Grace

Tell me what you think about this comment….

“Grace is not about the getting. It is about the giving.”  -Henry Blackaby

Do you agree with this statement?? Why or why not?

Spiritual Dehydration

Every Christian , I believe has moments of spiritual dehydration where they feel they are simply going through the motions of a Christian walk without truly connecting with God. You may not admit it to anyone but you know it happens. Here are some symptoms of spiritual dehydration…

1) Fear takes greater prominence in your life

2) Highly irritable with other people

3) Desensitized to the awesomeness of the work of God

4) Fatigue

5) Depression

6) Lack of hunger for God’s Word

7) Too “busy” to listen to God

I was able to go on a retreat this weekend with my wife and I realized on Saturday that I had reached the bottom of spiritual dehydration for me when I sat in the room with 200 people and I had no desire to worship God with them. As I sat there, I was numb and it felt like everything was going in slow motion. That afternon, I got alone and quiet and admitted to God that I was wiped out. I felt almost like Jacob wrestling with God and then I found comfort in a passage that God sent to me.

Psalm 143:1

O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

God brought this verse to life. It almost came off the page like I was wearing 3D glasses.

The next session, as we were worshipping, the worship leader said, “this may be the last time that you get to worship God on earth” ….WOW! What if we always worshipped God like it was our last chance to worship God on earth?

Are you spiritually dehydrated right now? Get alone with God and cry out for mercy. HE WILL ANSWER YOU!

Being Better Stewards

With the recent economic developments, it seems that most people’s focus has been on reducing spending and increasing savings by being a better steward. This does not only include money but time and talents. I have listed some tips about how to be better stewards.

1) Don’t be afraid of change – There are great deals for products and services everywhere in today’s economy but you can’t be afraid of change. You might be completely happy with your cable company but they keep raising your bills, have you checked to see if another company might be the same service at a different price?

2) Do away with all impulse buys – Some of you, this might include closing your eyes when you enter “the power aisle” of a store or at any register. If you must impulse buy, do it on a pack of gum and not a new washing machine.

3) Give more! – No, I haven’t lost my mind. We don’t give more to get more, but why should our generosity stop when we are not as well off? This is the time when others need it more than ever.

4) Plan – Budget your money and stick to your budget. Plan your day. Don’t be constrained by your plans but when you stick to a plan, it helps to alleviate wasted time.

Say the Words!

We all have significant others in our lives. For some of us, it is our spouse. For some, it is a best friend, a parent, or grandparent. No matter who that person is in your life, I offer you questions for today…

Besides simply saying the words…How do you make that person feel loved?

Let me hear your responses.

You could win $6,1000!!!

Anne Jackson is giving away the following…

It may not be cash, but it’s $6,100 worth of books and Bibles and research…all for your computer (PC…sorry, mac people!)  This software costs $630 normally – so it’s a huge deal.  And it’s amazing software at that!!!!

I’m giving away a copy of the Logo’s Scholar’s Library! About it:

Scholar’s Library is a value-priced collection of texts and tools for serious Bible study using Greek, Hebrew, and English resources. It is the best value in Bible software today with more than 330 Bibles and Bible Reference titles worth over $6,100.00 in equivalent print editions!

The Scholar’s Library software doesn’t just “speed up” the process of studying with paper books, it actually acts as your personal research assistant, doing everything from looking up relevant articles and automatically collecting material to generating tailored reports and organizing content around your specific target passage. Logos Bible Software Series X is so easy to use and powerful that all you have to know how to do is type in a Bible reference, or a topic and click the “Go!” button. Scholar’s Library provides an amazing wealth of resources at your fingertips, giving you everything you need for serious and comprehensive Bible Study, no matter what your focus. The value-packed Scholar’s Library makes digging deep into the truth of the Bible easier than ever!

You can read ALL that it has here.

HOW TO WIN!

Leave a comment here with your most meaningful Bible verse or passage…This giveaway will run until midnight on Saturday (12:00 am Saturday AM CST). I will use random.org to randomly generate a comment number and that person will win as long as they followed the rules! Please don’t put your name in more than once!

F_E_A_R

Ok… honestly….as Christians we know that we should completely rely on God for everything. So what do you do when you are fearful to help you remember to trust in God?

Please comment.

Live Free!

I Peter 2:15-17

15For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

“Live free by His mercy and grace and tell the world I’m gone
Live free by His patience and peace and tell the flesh I’m gone
Live free by His joy and love and tell the lust I’m gone
Live free by His truth and just and tell the hate I’m gone”   -Lecrae

Have you been set free from sin by Christ’s death on the cross? Have you been set free from all your sin? Have you been set free by even that secret sin that no one knows about?

If you are a believer then you have, and we need to start to live like it. If you a Christ follower and am still in slavery to sin, it is because you have chosen to and NOT because Christ hasn’t freed us. Let us live as free men!!

It is time for veteran Christians to get on their knees and start living as free men so Christ can use us to make a difference in a world going to hell.

Blog Day Afternoon

In the most recent edition of the NACBA Ledger, a jornalist out of Atlanta wrote an article on social networking and chose me to interview about my blog.  I remember when there was only a few blogs that I read and I had them bookmarked in my favorites and now I have well over 40 different blogs that I keep up with via Google Reader (shameless plug). 

In my experience, I have learned that there are two types of blog readers:

1) Detailed Darby – These are people who like bloggers who are very detailed about their subject matter. They don’t mind devoting 30-45 minutes of their life to reading a story about a person’s latest trip to the mall. These are the “blog novel readers”. 

2) Get-to-the-point Gary – These are people who like the blog subject matter to be rich but very concise and let the reader put togetther minor details. These readers believe bullet points are always a plus. These are the “blog cliff notes readers”.

I also wanted to take a few minutes to list some of my favorite blogs.

1) Jim Crooks – This is my pastor. I love how he allows you into his time with God through his blog. It is an easy read and very informative.

2) Carlos Whittaker – This is a worship leader in Atlanta, GA. As you read his blog, you begin to feel that you actually know him because of how he lets you inside his entire life from work, to home, to devotion to God. He also asks many thought-provoking one sentence questions. As David Jeremiah says, “Let my people think.”

3) Tony Morgan – There are several reasons that I enjoy looking at Tony’s blog. He is a techno-geek, a devoted follower of Christ, and he loves his pastor. All of these are good things in my book. (And I’m still waiting for my lunch)

If you don’t read these guys regularly, you need to!

What are some of your “must-read” blog writers?

Prepare for prayer?

I Peter 4:7

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.

There is obviosly three key point to this passage.

1) The end of time is near

2) Christians must be self-disciplined

3) Prayer is important

These three points is enough to get us thinking about their emphasis in our own life but another thought popped into my mind. Do I prepare to pray? Do I clear my mind and control my mind or do I just “jump” into a prayer with no real direction and let me mind wander all over while I am trying to connect with the Living God.

Think about your conversations with God? How can you ask God to help improve your prayer life. Prayer is the key.