Old Guy Quote

And, when the works of the flesh are substituted for faith, self-confidence and pride are the inevitable result. “The reason of this contention lies in the fact that man is not only poor, but proud; not only guilty, but conceited; so that he will not humble himself to he saved upon terms of divine charity. He will not consent to believe God; he prefers to believe in the proud falsehoods of his own heart, which delude him into the flattering hope that he may merit eternal life.” (Spurgeon)

Something, something had to pass along

“We often court the coming of the evil influence, and are willing to be fascinated and to turn our backs upon Jesus. Mysterious it is, for why should men cast away diamonds for paste? Mysterious it is, for we do not usually drop the substance to get the shadow. Mysterious it is, for man does not ordinarily empty his pockets of gold in order to fill them with gravel. Mysterious it is, for a thirsty man will not usually turn away from the full, bubbling, living fountain, to see if he can find any drops still remaining, green with scum, stagnant and odorous, at the bottom of some broken cistern. But all these follies are sanity as compared with the folly of which we are guilty, times without number, when, having known the sweetness of Jesus Christ, we turn away to the fascinations of the world.” (Maclaren)

Haiti Response

Why more people? Our response to the people in Haiti was a good one. You gave nearly $500, and we will send that to the people we already have connections with so that we know where the money is going.--As I received that report our secretary told me of a church that gave $60,000. Wow! While I am proud of your giving, it reminded me of why we need to continue reaching and connecting more people---together and with more, we can do so much more for the His Glorious Name.

What really counts

Faith expressing itself in love is what really counts.---Sometimes we need to be reminded of that. Have you been a jerk lately? Have you had "to be right" in some "friendly" conversations that turned sour? A lot of times knowing the Bible or knowing how to live the Christian life, become just a bunch of head knowledge. If that knowledge does not reach the heart and then reach the pavement ... much, if not all, is lost.---Slow down. Check yourself. Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, kindness and self-control are fruits of the Spirit. ---What fruit are you showing?
Gal.5:6,22

Preachers

Don't go hatin' on preachers. I'm just sayin'. None of them are perfect, but don't lump them all in one ball and go to hatin'. I'll leave it at that. ---In other news, have you noticed who is already helping in Haiti. Even before the limelight of CNN and others...the church was already there meeting the needs of this poor nation. The old, bad church just doing what it does---being the hands and feet of Jesus. I wonder if that was breaking news to CNN---that the church is on the job! Give $ to the church, they are already there. Stay tuned...

Map Yourself

So you did it. Sometime long ago or maybe recently you placed your faith in Christ and promised to live for Jesus. So what would it look like if your journey for Christ were mapped out? Would it be one dot (like the starting point) with no more movement? Would there be lines all over the place showing an industrious journey?---We're not all called to be the Apostle Paul (aka "the chosen instrument to the Gentiles")so we can all breathe a sigh of relief that God isn't necessarily calling each of us all over the world. Yet, He does call each of us to something. Are you doing that something? First, are you worshiping God? Are you taking the time to really get to know Him?---Where has His leading taken you? Are you following His lead, or are you stuck in a rut? ---Draw your map. Join God at work...that work He created you especially for!

Weekend

It was great to see the commitment of 23 people to come weather the teenage temperatures Saturday morning for the Leadership Training. I really sensed that we came away with a Win. It takes many people to set the table for worship on Sunday's (on the human side). Thanks for the leaders and all the support people. I pray that we will come to church in Expectancy this year. So pray hard and often that God will do a great work, in you, in me and in the church. ----Sunday was pretty stellar for me, as I saw God bring people from all over the country to LTC. We had people from NY, AL, TN, TX among our folk that are from LA, NE, WS, CA, WA and so on---.(forgive me if I goofed some abbreviations.)---Praise the LORD for those that made new commitments to the LORD. ---Have a great week!

Rapid Refund

Got a prayer request yesterday. Someone was going to visit a cousin in the hospital. The man in the hospital only has a few days to live (expected). So the prayer was for boldness to share Jesus, because they knew he was not a believer. Jonathan (fired up and freshly back from the Passion Conference) shared Jesus and as far as I can tell the man was saved within an hour or two of the prayer.
Amen. To God be the glory. May we have more boldness this year.

Fresh Wind and Fresh Fire

LTC is coming up on its 10 year anniversary this year! We've been over 50,000 miles with over 100 people on mission for Jesus Christ locally, around the country and around the globe. Literally thousands of lives have been touched and certainly changed by this local body of believers. You have been the "hands and feet" of Jesus. You have helped the sick, the poor, and the lost. ---The Scriptures tell us to "not grow weary in well doing." Don't get tired of doing good things. My prayer is that we will all pause, take a deep breath and receive a new filling of the Holy Spirit. We need a Fresh Wind and a Fresh Fire for 2010!