Check out MY blog at corysbrain.blogspot.com

No More

I was not talking about anyone. I was venting after some Bible Study. It had nothing to do with anyone. I'm sorry.

This Blog is officially closed.

Paul Not a Pastor?

In my recent studies, I seem to have found a few things that interest me. I wold like to give them to you, and see what you think

1. Paul was never a pastor

2. From Acts 1 on, there is no instance of a Pastor preaching to "flock". The great sermons were always to large groups of the lost, and church teaching seems to have been done in a Home Group setup

What do you think?

Music

How important is music to worship?

Finding Out About the Family

So this guy I know (who will remained G-14 classified) called me today. His Grandad is sick. He found out that he did not know if he is saved. So......
1. He went to the hospital and found out(he is saved Praise God)

2. He realized how little he knew about the rest of his family

3. He is on a mission to find out


Do you know about your family?

My One Name

Here's my name: Billy

I see this guy sitting next to me at the coffee shop, right? He looks like a cop-out(I admit it). He has his hair gelled and a Bible on his lap that is lit-up like Fort Know with Highlighters. This is going to be the guy I witness too for my challenge.

He just got out of his 2nd stint in rehab, is currently jobless, homeless, and planless. I am sure at this point that he is too fried(or possessed) to take any real advice or help. He is big on "claiming things in Jesus' Name". Very Charismatic, very confused. When he stopped talking about all the things he "claimed" and all that Jesus would do for him because he told Him to do so, I cut through the fat and asked him about his salvation. He claimed that the way to salvation can only be found in Romans 10:9- no works, no baptism. As far as he says, he "sounds"saved.

I did as much as I feel I could. He says he is saved. I seem to believe that he is not or he is just really that fried from the Meth. Either way, he needs your prayers. He is one of those you'll probably never cross again, so pray for him.

Thanks For Letting Me Rant

I need to rant, and I thank you in advance for allowing me to do so...

I just read a blog called "Indefenseoflandmarkism". It drives me nuts that Christians are spending so much time arguing over whether or not to clap, how to dress, what kind of music, or what version of the Bible. It drives me nuts and makes me sad.

If we could only be more interested in "makemarkism" rather than "landmarkism".

Make a mark!!!!

1 Name Before Wednesday

Ok, the gauntlet has officially been laid.

I vowed in front of the church Sunday morning that on Wednesday Night I would bring the name of someone I had witnessed to.

1. why does this seem so difficult?

2. Will you make the same vow?

My Burden is Light

Don't worry about anybody else reading this:

On a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy your church on Sunday Morning?
(Not like, "Im a believer and I love it", but how much fun is it? Does it lighten your load?)

Go Ahead...Laugh

Pop Culture v. God's Plan

I just told a few guys about us canceling VBS. They were confused. People don't get it.


1. I love that our church puts its members' needs over its desire to do what its always done

2. I love that we run our schedule and that our schedule doesn't run us

Do you think God wants us to do what pop culture says we should do to be a good church or what He has gifted us to do?

I can't help but think that He gave us abilities that He wants used to the uttermost.

What are your talents and abilities? Are you using what God gave you or are you just a normal everyday Christian?

Guilt- The Great Motivator

Hmm, didn't get any comments on that last post huh?

I know, isn't it crazy how preachers try to use guilt to get the point across. hos often did Jesus do that? Did He do it at all? I'll look....you look....we'll see

Would You Rather

Would you rather....
-slide down a slide of razor blades and fall into a pool of rubbing alcohol
or
-fall of a building onto a safety net and catch your eyelid on a nail on the way down?

Crazy right? How about this one:

Would you rather....
-tell someone about Jesus Christ
or
-let them go to hell?

Which "Would you rather" shocks you more?

Every Rose Has Its Thorns

Social Networking has become phenomenon. People are addicted to MySpace, Twitter, Facebook, and everyone has a blog.

I wonder what this is doing to us. I wonder what it doing to our culture. I, too, am addicted to certain of these. Ever since I've fallen in love with blogging and Twitter, all I can think is, "If I only had an I-Phone this would be so much easier".

Isn't it crazy how stuff leads to stuff. Jesus said, in His explanation of the parable of the Sower, that some seed would fall and grow up among thorns. They would look good, but they would bear no fruit. He described the thorns as "cares of this world" and "deceitfulness of riches".

Did you know that the average YEARLY Income for the world is around $7,000. I no longer wonder why many of our churches look good, but bring very little fruit. Even our poorest are rich.

Just my thoughts, what do you think?

Unload on Me; I Dare You

It's been almost a month since I last posted. A few things have happened since then.
1. Kid's Kamp- It was cool. It was exhausting. We had a little girl saved!!!(Praise God) Overall there were around thirty kids saved that week.

2. Pappaw (fill in with good word for died)- He is no longer in pain. He is with His Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!!!(Praise God) All is well, mourning is hard, yet we sorrow not as those who have no hope.

3. I got my golf score down to a 79- Often imitated, never duplicated, but true nonetheless.

If there is still anyone out there..........what's happened to you. Unload on me; I dare you

Just a Little Taste

Ok, I'm gonna give you a little teaser for the sermon Sunday with a question:

We have removed the Law from the plan of salvation, and rightly so; but do we apply it wrongly to sanctification (life after salvation)?

How?

Straight Thru the Bible

There is definitely something to this whole reading your Bible straight through thing. It has been so exciting to read all those seemingly boring minor prophets (who aren't that boring) as they tell of the destruction of Israel, the mercy of God, and then the coming King who would rebuild the lost city and nation.

The message of Jesus in the Book of Matthew is so much clearer. I see now how much the Jews were awaiting this coming Messiah. It wasn't just a thought in the back of their minds. It was the last thing said to them in al their church services for 600 years.

Have you tried to read the Bible straight through? What do you think?

Offering Worship

We have been experimenting with the offering at church. Where should it go? One person said, "It should be a part of worship! I don't know why the preachers cut off their nose to spite their faces."

Here's a thought. Is the offering a part of worship? Yes or No? Its a trick question. The answer is, "It should be". Currently, it is a time for the aforementioned person to play with their grandkids.

Have we become confused about what worship is to God? Is the offering in and of itself worship? I can't count the number of times God told His people to keep their sacrifices and offerings. He wanted their hearts instead.

So, what can we do to create worship? Others have said that if we had stronger music, they could worship. What is wrong with that? I so badly want to worship God, with or without music or money.

God a.k.a. Hitman

So God is a great Hitman. In the past few weeks, I have heard two different people use that phrase...."God put a hit out on me".

He does have a way of reaching out to those whom He loves. One guy had a few friends just say hi, we missed you. Another had a dream that 2 of His fellow beleivers beat him up and read the bible to him( I know right???).

God is the ever-present God who never lets go of His children. Has God ever put a hit out on you?

Communcation

The sermon Sunday Morning was called, "Maitaining the Biblical Marriage: Communication"

The basic premise was this: Husbands should, in all their communication with their wives, make them feel loved. Wives should, in all their communcation with their husbands, make them feel respected.

I challenged you all to have a serious conversation with your spouse, asking them how you are doing and what you can do better. I just wonder, if there's anybody out there, who did that and how it worked out.

The Ever-Present Grace of God

I have been amazed at the Grace of God at the timeof death. My Pappaw is only a few weeks from his death now, and things are easily overwhelming for us as the family. He lays in a hospital bed at home, sleeping.

His voice is near nothing now. The other day, his wife and 3 daughters were sitting around his bed as he slept. After weeks of being nearly unable to speak, he awoke and sang a song at the top of his lungs. It was a verse to the old, old country song, "The Great Speckled Bird". This is amazing to me because this song was popular in teh 30's and 40's. There are 8 verses to this song but the one that came to his mind as his brain fires off inconsistantly was this:

" She is spreading her wings for a journey She's going to leave by and by When the trumpet shall sound in the morning She'll rise and go up in the sky. "

God is ever present near the death of one of His saints. He is always speaking to their family. I praise GOd for His faithfulness and comfort.

For All You Newbies

I'm assuming that everyone just got the newsletter and rushed to their computers to begin blogging. To test it out, here's a few questions to respond to:

1. What do you think of the Esther Bible Study?

2. What do you think of the Landscaping?

3. What do you think of the Missions Budget?

A New Mantra

As a Pastor, everyone I meet or hear about eventually comes back to the idea of that person fitting into our church or a ministry in some way. It almost gets annoying, both to myself and others.

It occurred to me that this is probably foreign to the minds of the average church member. I remember growing up in a "successful" church. We heard, knew, and taught the Great Commission, but it was not our mantra. Our church always stayed about the same size, and still is.

I have learned that I need to have more patience with the regular church member. I also learned how they need to make the Great Commission their mantra. What does it take to make reaching the lost second nature?

Thougts on Our Church

The direction our church has taken is paying off. I love it!!! I forget sometimes how great God is blessing until I tell someone else.

At our Small group Sunday Night, we had 16 Adults and 16 kids. In the past, our tactics were to get them settled in to church and then try to build relationships. This approach at building relationships first has been paying off. we have already seen a rise in participation at church, and we will continue to see more.

People don't want or need to be judged by a religion or told what to do. that is direct antithesis to human nature. Human nature naturally rebels against authority, especially in a culture that no longer enforces it. Human nature, however, almost always responds to love and encouragement. Are we building a "feel good" church? God forbid. We are just finding a means to carrying out the Great Commission that doesn't handicap us before we start.


Praise God for His Greatness

Sunday Recap

Here's just a recap of what went on at Business Meeting Sunday

1. We voted to change our missions giving. We are now going to give as follows
-125- TBI
- 125- Texas Mission Builders
-250 - Pine Springs
- 250- Phil Gavilla (Guadalajara Mexico)
- 250- Jason Clark (France)
-250- Chris Miller (Australia)
- 250- to be recommended by the new missions committee each month

IT is exciting to see our church stepping out in faith, supporting these ministries in the "uttermost parts of the earth".

The Landscaping is nearing a close. THe plants are in the ground and look great. A little mulch and we're all through.

The church also voted to raise one of the pastor's salary. IT is exciting to see a church moving in this direction. As we continue to grow, time will tell how this decision is. THank You.



We are moving in the right direction. Our Young Adult Small Group has seen 4 visitors in the last 2 weeks. Our Adult Small Groups are beginning to solidify and are nearing the next step of growth. God is blessing the faithfulness of His people. I pray we continue in this faithfulness and see how that we truly cannot "out give" God!!!

Amazing Love

Maybe I Said "Excited" Too Much

I am so excited about our services Sunday! It seemed, for the first time in months, that everyone was engaged in worship.

I'm convinced that satan(that old jerk) has been doing a number on our church. we saw some substantial growth and then it all stopped. People suddenly found themselves at odds with one another over the pettiest of things. Well, someone realized it, made others aware of it, and they started attacking HIM head on. (Take that Jack)

It is exciting to see the excitement about missions growing at LDMBC. I am ready for this month's business meeting so we can finally utilize what God has given us to use for His Kingdom work! Our small groups also seem to be solidifying. I know it is challenging for some of you guys, but let me praise you for your willingness to try anything to find that one thing that works!!! As we move this direction, we will no longer be limited to the size of our building, but by the number of houses in Henderson!!! Praise God!

The Body of Christ

When the Bible says that "you are the Body of Christ", does it mean that there is only one person in our church who is supposed to be the lungs or heart? Sometimes it seems like certain churches are in a coma, with only a few who are the heart or lungs working while the rest lays limp in the hospital bed. It also seems that, at times, the heart and lungs get annoyed with the limp appendages that just sit and get bed sores. At whom should they be annoyed? The appendages themselves? The Central Nervous System? The accident that caused the coma?

Much of the conflict in today's churches comes from that question. While many do not realize it, the conflict begins and ends with, "I'm not sure who to be mad at so I choose you". Why must anyone be annoyed with anyone? Why must the blame be placed? Why can't the few organs that do work join together to will that first little finger to twitch, or that leg to jump. Maybe, just maybe, those few organs could work wholeheartedly with the Head, who, let's face it, is the only part that can wake those arms and legs and fingers up.

Rather than EXPECT the Head to do the work, we start to think that maybe a "shock to the system" would help, maybe a cast or a brace, maybe a transplant even. All that leaves you with is a church that can only be understood by watching of the greatest movies ever, "Weekend at Bernies". It is the story of 2 men who find their boss dead, then spend the rest of the movie treating him like a puppet, making everyone believe he is alive (sounds more gross than it is).

A church can't be all heart forever. New cells need to be added and strengthened. Maybe the Head will replace all the dead tissue, or maybe He will resuscitate it. Whatever the case, it is the job of the Head. Come one heart and lungs, let's watch the Head do its work

Isaiah 6

So I thought it was cool how heaven's priorities have not changed. Sunday, we learned from Isaiah 6 how that Heaven's priorities are:
1. Get the Lost Lost
2. Get the Lost Saved
3. Get the Saved Serving

This is the Great Commission made over.

What have you done to help a lost soul see their lost condition lately?
How have you helped someone see how to be saved?
How have you helped a new believer begin to serve in a more mature way(and yes that is expected of you too)?

The Foci of our Intentions

What exactly are the focus (foci on the plural ???-I know.....) of our intentions?

-Do we want to see people saved? Really?
-Do we want to spend the time discipling people? Really?
-Do we want to see new churches planted? No, Really?

That about covers it, right? What else is there?

-Having strong ministries established, that funnel people into the church
-Having an organized children's ministry that brings in new parents
-Having a top of the line worship service to "create worship"

These things are the forest, but the people are the trees.

Bulldozers and What to Do with Them

"Good intentions don't move mountains, bulldozers do"
"Strategies are bulldozers- they're action oriented"
"Strategies transform intentions into actions"

Three great quotes that hit me like a ton of bricks (or a ton of feathers--lol). One thing that strikes me about the way that I have done ministry thus far, is that I have had good intentions, but intentions to no end. the very nature of intent is that it has a focus. With my intentions, the focus seems to have become the means and not the end.

It should not be my intent to create small groups at church. It should not be my intent to create a flourishing children's ministry. It should not be my intent to create an amazing sermon series. It should be my intent, however, to see hearts and lives changed through accountability and Bible study. It should be my intent to see children come to know Christ and be discipled, and for adults to learn how to minister to children. it should be intent for the message of the Scripture to prick the hearts of the people listening.

Without realizing it, I have created strategies to get a bulldozer on site. The problem is that I need a strategy for how to drive it to the mountain, where to put the excess rock, and what to build in place of the mountain.

Now that that's clear.....Let's get to work

Knowing

I'm findin' that its really hard to breathe
when all the air is right in front of me
and all I ever am or was won't let go with both hands and take the leap

Its funny all the thoughts inside my head
how I can be alive yet somehow dead
will I ever figure out how death is gain but life is You instead

All these thoughts of mine
seem to undermine this mind You gave me new when I became Your child
If I let me go
do You swear to hold me up and if I do how can I know You tell the truth?

And the irony that ends it all
is that the way to learn to fly is fall
You told me that to gain my life I should hate myself and try to lose it all

But I got none but love for me
there's another bit of irony
that takes us now from this catch 22 to the question in front of me

All these thoughts of mine
seem to undermine this mind You gave me new when I became Your child
If I let me go
do You swear to hold me up and if I do how can I know You tell the truth?

I guess I can't if i don't

Let Go

Ground Control to Major Tom

So what if God's will is not what I want?

A very valid question asked by a very valid questioner. So what if? This, for me, is a question that I only ask as a last line of defense. When I come to this point, it is because I am trying to do anything at all but ask God, "What is your will for me".

In fact, I am currently in the middle of this battle. We go through life on auto-pilot and everything is hunky-dory, then that little light comes on....the voice over the radio says, "You need to land here, so take it off auto and let's do this".

Auto-pilot is nice. You, as the pilot, get the most amazing view of the sky. You see all the beauty of Creation and lazily act as if it is you leading all those passengers to better skies. Occasionally you give a command or suggestion to a stewardess and feel like the King of the World.

Newsflash Genius------YOU'RE NOT THE KING OF THE WORLD---------YOU'RE NOT LEADING THOSE PEOPLE, THEY JUST HAPPEN TO BE ON THE SAME PLANE AS YOU----

You work for the airline; you are not to fly for enjoyment, you are to fly to a particular place and arrive at a particular time, drop off a particular load of cargo and pick up some also. You also, while you work for the airline, your job is to serve the people following behind you. True, you are supposed to lead them, but you are also supposed to serve them, making sure the stewardesses are in order, making sure the people feel safe, and moving them safely to the destination that they are destined to reach.

So, what if God's will is not what I want? Then
1. The people depending on me go nowhere
2. My disciples never learn to serve properly
3. People on the ground in need never get their cargo
4. AND I DON'T GET A PAYCHECK

Lucky

I Really Love My Wife!

The Mountains

Ok, here are some song lyrics that I like. If you won't think I'm a little gay, I'll tell you where I got them:

I can almost see it
That dream I’m dreaming but
There’s a voice inside my head sayin,
You’ll never reach it,
Every step I’m taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep tryin
Got to keep my head held high

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
theres always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

The struggles I’m facing,
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes they might knock me down but
No I’m not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on,
cause

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes you're going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

This saong makes me think of another song my mom and her sisters used to sing. The words were, "Lord don't move this mountain, just give me strength to climb". this parallels what we saw at small group. Jesus did not pray for His followers to be rescued from the world, but for them to have strength in the world.

I spend a large majority of my time annoyed with the mountains I have to climb. They are here on purpose, and some I'm even gonna have to fail to climb. This is the process of forcing me to learn the difference between spiritual and carnal. Lord, don't move these mountains, just give me strength to climb

(Lyrics are from Miley Cyrus)

Civil Rights v. Spiritual Beliefs

Here is an interesting article

http://www.musingson.com/ccCase.html

It is basically saying that we should support gay marriage but oppose it church. She believes that spiritually, it is wrong and should never be condoned by Christians, but it is a "civil-right" all the same.

She feels that the "church" should stand for its beliefs, but understand that our place is not to force our laws to follow our belief system. This basic premise is the foundation for our country.

I see(not necessarily agree with) her point......what do you think?

Is this Ranting or Raving?

So I checked out this Paul Maurice Guy from the other blog. He is terminally ill, bed-ridden, and writing a book that encourages us to create inter-faith dialogues. He basically wants us all to find our own "Divine" and worship it how we want to, and therefore become friends. From His site I found another blog called liberaljesus(the name alone speaks volumes). This guy has a discussion going about why he stopped going to church. He said, and I quote,

"Instead of singing, I spent my time trying to translate the song lyrics into metaphors I could affirm.Instead of praying, I spent my time pondering the moral bankruptcy of a God who would grant any of our prayer requests, while every day, thousands of people starved to death. I tried not to be appalled at people who would follow such a God."

This is what he was doing at church. No wonder he didn't like it. That got me hot. I was ready to fight.....then I read the comments. It was filled with people who praised him and told him how they were in the same battle. They truly found peace when they stopped "playing the game" and learned to "worship in their own way". This was not a blog based out of New York, LA, or even Houston.....it was in Abeline, home of Abeline Christian University.

I stopped being mad and became overwhelmed with sadness. Our world is filled with this mentality. Our churches still spend most(I think 90+%) of our time doing things that edify us. This is not wrong in and of itself, but there is so much more to do. I wonder how much time(percentage wise) God would have us spend on ourselves as opposed to on the world.

It bothers me to no end how that if someone wants to do an out of the box ministry and reach out, they are tagged as fanatic, liberal, or stupid. The fact that these ministries are considered "out of the box" is a testament unto itself. I just wish God would give us a few choice expletives for times like this. I'm so mad, sad, annoyed, and defeated right now, I want to spit!!!!!

God help us, God save them

LET'S DO SOMETHING FOR HIS SAKE!!!!!

No Takers?

Okay, so I'm a little let down by the lack of comments on the last post. I know for a fact that the idea of inventorying one's life is scary. I still would like to encourage you all to do this with your life. It seems that Jesus was fulfilling the Great Commission in all He did. I would like to tell Him I did the same when we see each other. He may just smile and laugh like parents do at kids who say they cleaned the kitchen, but who only did it "kid-style". I'd like to hear it all the same.

Great Commission Checklist

Here's a thought:

Do a Great Commission Checklist. Write down the 3 things in the Great Commission-
1. Make Disciples- witness and train
2. Baptize- uh....baptize
3. Teach the Bible- Kinda like training, but deeper

Then, take all the basic activities and relationships in your life and see if they fall into any, if any, area of the Great Commission. I'm going to try to do this with my life, and I'll get back to ya.

Psalm 84

5 Happy are the people whose strength is in You,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Tears,
they make it a source of springwater;
even the autumn rain will cover it with blessings.
7 They go from strength to strength;
each appears before God in Zion.
(Ps 84:5-7)


If our hearts were "set on a pilgrimage" the Valley of Tears would suddenly become a source of springwater. What and how is a "heart set on pilgrimage"?

What you are versus What you do

Ronnie Floyd, author of the book I'm currently reading, says this, "What you are is more important than what you do".

We become so engrossed in our lives that often we identify ourselves by what we do rather than what we are. We see ourselves as doctors, lawyers, carpenters, or preachers and forget what we truly are in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3-14 gives us some well-needed insight into what we are:

In Jesus Christ I am
1. chosen miraculously
2. accepted completely
3. forgiven freely
4. planned providentially
5. rich spiritually

In what ways do you identify yourself by what you do rather than what you are?

I Love You God

So I was thinking, "I really love God."

He has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that He works in the heart of new believers to help them live a righteous life, He works in the heart of the destitute to lead them to someone with the gospel, He works in the heart of the spiritually mature to break them and keep them in a place of child-like faith, He works in the heart of a marriage to keep it filled with His love, He works through His word to speak clearly even though it was written thousands of years ago, He works in the heart of some to disciple others, He works in the heart of others to desire to be discipled by some, He leads me beside the still waters, He makes me to lie down in green pastures, He restores my soul, He fills my cup till it runs over, He provides financially, emotionally, spiritually, and physically for His children, He knows the heart of depression, He knows the heart of joy, He knows the heart of a parent seeking to raise their child, He knows the heart of a church desiring to turn the world upside-down, He encourages the heart of missionaries as the sit on the edge of the gospel ministry, and above all, He is the only true and active source of love from which we feed on and draw from as we love others.

I Love You God

You Make a List.......

Throuh You and In You

Ronnie Floyd says in his book, "10 Things Every Minister Needs to Know"

"You cannot expect God to do something through you if you are not allowing HIM to work in you every day of your life.If you want to see what God will do through you, it all begins with what God is doing in you".

Do you ever ask God to use you even though you spend no time letting Him work in you? He works in us in our personal prayer/study/worship time. So let's not beat around the bush--------

Can you ask God to use you and be disappointed when he doesn't if you aren't spending your DAILY time with Him?

Boxing with God

So God is still in control right? Yes HE is. I get sick of those periods in my life when He seems to get great joy out of reminding me that I work on His schedule and He does not work on mine.
It makes me think of a line from "Seven Trombones"- "Young Man, Young Man, Your arms are too short to box with God"

In Job, it asks the question, "whose arms are like God's". I am still amazed at how easy it is to become enamored with self. Praise God that He reminds me, even if it annoys me.

This verse broke my heart:

I will instruct you and show you the way to go;
with My eye on you, I will give counsel.
Do not be like a horse or mule,
without understanding,
that must be controlled with bit and bridle,
or else it will not come near you
Holman Christian standard version. (Ps 32:7-9).


Sometimes I want the will and counsel of God so bad. I try to fight harder to establish a daily bible reading, i try to fix my attitude, and pray more. This verse tells me that in order to know that mysterious will of God, I've got to come to a place where I stop fighting Him. These immature battles just need to be over, and HE and I need to get to the next level. Does anyone else see that, or am I crazy?

Stolen Later

I stole this off of someone else's blog, but I loved the premise.


Proverbs 12:3
A man cannot be established through wickedness,
but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

Once I establish myself, once I get my feet on the ground and have a solid foundation and a stable career, then I'll really have the resources I need to give to God. Imagine how much God will be able to do once I've established myself.

No one ever says that out loud, but sometimes it's easy to live. To make God a "later god." I'll live for you later. I'll give to you later. I'll worship you later. First let me take care of this thing called my life.

You won't be established that way. God is a God of now, as in "I want right now. Not later, not someday. I want to love you right now, right here." And when He does, when that's our foundation, we cannot be uprooted.

Have you ever tried to make God a later god?

Be Disciple-Makers

So here's what I'm thinking: The sermon Sunday morning was about Jesus calling His first disciples. The basic premise is this- Jesus saw Himself as a disciple-maker and He is our great example. In the Great Commission He told us all to go and be disciple-makers. You should have seen the look on virtually the entire congregation's face when I told them that God expects THEM to be disciple makers.
We've kinda been led to believe by them(whoever them is) that Christian humility is self-deprecation. This is kinda tied into the last post on Pre-grace. I think we convince ourselves that we are good enough to be saved, but still not "saved enough" to be used. This heavily pertains to me and makes me sad. God wants us all to have the same confidence that Paul had when he said, "Follow me as I follow Christ". To say that today would make you a stuck-up, holier-than-thou loser. It shouldn't!
What do you think?

Pre-Grace??

I asked a certain group of believers if they ever struggle with seeing themselves as “pre-grace”. This is where you know you have been forgiven, but you still see yourself as that sinful person. At times, I still see myself as that punk 12 year old trying to steal cigarettes from the Exxon. It amazed me at the way almost all the eyes went to the floor. It must be an epidemic. We have to learn to see ourselves as God sees us.

I think of Paul when he said, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me, for that He counted me faithful putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy.” He understood how that “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature”. He did not forget all that he was, but he also did not allow what he was to define him. His identity was not in being what he used to be, but in being not what he used to be (read that again).

I wonder how many of us see ourselves as a new creation. We know we are forgiven, but we struggle to see ourselves as clean. One small sin can throw us back into the deepest feelings of regret and sorrow. See yourself as God sees you.

I WAS WHAT I WAS, BUT PRAISE GOD I’M NOT WHAT I WAS!

Small Groups

Hey Church!!!!
What do you think of the new Sunday Night Small Groups?