Turn. Turn, Turn
/I let The Byrds sing my text (basically) yesterday before I read it. Here it is:
I let The Byrds sing my text (basically) yesterday before I read it. Here it is:
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11 served as the main text. Click here to read it!
Here were some of the driving thoughts about seasonal living from my message yesterday..."There's a season for that." The message should be online by tomorrow.
Praying for you as I write this that God will do the work in the soil of your heart that causes you to reap a harvest of faithfulness!
What season do you see yourself in right now? What is God showing you in this season?
I showed this picture in the sermon this morning. This was some flowers in our front yard...YESTERDAY!! Trying to bloom. 1 had bloomed.
This is the same exact flower patch...TODAY!!!! 10 had bloomed. Overnight. And on the same day I preached on seasons. Just blessed me and reminded me of how good God is.
I love to use this blog to review books that I read. It may help you some, but it will help me more. It helps me to reinforce my highlights and document what I read and learned for later when I need it.
While in Guyana, I read "The Blogging Church" by Brian Bailey. Guys, it was such an incredibly helpful tool/manual to help me become a better, healthier and more effective blogger. GREAT BOOK! If you are a blogger or are thinking about starting one, this book is a must, must read. Here are some random bullets of my favorite ideas in the book:
I am stopping now. I could keep going. This is enough, though.
-Noah
Hey, friends. This morning I had the privilege of doing a hospital visit with one of my favorite sidekicks...Momma! We went down to visit Lisa Savoy at Hadley Memorial Hospital in SW. As with almost every mission trip or hospital visit...it impacted us more than her.
I want to take a moment to share with you an update about Lisa. She is excited to have a voice through this blog. Lisa cannot talk anymore. She can no longer breathe on her own either. She is on a breathing machine. She gave her doctor permission to share with us what is happening. She has Sjogrens syndrome, Polymyositis, COPD/Emphysema and now has been diagnosed with Pneumonia. Today, we learned that she will need to remain on a breathing machine for the rest of her life. Although she could not talk, we seemed to read her lips well and she pointed to letters when she needed to.
I asked Lisa what are the 3 most important ways that CCF can be praying with her? She answered:
After hearing that and crying together, I assured her that she still had a voice and she was still making a difference! At least to our church and the hundreds that read my blog.
I then asked Lisa what the ONE THING is that she would want to tell people. Without hesitation, she said:
Let God be God!
There is so much to extract from those 4 simple words. She made it a point to say, "even when you cannot talk or breathe on your own, let God be God!" "Do not rely on yourself...rely on God. Put him first and let him be who is wants to be in your life."
Amazing! Finally, she she said that too many visits exhaust her. She just wanted me to bring her words and heart back to you. She also enthusiastically agreed to a short video shoot. Here is Lisa Savoy. Same sweet spirit. Same precious heart. Same love for her church. (Oh, she made sure to tell me that this was HER church!) Check her out....blowing you kisses:
Someone sent me this and I thought it was kinda creepy/cool! Check it out:
If I have any doubt before about this whole Facebook thing....it's gone....I'm a believer!
Here are a few reasons why:
Facebook Rocks! It is going to open up great doors for impacting people. That is my heart! That is why I do it. Lord knows I don't need one more thing to do. I see it as a tool, not a toy! It is all in how you use it. You have to use it, not let it use you!
(If you have not joined, do so today at www.facebook.com)
This Sundays message is going to be out of Ecclesiastes 3 and other texts. The title of my message will be...
"There's a Season for That!"
Gonna be talking about seasonal thinking. Last Friday was the first day of spring. Made me think of the meaning and value of seasons. What is a season? What does God intend for a season to do in you? What happens when we miss one? Rush one? The main premise will be this: Everything that happens is getting you ready for what's next.
Come this Sunday expecting to hear from God together as we open Scripture.
--Pastor Noah
______________________________
Oh, Would you mind leaving a comment?
This blog is not a monologue. I want it to be more of a conversation. I invite you to leave a comment answering this question:
What is the most insightful thing that you have learned about life's seasons? (You may just hear your comment in the sermon on Sunday.)
(Pay special attention to Jon-Jon's classic facial expressions.)
Seriously, JFK airport is an amazing place, but a scary place:
...But I love it! I love the diversity at JFK. I love the reminders all around of how big the world is, how small I am and how creative God is!
Anyway, that was my thought of the day.
It was a smooth trip home. Watched a movie on the flight home and it made 6 hours feel like 3!
Up before the sun, but not before the Son!! Last morning here in Guyana. Felt compelled to just spend some more time praying for this nation..as I have done throughout these last few days. I prayed for the hearts of the people to turn to Jesus. For Alcoholism to be removed. For poverty to be replaced with equality. For diseases to be healed. For other people around the world to assist in social justice work here in this country. But perhaps my most focused prayer was for those that have met Jesus...or at least think they have. The longer I live, the more I observe people in the faith, the more afraid I become that we are more the problem than the solution. I prayed that Christians here would be authentic difference makers for Jesus and not so set apart from the brokenness that they let broken people fall apart and miss out on the blessing of abundant life and eternal life!
There is something different about praying for a nation on the ground...on their turf. Something profoundly moving that is hard to put into words.
I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples. -Psalm 108:3
This is the last full day that we are in Guyana. Let me give you a few brief comments about this trip:
Thoughts from "Guynana" (as Davis calls it),
Noah
I am 2 chapters from being done reading a book called "The Blogging Church." I will share a review on it when I finish....maybe later today. Great tool. As I read it, it has made recommendations about the blog and encourages you to go implement it as you read it. I did.
Here are a few minor changes that I made that I wanted to tell you about:
More to come...These are just a few changes with the hope of improving your visits. Great to have you around.
Noah
I brought 2 books with me on this trip. Big mistake. Should have brought 3 or 4. I am done 1 and halfway done the second. Bummer. Anyway, this morning I was up at 6am and had 3 hours alone with the Bible and a book. Such a treat! I read the book of Acts and finished another book called "Money Matters in the Church" by Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope. Thoroughly insightful book. About half of it strums on CCF's guitar.
The book addressed:
A++!!!
Great book. Great tool to be used. I look forward to handing this one off to our Finance Staff and Executive Board. We can really use this teaching to make our already accountable system even more airtight!
Yes, you read that title correctly. And yes, this is a missions trip or a trip with a mission.
I knew that I would not have cell service down here. Every time that I've come in the past, I have barely had Internet. I would have to find an Internet cafe, pay, and then hope that the Internet moved fast enough to send Tricia an email telling her hello. This trip, I decided to bring my MacBook so that I could at least do some typing and work on my next sermon.
Well, we ARE staying in a hotel and it does have a pool. But, you can erase what you are picturing. We are not living it up at the resort. Trust me. Well, today, I brought my computer outside to the table we were sitting at by the pool, clicked on the Internet and BAM! Google.com/guyana! Poolside, online, and high speed wireless...thanks to my MacDaddy! It won't work in my room, though. Just by the pool. Poor me. So, all that to say that I get to stay connected during this trip. I was kinda looking forward to the break, so I may not write as much. We'll see. You know me and my mad blogging tendencies.
A few thoughts/lessons from the day:
Holding off for bed so I can get back on schedule. We have meetings starting at 8:30am tomorrow.
Holla for Guyana!
--Pastor Noah
We are here in Guyana safely. Other than a 3o minute nap on the plane and a 2 hours nap in the hotel, I have been up since Thursday morning. Tired to say the least. We have been in meetings with leaders for the last few hours and about to get some dinner now.
I have a good sense that God is already at work blessing this trip. We feel your prayers and ask you to keep sending them.
With love,
Noah, Hal and Mim
Getting ready to leave for National Airport. Then, we puddle jump to JFK. After wasting 4 hours of our life at JFK, we take an overnight flight to Georgetown, Guyana. I wanted to throw up a post before leaving.
Hal and Mim Smith and I are the three going. Hal is the chair of our Executive Board and International Team. Mim is very close to some Guyanese friends connected to CCF that live in Georgetown (a few of you may know Nikki...Patrick and Pauline Greaves daughter).
We are heading down so Hal and I can meet with our leaders in the Guyanese churches that we have been supporting for many years. The conversations that we anticipate having may not be easy. We really feel that we need your prayer support over the next few days. We will be returning Tuesday. Pray for safety, wisdom and peace. Pray also for our leaders and churches there that God would be there strength and portion.
If I can get on Internet, and it moves fast enough (that is the issue), I will post from there.
Much love and peace!!! I will miss you Sunday.
Pastor Noah
Lover & follower of Jesus, devoted to my wife Tricia & my kids, Davis, Lily & Graceson, serving & living in Africa as a man on mission for the Kingdom of God.