of our situation, then it changes our perspective of God.

Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise."

Be Open To God
Don't be closed minded with God's word or the encouragement of God's people.

Jeremiah 25:3 says, "...the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened."  Let's not be around God's Word and fail to really hear it.

Devour God's Word
Be ready to learn God's Word and strive to apply it to daily life.

Look up Psalm 119:9 through 16.  Look at the way the writer has devoured the Word of God.  He hid it in his heart.  He meditates (thinks) on it.  He delights in the Word.  He has passion to walk according to it.

Respond to the Message
When the sermon is over and Pastor is closing, look for the ways that you can respond and apply the message as soon as possible.  Even if there is not a request made for you to move to a place of prayer, do it if you need to take extra time with God before you leave.

I Am Here For You

Often when people start attending church they only attend for what they perceive they need.  As we grow in God we will always have continued needs that are met at church.  However, as we mature, there comes a point where we attend church for others needs, not our needs.

Attending church is a weekly opportunity for you to get knowledge, friendship, peace from God, and direction for your life.  It is also an opportunity for you to serve others the knowledge, friendship, peace and direction they need for their lives.

Every Sunday I trust and hope that God touches lives through me, I am the Pastor.  But I am not just at church to give to you, I want to receive.  In the same way, I hope that you are not at church just to receive from God, but to give to others.

If you attend church 12 times a year, then you really don't come often enough to even know how you could help others.  But if you attend weekly, you will make new friends and start to become aware of your environment to the level that you will notice needs as they arise.  The biggest need people have is friendship.  Attend church to give.  Be there for somebody.