Here are some link ups to a bunch or other good stuff!
7 days worth of "Food for Thought"
For the musicians...aaand people who are always looking for good music
To be part of a REVOLUTION
If you're looking for a way to get into your Bible
Forgiveness 101
HEART CHECK (listen to the whole series)
RADICAL (watch the clip- READ THE BOOK!)
poor poor Akbar
ok...I think we're done.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Food for thought....last one for the night. :)
Woo! We are on a roll with the randomness tonight! So, here is one last post coming to you from the beautiful people of HILLSONG CHURCH!
Have you ever prepared something for someone but as soon as they tried it, they didn’t like it? You on the other hand are convinced that if they just gave it a bit more time, they would love it, but to no avail.
At home we experience this on a daily basis. My wife or I (the latter was said a bit optimistically but nevertheless) will make something in the kitchen for dinner. Then the moment will arrive when the first spoonful will enter the mouth of one of the hardest critics in the country - our almost 3 year old daughter, Sienna. As soon as she tastes it, she will make a decision whether or not, she wants to consume the rest. If the first taste puts her off, it doesn’t matter if I act out eating the rest of the meal with a smile on my face for hours; she will NOT eat it.
What I have found though, is that it has often very little to do with the actual taste of the meal as it does with the experience and feelings surrounding it. If the atmosphere is tense or rushed (not that it ever is :)I can almost guarantee that she will not “like” it. If it’s relaxed and fun though, we can place the same meal in front of her and suddenly she doesn’t like but “Mummy & Daddy...I LOVE it!!!”
Psalm 34:8 encourages us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good...” It is not a question of whether or not God is good. Taste and see that He IS good. God is good.
What is it then that puts people off?
Well, just like it’s more the surroundings of our dinner time that determines Sienna’s reaction, so it is with people and God. God is good, but am I? God is good but am I relaxed, loving, encouraging, serving, humble and in general displaying the characteristics of our great God?
Let’s face it, we are the one entrusted to hold the spoon and serve Christ to a starving world. How I pray that the first impression people have of Christ in me the hope of Glory, is a good one.
Dinner Time
6 January, 2012
At home we experience this on a daily basis. My wife or I (the latter was said a bit optimistically but nevertheless) will make something in the kitchen for dinner. Then the moment will arrive when the first spoonful will enter the mouth of one of the hardest critics in the country - our almost 3 year old daughter, Sienna. As soon as she tastes it, she will make a decision whether or not, she wants to consume the rest. If the first taste puts her off, it doesn’t matter if I act out eating the rest of the meal with a smile on my face for hours; she will NOT eat it.
What I have found though, is that it has often very little to do with the actual taste of the meal as it does with the experience and feelings surrounding it. If the atmosphere is tense or rushed (not that it ever is :)I can almost guarantee that she will not “like” it. If it’s relaxed and fun though, we can place the same meal in front of her and suddenly she doesn’t like but “Mummy & Daddy...I LOVE it!!!”
Psalm 34:8 encourages us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good...” It is not a question of whether or not God is good. Taste and see that He IS good. God is good.
What is it then that puts people off?
Well, just like it’s more the surroundings of our dinner time that determines Sienna’s reaction, so it is with people and God. God is good, but am I? God is good but am I relaxed, loving, encouraging, serving, humble and in general displaying the characteristics of our great God?
Let’s face it, we are the one entrusted to hold the spoon and serve Christ to a starving world. How I pray that the first impression people have of Christ in me the hope of Glory, is a good one.
More good stuff to think about...
A post by Joel Stockstill (an AMAZING minister and man of God...who keeps it REAL) from http://www.joelstockstill.com/ (for those of you who want to lead...in ANY area of life!)
Starting Point for Leaders
January 13th, 2012OK, so you are a young leader (youth pastor or aspiring leader) and your heart is to become the man or woman of God that you feel like the Lord has called you to be. Where do you start? What can you do to ensure that you are moving forward in your development? So glad you asked! I’m gonna give you 3 simple things today that will help you to get traction toward being that supernatural leader of tomorrow. (Note: these are not listed in any particular order)
1. Character- the foundation of your life as a minister. This character should be built upon the rock of the Word. This character should be fashioned every day more and more like the character of Christ. Areas like total honesty, transparency, sexual purity, sound financial stewardship, just to list a few! As you can see, we all have many areas for the Holy Spirit to continue His work in us.
2. Calling- it is imperative as an aspiring leader to discover your calling. Your calling will be the guide to walking in the perfect will of God for your life. (If the Lord has called you to the ministry then you would never want to marry someone who doesn’t share that same passion.) The best course of action for this discovery process is to submit your life in the local church and allow the leadership to help guide you. They will be used of the Lord along the way to help identify, confirm, and release you into the specific call of God for your life.
3. Communion- this is your practical relationship with the Lord. The part of you that longs for fellowship with Jesus. Paul spoke of “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Obviously, this is not something that we do naturally! It is something that must be developed. Develop a sense of deep communion with the Lord. This means that things such as daily reading of the Word and times of prayer and worship with the Lord become second nature and you become a person of deep spirituality (not super-spiritual!).
Wow! as you can see, this is not going to be something you accomplish before dinner tomorrow! I pray these 3 simple areas articulated here will give you something to run with. A sense of where to start in your amazing journey to fulfill Jesus’ best for your life. Remember: don’t settle for anything less than all you’ve been called to be…the Kingdom needs you!!!
*If you get a chance- check out Joel's UNSHAKABLE testimony! Also, watch his first wife's funeral- to hear about a christian life WELL LIVED.....and his recent wedding to his new wife...to hear some good bits of wisdom on how to LOVE WELL! All good things!*
1. Character- the foundation of your life as a minister. This character should be built upon the rock of the Word. This character should be fashioned every day more and more like the character of Christ. Areas like total honesty, transparency, sexual purity, sound financial stewardship, just to list a few! As you can see, we all have many areas for the Holy Spirit to continue His work in us.
2. Calling- it is imperative as an aspiring leader to discover your calling. Your calling will be the guide to walking in the perfect will of God for your life. (If the Lord has called you to the ministry then you would never want to marry someone who doesn’t share that same passion.) The best course of action for this discovery process is to submit your life in the local church and allow the leadership to help guide you. They will be used of the Lord along the way to help identify, confirm, and release you into the specific call of God for your life.
3. Communion- this is your practical relationship with the Lord. The part of you that longs for fellowship with Jesus. Paul spoke of “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.” Obviously, this is not something that we do naturally! It is something that must be developed. Develop a sense of deep communion with the Lord. This means that things such as daily reading of the Word and times of prayer and worship with the Lord become second nature and you become a person of deep spirituality (not super-spiritual!).
Wow! as you can see, this is not going to be something you accomplish before dinner tomorrow! I pray these 3 simple areas articulated here will give you something to run with. A sense of where to start in your amazing journey to fulfill Jesus’ best for your life. Remember: don’t settle for anything less than all you’ve been called to be…the Kingdom needs you!!!
*If you get a chance- check out Joel's UNSHAKABLE testimony! Also, watch his first wife's funeral- to hear about a christian life WELL LIVED.....and his recent wedding to his new wife...to hear some good bits of wisdom on how to LOVE WELL! All good things!*
Food For Thought...not just for the ladies.
Are you letting media dictate who you are...or even...who you think you "should" be? If you are, I want to remind you of a scripture...
(from) Psalm 139
"...Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day."
God MADE YOU! And He DEFINITELY knew what He was doing!
What else does the Bible teach us about true beauty?
"...Charm can mislead and (outward) beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God." -Proverbs 31
So, how are you gaging your beauty? Is it by a reliable source...or something else?
(from) Psalm 139
"...Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb. I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day."
God MADE YOU! And He DEFINITELY knew what He was doing!
What else does the Bible teach us about true beauty?
"...Charm can mislead and (outward) beauty soon fades.
The woman to be admired and praised
is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God." -Proverbs 31
So, how are you gaging your beauty? Is it by a reliable source...or something else?
*something to think about*
Contraversial Issues 101
I posted this link on Amber's wall- and thought I'd post a link to it on here for any of you to see. It's basically a quick cover of alot of questions people have!
ENJOY!
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