Jesus Messiah, Dave's Highway
/This is amazing! Tricia posted this on her blog and I wanted to repost it! Wow!
This is amazing! Tricia posted this on her blog and I wanted to repost it! Wow!
Mark 4: 1-20 contains a parable of a seed sower. Seed is thrown out by the farmer and it falls on 4 different types of soil:
When you are physically ill, you go to the Doctor. He looks at you, listens to you, asks questions, does some exploratory work, and then he tells you what is wrong and how to make it right. You have xyz sickness...take abc medicine for x amount of time, and then let's see how you're feeling.
Over the last year I have noticed that I pray with my eyes open more often. Honestly, I am not really sure where he whole "bow your head and close your eyes" thingy came from, but I am approaching things differently these days.
Last week, I read the book "Breakout Churches" by Thom Rainier. Loved it! A friend of mine recommended it and it could not have been more on time. This book is basically a carbon copy of Jim Collin's "Good to Great", but for churches.
It is amazing how many people have been asking me this recently. Where do I begin reading the Bible? What books should I begin with? Heck, 15 minutes ago, I had this exact conversation with 2 of the ladies that clean our facility. This question shows me that there is progress being made. YES!!!!
LOVE this song! I claim this for our City in Jesus name!
It is time for you to stop living your life to make everyone accept you.
It is time for you to stop trying to appease everyone’s feelings.
It is time for you to stop hiding behind the mask.
It is time for you to stop acting like you are happy when you know you need prayer.
It is time for you to stop playing games with the Lord and really approach His throne in sincerity.
It is time for you to be who God formed, created and called you to be.
It is time for you to walk in the promises of God.
It is time for you to stop allowing people to walk over you.
It is time for you to stand up and be responsible.
It is time for you to stop agonizing over things you cannot control or change.
It is time for you to stop crying over people you cannot change.
It is time for you to declare and decree your blessings.
It is time for you to go forth and stop waiting on people who do not want to go with you.
It is time for you to be who God wants you to be and not what everyone else desires to make you.
(I got this in an email this week and I thought it was pretty inspiring.)
Exodus 8:19 says: "The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God."
Every day, I am more convinced that increased intimacy with Jesus = everything!
We all need it. We all want it. Some of us need it more than others. Others of us look for it in incessantly in other people. It’s called validation.
I had the opportunity to speak at my father’s church in Georgia on Mother’s Day (Dusty Takle, not me). After I finished, I found myself needing to hear that I did a good job. I asked my Dad, “Did you get any feedback? Any response?”
What was I looking for? Validation.
We all love the attaboys and our egos being a little inflated…..for the Kingdom, of course. Ahem. But, at what point in our ministry do we minister to people for the sake of the Kingdom alone? And, at what point do we realize that the only person who can truly validate us is Jesus Christ?
If we are serving in ministry or otherwise, Jesus Christ has already validated us. If we never hear another “Amazing message!” or “Great job!” again, can we accept God’s validation and stop searching for man’s? When do we say it’s not about me? Not even the tiniest part is about me. It’s about the Kingdom. I must decrease. He must increase. We don’t need any one else to tell us who we are. Pastor Craig has said often, “You are not who people say you are. You are who God says you are.”
We are His children called according to His purpose.
I think that’s validation enough.
Do you struggle with needing validation from others?
(Recently read this on the LifeChurch Swerve Blog. I thought that it was well done and wanted to share it. I think that encouragement is very important, but we mix "encouragement" up with "validation" and "pride" too often. Jesus, give us the humility and the confidence you had!)
Capital Christian Fellowship is in a difficult place, financially right now. Giving is not equivalent to budget. We do not bring in on Sunday mornings (partners and attendees are our income) what we need to operate the church. That was not a serious problem when there was money in the bank to supplement the shortage. It is a problem when there isn't. That is where we will be very soon.
Thanks for anything and everything that you may do to enhance this ministry! This church IS making a difference!
Some people have the gift of discernment. Or at the very least, they are incredibly intuitive. They are a gift to the church. But, this is no easy gift to steward.
Some people are really courageous and willing to say hard things and do tough things. We need them too…especially in leadership in the church! Willingness to do and say what is right is not easy, especially when you look up and realize how alone you are afterwards.
But, here is a rare but powerful combination:
Courageous Discerners!
....People who hear from God and see intuitively and spiritually into people and situations.
....And THEN, have the courage to share what they are hearing.
THAT, my friends is a powerful combination. We need people like this in the church.
Are you seeing yourself here anywhere?
Sunday afternoon, Noah gets alone time for football and personal time while my babies sleep. Reading some blogs today, I saw this on Mark Batterson's Blog and wanted to share it. Mark wrote:
1. It's lonely to lead
2. It's dangerous to succeed
3. It's hardest at home
4. It's essential to be real
5. It's painful to obey
6. Brokenness and failure are necessary
7. My attitude is more important than my actions
8. Integrity eclipse image
9. God's way is always better than my way
10. Christlikeness begins and ends with humility
God is eternal. He antedates time and is wholly independent of it. Time began in Him and will end in Him. To it He pays no tribute and from it He suffers no change.
God is immutable. He has never changed and can never change in any smallest measure. To change, He would need to go from better to worse or from worse to better. He cannot do either, for being perfect He cannot become more perfect, and if He were to become less perfect, He would be less than God.
God is omniscient; He knows in one free and effortless act all matter, all spirit, all relationships, all events. He has no past and He has no future. He is….and none of the limiting and qualifying terms used of creatures can apply to Him.
Love and mercy and righteousness are His, and holiness so ineffable that no comparisons or figures will avail to express it.
-A.W. Tozer, Pursuit of God
At this point, I am still a Father of one. So, let me hurry up and write this blog post. (No, we are not....but pray that we will... in God's timing.)
If Big = Legitimate, Jesus was a failure in his earthly ministry. More people left him than followed him and at the end of his ministry, he had practically no one! Size lies have hurt many churches and many Pastors. This guy nails this in this short video!
Social networking cannot replace face to face relationships, but it certainly should enhance them! That, in a sentence is my take on how relationships and social networking should intersect.
I think that the challenge to all of us that hang out online is to find creative and healthy ways for this medium to enhance relationships, produce healthy and life giving connections that honor Jesus. As with anything in life, we need to protect against misuse and find balance.
Church retreats have been something that CCF has done and valued through the years. Anticipating that we would have one this year, we reserved our place at Black Rock Retreat for this October 23-25. However, it has become increasingly apparent that many cannot afford it. As a result, we decided to make it an unofficial getaway weekend as opposed to an official retreat.
The weekend is available to any persons, couples or families that wish to go and have the time and resources available to go. There ARE rooms available and Lancaster County is a beautiful place to spend a fall weekend.
The dates are Friday, October 23rd-Sunday, October 25th.
If you and your family wish to go spend that weekend at the retreat center in Quarryville, PA and the surrounding area, please submit your full payment (which reserves your room) to CCF by Sunday, October 18th. You may place it in the offering or offering box in the lobby. Please attach a note with the names and ages of those you are paying for.
The cost is: $150 per adults (13-up), $75 for children 5-12, and $0 for ages 0-4 (which includes 2 nights, 5 meals and the use of the entire facility). Make the check payable to Capital Christian Fellowship.
Tricia, Davis and I and several other families still plan to go and I think that we will all really enjoy the relationship building that will happen.
Wanna Join Us?
(You can find out more about Black Rock Retreat Center at www.brr.org. )
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.