I just wanted to post a public "thank you" to a very helpful and completely free template blog designer.
His company is called templates block.
When it comes to being computer savy...well I'm next to illiterate:)
BUT this website and service helped me get this blog up and running. If you are looking at starting a blog or revamping the look of your existing blog I recommend you check out their site.
Totally free. Totally great service. Thanks again.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
changing your environment.
Here's an excerpt from a book I've been reading that really challenged me today...
I've been inspired by a group of early-twentieth-century missionaries who became known as "one-way missionaries" because they packed all their earthly belongings into coffins and purchased one-way tickets when they departed for the mission field.
They knew they'd never return home.
The story is told of one such missionary named A.W. Milne who felt called to a tribe of headhunters in the New Hebribes. All the other missionaries to this tribe had been martyred, but that didn't keep Milne from chasing the Wild Goose (Celtic name for the Holy Spirit). He lived among the tribe for thirty-five years and never returned home.
When the tribe buried him, they wrote the following epitaph on his tombstone:
"When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness."
(p.149 The Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson)
"..the Kingdom of God is within you." -Jesus
Every Christ-follower is a carrier of His Kingdom. Each of us have been called and equipped to live a life that releases this Heavenly Kingdom- seeing environments change from dark to light, sickness to health, poverty to abundance, depression to joy, and death to life.
The normal Christian life is to be anything but "normal".
I've been inspired by a group of early-twentieth-century missionaries who became known as "one-way missionaries" because they packed all their earthly belongings into coffins and purchased one-way tickets when they departed for the mission field.
They knew they'd never return home.
The story is told of one such missionary named A.W. Milne who felt called to a tribe of headhunters in the New Hebribes. All the other missionaries to this tribe had been martyred, but that didn't keep Milne from chasing the Wild Goose (Celtic name for the Holy Spirit). He lived among the tribe for thirty-five years and never returned home.
When the tribe buried him, they wrote the following epitaph on his tombstone:
"When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness."
(p.149 The Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson)
"..the Kingdom of God is within you." -Jesus
Every Christ-follower is a carrier of His Kingdom. Each of us have been called and equipped to live a life that releases this Heavenly Kingdom- seeing environments change from dark to light, sickness to health, poverty to abundance, depression to joy, and death to life.
The normal Christian life is to be anything but "normal".
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Will everyone be saved?
Tim Keller, author of The Reason for God and The Prodigal God, is quickly becoming a great apologetic voice in our culture. His ministry is reaching out to atheists, seekers, and believers with the life changing Gospel of Jesus of Christ.
God's ultimate desire is absolutely clear. He longs for everyone to turn from their sin and put their faith in His Son Jesus for their salvation. (2 Peter 3:9)
The Bible makes very clear that heaven and hell are both real. It's not a popular topic but discussing the reality of heaven and hell with the people in our lives love is truly the most loving thing we can do.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."- Jesus
Watch this short video by Tim Keller that speaks to this question: "Will everyone be saved?"
God's ultimate desire is absolutely clear. He longs for everyone to turn from their sin and put their faith in His Son Jesus for their salvation. (2 Peter 3:9)
The Bible makes very clear that heaven and hell are both real. It's not a popular topic but discussing the reality of heaven and hell with the people in our lives love is truly the most loving thing we can do.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."- Jesus
Watch this short video by Tim Keller that speaks to this question: "Will everyone be saved?"
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
My heart is an idol factory.
“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind." Exodus 20:4
No Christ-follower wants to admit it, but idols can crop up in the soil of our hearts so quickly.
As we go through our 21 days of prayer & fasting I am reading a great book by Tim Keller, called Counterfeit Gods: The empty promises of money, sex, and power, and the only hope that matters.
Check out this short video introducing his newest book.
No Christ-follower wants to admit it, but idols can crop up in the soil of our hearts so quickly.
As we go through our 21 days of prayer & fasting I am reading a great book by Tim Keller, called Counterfeit Gods: The empty promises of money, sex, and power, and the only hope that matters.
Check out this short video introducing his newest book.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
waiting to be wanted.
fastforward 2010
“Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted.”
–AW Tozer
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart."
(Jeremiah 29:13)
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
(James 4:8)
You and I can be as close to God as we want to be. It's time to make our move. He already made His and He "waits to be wanted."
Check out this video on prayer & fasting from Jentezen Franklin.
“Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted.”
–AW Tozer
"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart."
(Jeremiah 29:13)
"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
(James 4:8)
You and I can be as close to God as we want to be. It's time to make our move. He already made His and He "waits to be wanted."
Check out this video on prayer & fasting from Jentezen Franklin.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
hope dealer.
"A leader is a dealer in hope." -Napolean Bonaparte
hope: (noun):// the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
There Holy Spirit (3rd Person in the Trinity) is the greatest dealer of hope the world has ever seen.
Author of the best selling, hope-filled book we know as the Bible...
The source of power behind every miracle of Jesus...
Our Comforter...
Our Guide...
The only One who could offer any hope to Jesus after He willingly gave up His life on the cross, in our place, and receiving the full punishment for our sins.
This dealer of hope was even able to penetrate and willfully invade hell-the most hopeless environments imaginable!
That same Spirit, that same dealer of hope lives inside every Christ-follower and is still breathing hope into seemingly hopeless situations.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
-the apostle Paul (Romans 15:13)
Whether you need fresh hope in your finances, a major decision, a relationship, your body, your job or in the life of a loved one..may you encounter the Hope Dealer, in new ways, this New year!
hope: (noun):// the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.
There Holy Spirit (3rd Person in the Trinity) is the greatest dealer of hope the world has ever seen.
Author of the best selling, hope-filled book we know as the Bible...
The source of power behind every miracle of Jesus...
Our Comforter...
Our Guide...
The only One who could offer any hope to Jesus after He willingly gave up His life on the cross, in our place, and receiving the full punishment for our sins.
This dealer of hope was even able to penetrate and willfully invade hell-the most hopeless environments imaginable!
That same Spirit, that same dealer of hope lives inside every Christ-follower and is still breathing hope into seemingly hopeless situations.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
-the apostle Paul (Romans 15:13)
Whether you need fresh hope in your finances, a major decision, a relationship, your body, your job or in the life of a loved one..may you encounter the Hope Dealer, in new ways, this New year!
Monday, January 4, 2010
no need to pray about it.
There are some things we just don't need to spend anymore time in pray about.
I am all for prayer. I am absolutely all about living in communion with God (as a church we are in a time of seeking God through 21 days of prayer & fasting), but there are times I think it is easy to use prayer as an excuse for our inactivity or at least as a great "staller".
More than once I've had the Holy Spirit speak to my heart and say no need to pray about it anymore- just obey what you already know to do.
I love this excerpt from a book I've been enjoying called "Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson.
I wonder what would happen if we all agreed to read one of the Gospels
until we came to a place that told us to do something, then went out to
do it, and only after we had done it, began reading again?
There are aspects of the Gospel that are puzzling and difficult to understand.
But our problems are not centered around the things we don't understand,
but rather in the things we do understand, the things we could not possibly
misunderstand. Our problem is not so much that we don't know what we
should do. We know perfectly well, but don't want to do it.
(Peter Marshall, former chaplain of US Senate)
"Well done is better than well said." Benjamin Franklin
As a preacher, I challenge myself with that thought quite a bit.
When I get to heaven, I want Jesus to say to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant." In Heaven, we will not receive crowns to lay before the maker of the universe for our good intentions, but rather our Godly actions.
I want my life in 2010 to be filled with a whole lot of prayer AND action.
I am all for prayer. I am absolutely all about living in communion with God (as a church we are in a time of seeking God through 21 days of prayer & fasting), but there are times I think it is easy to use prayer as an excuse for our inactivity or at least as a great "staller".
More than once I've had the Holy Spirit speak to my heart and say no need to pray about it anymore- just obey what you already know to do.
I love this excerpt from a book I've been enjoying called "Wild Goose Chase" by Mark Batterson.
I wonder what would happen if we all agreed to read one of the Gospels
until we came to a place that told us to do something, then went out to
do it, and only after we had done it, began reading again?
There are aspects of the Gospel that are puzzling and difficult to understand.
But our problems are not centered around the things we don't understand,
but rather in the things we do understand, the things we could not possibly
misunderstand. Our problem is not so much that we don't know what we
should do. We know perfectly well, but don't want to do it.
(Peter Marshall, former chaplain of US Senate)
"Well done is better than well said." Benjamin Franklin
As a preacher, I challenge myself with that thought quite a bit.
When I get to heaven, I want Jesus to say to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant." In Heaven, we will not receive crowns to lay before the maker of the universe for our good intentions, but rather our Godly actions.
I want my life in 2010 to be filled with a whole lot of prayer AND action.
Friday, January 1, 2010
$3.60
Recently, I was on my way to Syracuse to meet with another pastor whom I have a great deal of respect for. It was snowing and I was doing everything I could not to be late as I knew his time was very valuable.While driving down the thruway I realized I didn't have a dime on me. I had no way of paying for the toll at my destination's exit.
Quickly, I pulled off at a rest stop and got some cash from the atm.
I was dressed in nicely so I had to try and hop over and dodge huge ponds of slush in the parking lot as best as I could. Nothing worse than having wet socks and cold feet all day.
After this briefly stressful setback, I was back on the road and headed to his church.
I arrived on time...just barely. The trip would've been a lot less stressful if I hadn't had to stop to find money to pay my toll.
On my trip back home, as I was driving through the toll lane, the attendant at the window said to me, "Hey, what are you doing...you have an ezpass??"
I was driving through the lane to pay my toll when it was already paid for me!
The church car I was driving had an ezpass box in front of the rear view mirror that I hadn't noticed before. All this time I was stressing out about paying for my own toll when it was already paid for me. The thought of paying my way through the toll when it was already being charged to another account was absurd to this toll attendant.
How many times do we do this in our Christianity?
The apostle John recorded some of Jesus' last words on the cross as He cried out, "It is finished!" (John 19:31). These words in the Greek literally mean PAID IN FULL!
There is nothing I can do to add to the payment Jesus made for my salvation on the cross. At the highest price imaginable, Jesus paid my toll and gave me an ezpass.
Every payment that has ever needed or will need to be paid has already been charged to His account through one amazing transaction on that rugged cross of Calvary.
I think I'll keep my $3.60 toll receipt in my journal as a reminder of my account already being paid in full.
2010 is going to be another year where we will have the chance to let the Grace of God amaze us over and over again.
Quickly, I pulled off at a rest stop and got some cash from the atm.
I was dressed in nicely so I had to try and hop over and dodge huge ponds of slush in the parking lot as best as I could. Nothing worse than having wet socks and cold feet all day.
After this briefly stressful setback, I was back on the road and headed to his church.
I arrived on time...just barely. The trip would've been a lot less stressful if I hadn't had to stop to find money to pay my toll.
On my trip back home, as I was driving through the toll lane, the attendant at the window said to me, "Hey, what are you doing...you have an ezpass??"
I was driving through the lane to pay my toll when it was already paid for me!
The church car I was driving had an ezpass box in front of the rear view mirror that I hadn't noticed before. All this time I was stressing out about paying for my own toll when it was already paid for me. The thought of paying my way through the toll when it was already being charged to another account was absurd to this toll attendant.
How many times do we do this in our Christianity?
The apostle John recorded some of Jesus' last words on the cross as He cried out, "It is finished!" (John 19:31). These words in the Greek literally mean PAID IN FULL!
There is nothing I can do to add to the payment Jesus made for my salvation on the cross. At the highest price imaginable, Jesus paid my toll and gave me an ezpass.
Every payment that has ever needed or will need to be paid has already been charged to His account through one amazing transaction on that rugged cross of Calvary.
I think I'll keep my $3.60 toll receipt in my journal as a reminder of my account already being paid in full.
2010 is going to be another year where we will have the chance to let the Grace of God amaze us over and over again.
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