Everybody Needs Someone to Listen to Them

Daily Confessional

During my “You Are What You Speak” class; I am encouraging the class participants to recite, out loud, the following confessional daily:

Daily Confessional

I’m Prosperous.
I’m Healthy.
My soul prospers in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus, even Jesus the Word.
Everything I set my hand to will be successful.
I cannot be conquered.
I cannot be defeated.
I’m a stranger to failure.
For me to fail, God would have to fail.
And God cannot fail, therefore I cannot fail.
The Greater One indwells me, and He puts me over.
I have His ability.
That’s what I have.
That’s who I am.

I challenge you to do the same!  Wow!  There is power in the spoken word!  Especially when that word is founded on the promises of God!

What is Love?

Last night our small group watched Rob Bell’s Nooma called Flame….yes, it was hot!  In the video he talks about various aspects of love and how inadequate is our English word love; from I love moosetracks ice cream (and I do!) to I love my wife (and I do!) 

At the end of the video we discovered that the Greek word for love, agape, is the highest form of love; but, we needed to further define it.  Here is what we collectively came up with for a definition of agape love:

“A willful committed decision to enter into a merciful, unselfish, sacrificial and deliberate covenant to the unconditional, unmerited benevolence of another.”

I thought the group did a good job!

The Church is the Hope of the World….

…When It is Relevant and not Irrelevant.

That was my sermon for last Sunday.  Check out this article about a pastor in Cleveland who is doing everything he can to be relevant to the community he lives in:

 http://potw.news.yahoo.com/s/potw/20253/jesus-laughed

By the way, he is the one who is doing the video Baby Got Book.  I love it!  I think Mudpuppy posted this video some time ago….it is good to re-visit!

Change Your World

“Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault, in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe….”  Philippians 2:14-15

Last Sunday at NewSong many people accepted the challenge to go 21 days straight without complaining.  The above bracelet is worn to remind us of what we are speaking.  When we find ourselves complaining, grumbling, gossiping, being critical or negative, we are to switch the bracelet to the other wrist and start the 21 day count over again.  This idea began in a small congregation in Kansas City, MO where Will Bowen is the pastor.

This exercise is proving to be extremely revealing as to how much we whine and complain.  The power for change will not be found in this bracelet, but in the Spirit of God who will empower us to be transformed and not just modified.

I am certain that old habits don’t just go away.  The only way to overcome a bad habit is to create a new habit that swallows up the old one.  Do anything for 21 days straight and it will be with you for life

I have found that many people are now struggling with what really constitutes a complaint and what is simply a statement of fact.  Legalism will not guide us in this spiritual endeavor, but rather we must listen to the Spirit of God who will guide us into all truth.  If this little bracelet will work as a reminder that we need to be listening closer to the Spirit of God and surrendering to His direction, it will have been a huge success!

There is so much power in our words!  You are speaking your reality!  What is it that you are speaking?  Blessing or curse?  Speak what it is that you want!  Use the power of your words to change your world!  Take the challenge!  You CAN do it!

Where Ya Bin?

I can’t believe how long it has been since my last post!  I went on vacation and returned to no internet access.  I’m currently working on getting that back with more speed!  I’ve got some cool pics from my vacation in the Smokies I can’t wait to post.  I had the opportunity to do some bungy (sp) jumping.  It was fun….even though it was only a puny 75′ off the ground. 

 I just finished a 3 day seminar on the gospel of John at Rochester College.  All in all it was good.  There were a couple of presenters that put me to sleep but they were balanced by the more dynamic ones.

I’m currently preaching a sermon series entitled, “The Church is the Hope of the World…When It’s Working Right”  The last couple of weeks have been about what the church looks like when it’s working right.  Like,

When It Is Loving and Not Hating

When It is Forgiving and Not Condemning

This week is, When It Values Truth More Than Tradition

I’ll be back full speed when I get that greased lightning internet hook up!

Overcoming Stinking Thinking

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing.”  Philippian 2:14

 A church in Missouri is taking this passage very seriously.  Check it out:

http://ccunitykc.org/

Dreams

Dreams.  What do you make of them?  Are they just random, sometimes non-sensical thoughts, or do they have meaning?  If they have meaning, how are they to be interpreted?  God used dreams in the bible to communicate certain messages.   Does God still use dreams to communicate?  I see no reason, biblically or otherwise to infer that He has stopped using dreams.  So how do you know what’s from God and what’s from eating pizza before going to bed?

Have you experienced a dream that you thought was God communicating something to you?  What was it?

Do you remember your dreams?

Do you ever dream in color?

Do you dream about flying?  If so, do you flap your arms?  How high do you go?

Have you ever dreamed you were under water?  Could you breath underwater?

What’s the best dream you ever had?