Quote of the Week

Theme: Dealing With Difficult Christians

 “Please God and those that please God will be pleased with you.  All you can do is pray for the rest.”

By Dr. Ted Kersh and D Burchfiel

 

Let’s Get Personal

 

I took a two week vacation from blogging with the purpose of spending additional time making some changes.  Things have most certainly changed, but I will save the most exciting news for last. 

I have been in a whirlwind of job searches this past summer.  As we wait on the Lord for the next area of service, I have been looking for a job that would pay well and provide the schedule that I needed to focus on the Lord and my family.  I was hired at Footlocker as a manager in training and worked there during the summer.  My hours continued to increase so I took a job with Steve Bailey Honda as a car salesman.  I had fewer hours but still was dissatisfied because of some ethical issues.  I took my two week vacation to send out resumes and Wednesday I was hired by OfficeMax.  I start October 8^th.  I’m really excited and this is a huge answer to prayer.

It is easy to forget as a minister how hard it is to balance family, job, and ministry.  I truly believe we in church staff positions should be extremely thankful for the sacrifice families make in serving our churches.  I am still involved in a truck stop ministry that is awesome.  Plus, I’m available for revivals or filling the pulpit if any church is interested.  Hint, Hint J

I have enrolled in Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  I will start working towards my Doctor of Ministry degree in the Spring of 2008.  Getting away from the “Baptist Argument” has been great.  I love Southern Baptists and pray that God will bring a revival of repentance.  Only a fresh touch from God will save us.

Last and most important, my wife informed me yesterday that we are pregnant with our second child.  We are shocked and amazed at God’s goodness.  My wife and I had tried to have a child for eight years without any success.  We felt God leading us to IVF.  God provided our daughter through this process.  We had been discussing when to try for a second child and God did what doctor’s didn’t think could happen.  God did what we didn’t think could happen.  God is awesome. 

There is much to get to today and I will be writing more in the days to come, but for now thanks for the prayers and stay tuned. 

 

Encouragement for the Day:IX

Colossians 3:1-11,

“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

 Points to Ponder

1.  Where is Christ seated right now?

2.  Since we have died with Christ and our life is hidden in Him, what is promised?

 3.  Since our lives are in Christ, our focus is to be on things above.  The world isn’t to have the same hold on us that it did.  This happens as we do what with our old lifestyle of sin?

4.  As we put on Christ, instead of holding to our old lifestyle of sin we cling to the control of Christ in our lives.  What does it mean when Paul writes that, “Christ is all and in all”?

5.  Are you ready to focus on what really matters?  Jesus Christ is Lord and He is returning.  Put to death all the dumb things you have been doing and put on Christ and focus on Him.  Are you ready to trust Christ with control?

Song of Response: “Be The Center”

 

Quote of the Week

Theme: Obedence

  I must give a little background for this quote to be appreciated in it’s context.  I believe the late Dr. Stephen Olford is one of the greatest expository preachers ever.  I was blessed to attend several seminars at his institute for expository preaching.  At one such seminar there was a question and answer time.  I remember a preacher asking Dr. Olford, who at the time was in his early eighties, “Dr. Olford you have preached on every text of the Bible and you have spent so much time in studying the Bible over your fifty years of ministry, do you find yourself spending less time in sermon preparation?”  Dr. Olford looked at the preacher and responded with the quote of the week,

“There is no end to obedience.”

By Dr. Stephen Olford

 

A Special Treat

Normally, I don’t post on the weekends, but I thought I would share one of my favorite songs.  It is sung by D.C. Talk, but was written by Larry Norman.  It focuses on one of the most neglected truths in the Christian life, Jesus’ Return.  Jesus is returning and I hope we will all be ready when He does.

 “I Wish We’d All Been Ready”