Do you really want to be blessed?

How do you feel about blessings?

Personally, I like them. At least I think I do. Blessings can come in the form of a tax refund check, a raise, a healthy baby, a home to live in, or lower gas prices. So essentially we view blessings primarily as something that makes our lives easier…right? So is it possible that a blessing may require more of you? Let me direct you to an incident that took place in the early part of Jesus’ ministry. He has yet to officially fill his disciple roster, but that is about to change as he walks the beach near Capernaum. Read the event that takes place for your self.

“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.” ~ Luke 5:4-11

The point of focus in these verses is that Peter is a professional fisherman—the dude had seen it all. Then Jesus shows up and, after an unproductive night of catching nothing, asks Peter to go out again. Peter I’m sure doubts the fishing expertise of this landlubber, but obeys none-the-less, only to be amazed by the catch of his life…maybe even the catch of the century. It is such an amazing catch that it requires extra boats that end up being so full they are all on the verge of sinking. Peter is not only amazed, but is convicted as well. He realizes that he is in the presence of someone who possesses the power of God, someone who might even possibly be God. When invited to join Jesus as a disciple, Peter doesn’t even hesitate. He simply walks away from his lottery earnings to follow Jesus.

Now the point I want to direct your attention is this: Did Peter receive a blessing from God? That blessing of fish was unforeseen, unbelievable, and once in a lifetime, it was literally off the charts. But what did that blessing cost Peter and his employees? I’m sure that there were some rope burns, cuts, scrapes, pulled muscles, torn nets and damaged boats. Not to mention a whole lot of work cleaning fish, but isn’t that what they wanted? Wasn't that a fisherman's greatest dream? Yet it was a blessing that came with a price.

The same thing can be said for anyone who has had a baby. A baby is considered a blessing, a gift from God. But those blessings demand a lot from their parents don’t they? Late night feedings, dirty diapers, uncontrollable crying, did I mention late night feedings? Blessings require something of us don’t they? I know what some of you might be thinking: “Maybe I don’t want to be blessed.”

Now the reason I bring all of this up is because God is clearly blessing our church family. We have an incredible renovation-taking place to our building. We have new faces visit each week and a lot of them are sticking around, even choosing to be a part of our family. People are making decisions to enter into a covenant relationship with Jesus. The list could go on, but I think you get the picture—God is blessing our church. But each of these blessings requires something of you. We have a building that needs work done on it to complete its makeover. We will need continued muscle to keep it sharp and ready for action. We have more adults and kids to minister to. All of these things will require our time, energy, and love. Oh, and along the way we will have bumps, bruises, scraps, hurt feelings, spills to clean, and things to fix. But isn’t that what ministry is all about? Isn’t that what we have been praying for? Isn’t that what our purpose is?

So here is a practical plan of action. When you get down on your knees to clean up the carpet, thank God that He has blessed our church with people to get it dirty. When the preacher’s kids dart in front of you (let me know, they’re not supposed to be doing that), thank God that we have kids in our building to dart. When you see a glaring need in our ministry lineup, thank God that He has given you the ability to fill that need. I’m sure that you get the picture. So join me in digging down a little deeper with time, energy, patience and love. Oh yeah, don’t forget to thank God for His blessings! God is good, all the time!

When We Need To Know, "Why?"

This post is a summary of the sermon I preached on March 30^th regarding the recent murder/suicide tragedy that took place in Iowa City. A man beat his wife and four kids to death in their home before killing himself on I-80 by ramming his car into a concrete barrier. The Iowa City community was left with many questions in trying to deal with the horrific outcomes of a "good family." I decided to preach a sermon dealing with the two most common questions our community had regarding the tragedy and what God's Word had to say. So here are the main points and the Scriptures that go with them.

Question 1 – “Why did this murder/suicide happen?”

One word: sin. We live in a world system that from the time of Adam and Eve has been dominated by sin—the choosing to operate in opposition to God’s law and purpose. The result was and has been evil, selfishness, pain and suffering and the apostle John was right in describing the condition as darkness. The apostle Paul agrees about the state of our world by saying:

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” ~ Ephesians 5:15,16

This condition is not limited to a select group of people or places; instead it is inclusive and complete. Sin and evil are equal opportunity employers. The Bible makes it crystal clear, in both testaments, sin is a curse for all people of all times (Isaiah 53:6; Psalm 130:3; Romans 3:23; Galatians 3:22). The only way to break free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2) is to change the way you live, believe in Jesus Christ, and enter into a covenant relationship with him through baptism. When this takes place, our sins are forgiven and God puts his Holy Spirit within us to restore and redeem our lives. Many of you who are reading this, live as testimonies of the power of God in this dark world. There is but one hope for this world and that is the one true light…Jesus Christ.

Now what I have just told you flies in the face of today’s secular humanism that teaches this truth: the world and humanity is good. Secular humanism’s solutions to the problems of the world are education and talking. How many times in your life have you heard the phrase, “If we could just sit down and talk we could work things out.” Listen, there is but one hope for this world and it starts with Jesus Christ. The problem is that we have bought into the idea that we can manage, control, or hide our sins—even those of us who are Christians. We forget the power of sin. Sin is never personal, sin is not just our own. When you sin, it affects your spouse, kids, family, and co-workers. To get a good example of this read about David’s affair with Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 & 12. The more David tried to manage and hide his sin the more people it affected.

What this all means is that as long as there is sin in the world, even hidden and managed sin, people are going to be hurt. Sometimes even innocent family members, friends, or just plain bystanders. Our job as believers in Jesus is to help people find the answer for the sin in their lives. Our job is to point them to Jesus so that the light of the world may shine his light into the dark places of people’s lives.

Question 2 – “Where was your god on Monday morning?”

This was an actual question from our community that showed up on the IC Press Citizen comment board. As you can tell, it was written in a condescending fashion, but it is a legitimate question none-the-less.

Well, to answer the question, “Where was your god on Monday morning?” I would have to say without a doubt that God was there. He was in the room, totally aware of every little detail that took place. I know this because Jesus said nothing happens on earth that God doesn’t know about. He even knows the number of the hairs on your head (Luke 12:6,7).

So why didn’t our good and loving Heavenly Father do anything? Think of it this way. What if God was superman and every time there was an atrocity against an innocent person he flew in and rescued them and punished the perpetrator? That means every single one of us would stand guilty of harming an innocent person. We all have lied, stolen, gossiped, slandered an innocent person and sometimes even worse. Not one person would escape the punishment. So God waits and watches.

What is God waiting for? He is waiting for his followers, the ones that he put his Holy Spirit in to make a difference. You see, it’s not that God isn’t engaged in what is happening in this world; He’s very much engaged. It’s just that he is working through his people. Why do you think the church is referred to as “the body of Christ?” We are his hands and feet here in this world, and so our love, ministry, compassion, service, and prayers make a huge difference.

What this means is that everyday you lock eyes with a broken, hurting, confused person who is in need of Christ’s love. The people living in the beautiful homes in your neighborhood--they may be hurting. The person with the nice SUV full kids may be extremely broken. The person in the cubicle next to yours may be at the end of their rope. You have been commissioned by Christ to communicate the Good News in whatever way possible, to who ever you connect with. Your Spirit filled life makes a difference in this world!

Maybe our failure to “see” has kept us from realizing the impact of Christ in this dark world. What if God removed his presence from this world? What if he removed his Word, his people, and his Spirit? Then the murder/suicide tragedy our community experienced wouldn’t be a once every twenty year event, instead it would be a daily experience. Maybe since these kinds of tragedies don’t happen everyday is proof that God is working in this world and that his people are making a difference—just something to think about.

Let me leave you with this parting thought. Horrific tragedies are going to continue to happen. Innocent people are going to continue to be hurt and taken advantage of or worse. However, don’t forget this one truth: one day Jesus is coming back. (Take a moment and read Revelation 19:11-16 to get a picture of what it will be like.) When Christ comes back every wrong and atrocity will be made right and everyone who knows Christ and has a relationship with him will be shown much mercy and grace. But to those who don’t know the King, they will receive a wrath and vengeance unlike anything known here on earth. God is watching and he knows what is taking place and one day it will be made right! So the question you need to answer is this: “Do you know Jesus?”

The Bible: Still America's Favorite Book

Here is a story that I found at USAToday that is rather interesting. It focuses on a recent poll regarding America's favorite book...The Bible.

By Brittani Hamm, Religion News Service

The Bible is the favorite book of all time for American adults, regardless of demographic group, according to a new 2008 Harris Interactive Poll.

Researchers said it's rare to find such consensus among Americans, regardless of gender, education level, geographic location, race/ethnicity or age. Yet, more than 2,500 Americans surveyed in an online poll greed that the Bible is their No. 1 favorite book.

The poll also found that political affiliation did not affect novel preference — Republicans, Democrats and Independents alike agreed on The Bible and Gone With the Wind as their top two favorite books.

According to the survey, America's favorite books are:

1. The Bible

2. Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

3. Lord of the Rings (series), by J.R.R. Tolkien

4. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling

5. The Stand, by Stephen King

6. The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown

7. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

8. Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown

9. Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand

10. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

After reading the article here are a few thoughts that I had:

• Wow, The Bible is still important to people.
• Wouldn't it be great if there was a place where people could get together with a few other people and talk about the Bible over coffee or some other beverage?
• Wouldn't it be great if there were venues where large groups of people could gather to hear men and women articulate the teachings of the Bible in real and practical ways?
• Wow, The Bible is still important to people!
  

Pastor's Challenge Shocks Congregation

I read this story and was inspired on many levels. Take some time and read this story and see the power of the Gospel at work in powerful, practical and creative ways.

By HELEN O'NEILL,

AP

Posted: 2007-12-22 07:00:06

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio (Dec. 20) - The Rev. Hamilton Coe Throckmorton shivered with anticipation as he gazed at the loot - wads of $50 bills piled high beside boxes of crayons in a Sunday school classroom.

Cautiously, he locked the door. Then he started counting.

It was a balmy Friday evening in September. From several floors below faint melodies drifted up - the choir practicing for Sunday service.

Throckmorton was oblivious. For hours, perched awkwardly on child-sized wooden stools surrounded by biblical murals and children's drawings, the pastor and a handful of coconspirators concentrated on the count.

Forty-thousand dollars. Throckmorton smiled in satisfaction as he stashed the money in a safe.

That Sunday, the 52-year-old minister donned his creamy white robes, swept to the pulpit and delivered one of the most extraordinary sermons of his life.

First he read from the Gospel of Matthew.

"And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his ability."

Then he explained the parable of the talents, which tells of the rich master who entrusts three servants with a sum of money - "talents" - and instructs them to go forth and do good. The master lavishes praise on the two servants who double their money. But he casts into the wilderness the one so afraid to take a risk that he buries his share.

Throckmorton spends up to 20 hours working on his weekly homily, and his clear diction, contemplative message and ringing voice command the church. Gazing down from the pulpit that Sunday, Throckmorton dropped his bombshell.

Like the master, he would entrust each adult with a sum of money - in this case, $50. Church members had seven weeks to find ways to double their money, the proceeds to go toward church missions.

"Live the parable of the talents!" Throckmorton exhorted, as assistants handed out hundreds of red envelops stuffed with crisp $50 bills and stunned church members did quick mental calculations, wondering where all the money had come from. There are about 1,700 in the congregation, though not everyone attends each week.

The cash, Throckmorton explained, was loaned by several anonymous donors.

In her regular pew at the back of the church, where she has listened to sermons for 40 years, 73-year-old Barbara Gates gasped. What kind of kooky nonsense is this, she thought.

"Sheer madness," sniffed retired accountant Wayne Albers, 85, to his wife, Marnie, who hushed him as he whispered loudly. "Why can't the church just collect money the old-fashioned way?"

In a center pew, Ann Nagy's eyes moistened as she considered her ailing, beloved father, his suffering, and the song she had written to comfort him near death. She nudged her husband Scott. "Give me your $50," she whispered. Nagy knew exactly what she would do.

Throckmorton wrapped up his two morning services by saying that children would get $10. And he assured the congregation that anyone who didn't feel comfortable could simply return the money. No consignment to outer darkness for those who didn't participate.

Throckmorton is warm and engaging and approachable, as comfortable talking about the Cleveland Indians baseball team as he is discussing scripture. At the Federated Church, he is known simply as Hamilton.

But as church members spilled into the late summer sunshine that morning to ponder their skills and their souls, there were many who thought: Hamilton is really pushing us this time.

"There was definitely this tension, this pressure to live up to something," said Hal Maskiell, a 62-year-old retired Navy pilot who spent days trying to figure out how to meet the challenge.

Maskiell's passion is flying a four-seater Cessna 172 Skyhawk over the Cuyahoga County hills. He decided to use his $50 to rent air time from Portage County airport and charge $30 for half-hour rides. Church members eagerly signed up. Maskiell was thrilled to get hours of flying time, and he raised $700.

His girlfriend, Kathy Marous, 55, was far less confident. What talents do I have, she thought dejectedly. She was tempted to give the money back.

And then Marous found an old family recipe for tomato soup, one she hadn't made in 19 years. She remembered how much she had enjoyed the chopping and the cooking and the canning and the smells. With Hal's encouragement Marous dug out her pots. She bought three pecks of tomatoes. Suddenly she was chopping and cooking and canning again. At $5 a jar, she made $180.

"I just never imagined people would pay money for the things I made," Marous exclaimed.

Others felt the same way. Barbara Gates raised $450 crafting pendants from beads and sea glass - pieces she had casually made for her grandchildren over the years. Kathie Biggin created fanciful little red-nosed Rudolph pins and sold them for $2.50. Twelve-year-old Amanda Horner pooled her money with friends, stocked up at JoAnn's fabric store, and made dozens of colorful fleece baby blankets, which were purchased by church members and then donated to a local hospital.

And 87-year-old Bob Burrows rediscovered old carpentry skills and began selling wooden bird-feeders.

Read the rest of the story here.

Experts: World Population Will Explode by 2025 with Influx of 'Megacities' of 10 Million People or More

When most people see headlines like this, they usually think of global warming or the exhausting of natural resources. Personally, being a follower of Christ it reminds me of his command to "make disciples of all nations". This massive global urbanization is going to provide and incredible opportunity for the Gospel to be preached and the Kingdom to grow. However, it also provides an opportunity for the Enemy and the Kingdom of Darkness to wreck havoc on humanity. We live in unstable yet exciting times! Read the article and tell me what you think.

"It's the frightening stuff of science fiction.

You'll walk out of your cramped city apartment every day into a sea of people, and you'll be sandwiched among them as you go to work or buy food at the market.

You'll see scores of homeless people sprawled on the same jam-packed city streets. The ones who are lucky enough to have roofs over their heads will be living in shacks and shantytowns.

In the world's largest urban areas, that scenario is less than 20 years away, according to population experts. By 2025, they say, the number of so-called "megacities" — those with more than 10 million people — will balloon from the current 20 to as many as 40.

In 1980, there were only 10.

"The explosive nature of urbanization on the one hand has some hopefulness, but largely it contributes to a significant increase in suffering, extreme poverty, social disease and social disintegration," said Dr. Werner Fornos, president of the Global Population Education think tank and the former head of the Population Institute in Washington, D.C.

The world population, Fornos predicted, will swell from the current 6.5 billion to 9 billion by 2050.

"If we continue to grow at this rate, what this will do to our natural resources ... Population is still the most significant issue, and because of politics and religion, we're not able to come to grips with it," Fornos said.

The consequences of such a rapid rise in city inhabitants are dire, since so many megacities will be in the two poorest continents, Africa and Asia. Researchers predict mass homelessness, poverty and unemployment; a dwindling fresh water supply; a sharp increase in air pollution; the spread of disease; and a spike in crime. Most of the cities' governments won't have even close to the resources needed to handle all the people." You can read the rest of the article here. (Thursday, December 20, 2007 -By Catherine Donaldson-Evans- Fox News)

Here are a few observations in no particular order:

• India and Africa standout dramatically.
• Isn't it interesting that in Genesis 11, when mankind unifies and desires to build one big megacity, that God confuses their language and thus scatters people all around the world. Now that the Christ has come, the New Covenant has been offered, the Holy Spirit has been given, the Word of God is available to the world, and the church is established the world is beginning to come back together. Interesting.
• The sharing of the Good News about Jesus is going to require more then just a Bible and a laptop. It is going to require: doctors, farmers, engineers, well diggers, business men, teachers, and generous givers.
  

Six World Views Christians Compete With

In an article at ChristianToday.com, Rick Warren shares six worldviews that you will have to compete with as you lead your church. Rick says that every week as you stand before your people to share God’s Word, they’re bringing different worldviews into the room. Here they are:

1. The one with the most toys wins.
This is the worldview of materialism – and it can be summed up with one world, more. Materialism says that the only thing that really matters in life is acquiring things. Those who subscribe to this worldview live mostly to collect things.

The Bible’s answer: Jesus said this in Luke 12, “A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (NIV). He tells us not to judge our lives by how much we’ve got. The greatest things in life aren’t things.

2. I’ve got to think of me first.
We live in a “me first,” serve-yourself world that says it’s all about you. Commercial slogans cater to this viewpoint. Slogans like, “have it your way,” “we do it all for you,” “obey your thirst,” “you’ve got to think of what’s best for yourself,” and “You deserve it.”

For the last 40 years, the Baby Boomer generation has been called the “Me Generation.” This “me first” idea has infected entire communities. It has torn up marriages (“I don’t care how divorce impacts my spouse or children; it’s all about me”), destroyed workplaces (“I don’t care how my laziness impacts my co-workers; it’s all about me”) and even ruined churches (“Serve my needs first, forget about the lost”).

It’s a self-centered, individualistic way of life that says we should ignore the community and other people.

The Bible’s answer: Jesus says, “If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life” (Matt. 16:25 NLT). Jesus says you only begin to live when you give your life away. Significance in life does not come from serving yourself; it comes from serving God and others.

3. Do what feels good.
This is hedonism – the belief that the most important thing in life is how we feel. The number one goal of a hedonist is to feel good, be comfortable, and have fun.

It’s the worldview that Hugh Hefner founded Playboy magazine on. He willingly acknowledges he is a hedonist.

It’s not just playboys who are hedonists, though. In fact, someone who lives for the goal of retirement is a hedonist. If the whole goal of a person’s life is to simply do nothing, live a self centered life, and make no contribution to the world, that’s hedonism.

The Bible’s answer: “Are you addicted to thrills? What an empty life! The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied” (Prov 21:17 Msg). Mick Jagger’s been singing: “I can’t get no satisfaction” for 40 years. Why? The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied.

4. Whatever works for you.
This worldview says it doesn’t matter if it’s right or wrong. It doesn’t matter if it hurts anybody or not. If it works for you, fine. As that great theologian Sly Stone says, “Different strokes for different folks.”

In our multi-cultural, pluralistic world, this is a very popular worldview. Nobody wants to tell someone else that what they are doing is wrong. In fact that’s the only way you can be wrong in our society today – if you tell someone else they’re wrong.

The Bible’s answer: The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Prov. 14:12 NIV). Our ideas may seem right, but in the end our ideas lead to death. “Whatever works for you” leads to death. You don’t break God’s universal laws; they break you.

5. God doesn’t exist.
This worldview is naturalism or atheism. Naturalists believe that everything in life is a result of random chance. We’re all accidents of nature. There is no grand creator or grand design. God either doesn’t exist or he doesn’t matter.

If there is no God, there’s no plan or purpose for life. If there is no purpose, than your life doesn’t really matter. Your only value comes from the fact that God loves you, created you, and thought you up. For naturalists, life has no value, meaning, or purpose.

It takes more faith to be an atheist than it does to believe in God. When you look at creation and how the world is set on an axis, it proves the existence of God to me. If it were one degree one way, we’d freeze up. If it were one degree the other way, we’d burn up.

The Bible’s answer: Paul says in Romans 1:25 (NIV), “From the beginning of creation, God has shown what he is like by all he has made. That’s why those people don’t have any excuse. They know about God, but they don’t honor him or even thank him...They claim to be wise, but they are fools.” In other words, we can look at nature and see a lot about God. We know God is creative, powerful, organized, and likes diversity. There are lots of things we know about God just by looking at nature.

6. You are your own God.
This worldview, otherwise known as humanism, is very popular in the Western world. It says we are the mastermind of our own fate, the determiner of our destiny. You’ll hear this in the new age movement as well: “You’re divine. You’re a god.”

It’s ironic. God wired us to worship something. And if we don’t worship God, we end up worshipping ourselves. The self-made man usually worships his maker.

Hawks snap losing streak against Illinois

It's been too long since I have been able to post Hawkeye highlights. If your a Hawk fan enjoy! Highlights here.

Faith-based prisons multiply

I found this story and I wanted to share it with you. I was able to tour the facility in Newton, Iowa that is a part of Chuck Colson's ministry and I was greatly impressed by how God was working there. I find it interesting how the church in the U.S. is focused so intently on "young families" especially in the middle to upper middle class. That is fine and all, but what about the marginalized? What about those in prison?

A friend of mine who is closely associated with mission work in Laos told me that the true church in Laos in in the prisons. The state run churches that exist on the outside stand for nothing. After reading this article I wonder if the true church isn't in the nice churches on the street corners, but in some cases in the many prisons which dot our country. Just something to think about.

By David Crary, Associated Press

RICHMOND, Texas — Killer-turned-artist Manny Hernandez on the prison where he's finishing an eight-year term: "It's a blessing to be here."

Fellow murderer and inmate Raymond Hall likens it to heaven.

"I love this place," says their warden, Cynthia Tilley. "It's so calm."

They're praising the Carol Vance Unit, founded in 1997 on the outskirts of Houston. It's the oldest of a rapidly growing number of faith-based prison facilities across the nation.

Even as they proliferate, fueled by the fervor of devout volunteers, these programs are often criticized. Evidence that they reduce recidivism is inconclusive, and skeptics question whether the prevailing evangelical tone of the units discriminates against inmates who don't share their conservative Christian outlook.

However, evidence is strong that violence and trouble-making drop sharply in these programs, and they often are the only vibrant rehabilitation option at a time when taxpayer-funded alternatives have been cut back.

Inmates at Vance offer another compelling argument. Unlike many of America's 2 million prisoners, they feel they are treated with respect. They have hope.

"A bunch of cats in prison, they never had anyone show them love — even their mother and father," said Anzetta Smith, who served 18 years for attempted murder before graduating from Vance this year. "You get in the program, and everybody shows you love."

Read the rest of the story.

Texas Opens Recently Formed Canyon

So how old is the earth...really?

Check out this story.

CANYON LAKE, Texas — The formation of canyons, done with the flow of water over rock and time, is generally a practice in patience. But not here.

A torrent of water from a bloated Canyon Lake sliced open the earth, exposing rock formations, fossils and even dinosaur footprints in just three days. To protect Canyon Lake Gorge from vandals, it's been open only to researchers since the 2002 flood, but on Saturday, it opens to its first public tour.

"It exposed these rocks so quickly and it dug so deeply, there wasn't a blade of grass or a layer of algae," said Bill Ward, a retired geology professor from the University of New Orleans who started cataloguing the gorge almost immediately after the flood.

The gorge, which emerged where a nondescript valley covered in mesquite and oak trees once was, sits behind a spillway built as a safety valve for Canyon Lake, a popular recreation spot in the Texas Hill Country between San Antonio and Austin.

The reservoir was built in the 1960s to prevent flash flooding along the Guadalupe River and to assure the water supply for central Texas. The spillway, which protects the dam by giving the water an outlet if it gets too high, had never been overrun until July 4, 2002, when 70,000-cubic feet of water flowed through the 1,000-foot gap for three days. It gushed downhill toward the Guadalupe River and scraped the vegetation and topsoil off, leaving only limestone walls.

Read the rest of the story here.

One Sunday. Two Churches. Over 900 Baptisms

God is doing some amazing things. For example, just this past Sunday, over 900 people were baptized at just two different churches. Granger Community Church held a baptism for over 350 people; and NewSpring Church baptized 562 people. Isn't that incredible? Below are two separate newspaper articles written about these baptism services. It seems that even the secular media takes note when this many people accept Christ! Read the story!

Denver vs Buffalo Highlights

The Broncos sneak one past the Bills!

Iowa vs Syracuse Highlights

Hell No!

I figured the title would get your attention. If you have a high speed internet connection, you have to watch this worship service from a church called New Spring (you can listen to it as well, but the visual stuff is nuts). The service is on "Hell" and it is insanely creative and most importantly convicting. So give it a watch and let me know what you think.

'MyOfficeSecrets.com' a New Tool for Granger Community Church

Brave billboards can be seen all over the South Bend Area. One says “I look at naughty web sites at work ... myofficesecrets.com.” Surprisingly, (or not surprisingly) it one belongs to Granger Community Church. “We wanted just to do something fun, get people’s attention, put a Web site on there that they might remember, so when they go home they could interact with it and find out more about what we are offering,” explained Executive Pastor Tim Stevens. The billboards and blogs are part of a five week series on how to make the most of life at work. Some say this technology is raising the bar for other churches. “It pushes the rest of us, and we may not have the resources to match what they’re doing but there are other things you can do that are creative and innovative,” said College Pastor Brent Wood. Read the story.

Five Questions I Ask Myself

In one of my desk drawers, I have a sheet of paper listing five questions I regularly ask myself. Yes, I know what some of you are thinking: “You have a desk?” Indeed I do…and I know how to use it.

In all seriousness, it is extremely important that we take moments during our week to step back and look in the mirror. Open, honest evaluation is so important in every area of our lives, but especially in our spiritual lives. I wanted to share with you five questions I ask myself when I “pop the hood” and take a peek at how things are doing. So here goes.

1. Am I remembering that God is God and I’m not? (Matthew 6:10) Okay, take just a moment to say that out loud to yourself. Go ahead. Do you feel peace settling over you? There is something about acknowledging, we are not in control that is settling to our lives. No wonder in Jesus’ model prayer he said we should start out by saying, “Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done…”

2. Am I listening to what God is saying? (Ezekiel 2:1,2) God has something that he wants to tell all of us…especially if we are believers in Christ. He has plans to use us in his Kingdom—to make a difference. What we need to do is tune him in. That means walking away from the iPod, TV, radio, computer, and book for a while so we can connect to the one who actually has something good to say.

3. Am I guarding my heart? (Proverbs 4:23) I know that God is working on my heart…changing me. My job is to guard it, not allowing sinful tendencies, influences, or the enemy himself to find a foothold in my heart. This means I need to guard what goes into my heart (What I watch, listen to, and think about) as well as what I allow to hang around my heart. (Things like guilt, jealousy, greed, and anger).

4. Am I doing my best? (Number 18:29) Everything I have comes from God—everything! I am responsible for taking my talents, gifts, money, possessions and using them in the best possible way to advance Christ’s Kingdom. So I have to constantly ask myself, “Am I doing my best for the Kingdom?”

5. Am I taking risks? (1 Samuel 14:6,7) Throughout the Bible there are numerous examples of men and women who did the unthinkable, the unimaginable, and the downright crazy. Why? They engaged in risky behavior because they had faith that God was going to do something big when they walked into the unknown. So David kills the giant, Jonathan defeats the Philistine army single-handedly, and a handful of Christ followers influence the world with the Good News of Jesus. What if the most spiritual thing I do is take a risk?

“Without faith it’s impossible to please God..." ~ Hebrews 11:6

The Role of The Church In America

"The Constitution's First Amendment states that the government will make no law respecting the establishment of religion. That is, the Constitution prohibits the recognition of any religious group as the nation's official religion. Most of the nation's forefathers understood this to mean that no Christian denomination would be named the state church. Thomas Jefferson, however, looked forward to the day when those holding any belief system could freely practice their faith.

Much has been made of the supposed "separation of church and state" called for in the Constitution. The Constitution says nothing of the sort. Jefferson referred to a "wall of separation" in his writings to the Danbury Baptist Association. He told the Baptists there was a "wall of separation between the church and state." In the context of the document, Jefferson was reassuring the Baptists the government was not to involve itself in church affairs. " ~ Mike Hines, The Discipler Blog

Read the rest of the article here.

Astronomers Find Huge Hole in Universe

(Aug. 24) - Astronomers have stumbled upon a tremendous hole in the universe. That's got them scratching their heads about what's just not there. The cosmic blank spot has no stray stars, no galaxies, no sucking black holes, not even mysterious dark matter. It is 1 billion light years across of nothing. That's a giant expanse of nearly 6 billion trillion miles of emptiness, a University of Minnesota team announced Thursday. Read the rest of the story.

Do You Like Big Bibles?

What kind of Bible do you like?

Is "New" Really Better?

We live in a culture where new is better. Or maybe it's just me. Or maybe it's just because I'm a man. Yes I know I have issues!

But doesn't it always seem that if you don't have the newest car, clothes, house, or technology that maybe you are missing out. Worse yet you feel "less then" because you are behind the times? Our culture worships at the church of "What's Happening Right Now".

Quite frankly, Christians are no better in this regard. Newer church buildings are better right? Churches that use video projectors are better right? Churches that play the newest worship music is better right? People that have read the "Purpose Driven Life" are better right?

Settle into this verse for a moment and see where God takes you.

"This is what the Lord says:
“Stop at the crossroads and look around.
Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it.
Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.
But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’" ~ Jeremiah 6:16 (NLT)

Jeremiah was simply trying to impress upon Israel that newer and different wasn't better or even right. He was reminding them that the ancient ways of the Living God were the only way to live life.

Good words for my heart. Contentment is the ways of God is where life is best...and that is what my heart needs.

So maybe I won't get that extra gig of RAM for my computer...at least for now.

Are You Addicted To Coffee?

Does 58% make mean I have a problem? Because I don't think I have a problem...or maybe that is just denial.

I am 58% Addicted to Coffee

Mingle² - Free Online Dating