We are told more than once, in the Bible, that we should be fasting. Jesus said "when you fast" and there are examples of church leaders fasting when making decisions concerning personnel and where they might minister. I sometimes hear people say that we are not to let anyone know about our fasting. This is difficult to back up Biblically when in Acts 13 and 14 they fasted together for one purpose, so they must have known what they were fasting together about and in the OT there were even national fasts.
I light of those things I would like to encourage some of you to fast along with our youth ministry staff on Tuesdays from now until the end of Jan. We have our snow retreat, with the high school students, and this has often been a time of spiritual blessing for many of the students as many have come to Christ or have had their lives really changed by these 5 days. This year's theme is "Living on Unseen Things" with the "Pilgrim's Progress" as the featured reading. National speaker Sean Higgins, our youth pastor, will be the speaker. He is cringing as he reads that:) WE have an awesome youth pastor.
However much you can fast on Tuesdays would be great and please pray for both the staff and the students as we prepare our hearts for this time of spiritual battle for the souls of the students and all of our spiritual growth. There are normally about 100 people who attend.
Tomorrow, if you join us, could you also add to your prayer list an important meeting I have on Wed. Please pray that God would work in a mighty way and that hearts would be changed and drawn to Him in a new and vibrant way. I can't really say much more than this and that God really has to work in order that there would be change. He is big and He can and does work, especially when we go to Him, in our complete dependence on Him and ask for His working on our behalf.
Thanks for joining us and I will try to keep you posted with some more prayer requests as the Tuesdays roll along.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
More of God
1 Peter 1:6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
There is more of God to be had in times of suffering than any other time." J.Piper
If this John Piper quote is true then should we not greatly rejoice in our trials if we truly want more of God? The question came up in our small group today, "Should we then pray for trials in our lives, as this brings us closer to Christ?"
Thoughts?
There is more of God to be had in times of suffering than any other time." J.Piper
If this John Piper quote is true then should we not greatly rejoice in our trials if we truly want more of God? The question came up in our small group today, "Should we then pray for trials in our lives, as this brings us closer to Christ?"
Thoughts?
Complete Stranger?
Eph. 4:3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—
Last night I had the privilege of meeting someone, whom I never had previously met- and she came and had dinner with our family. She came into PG and we got to talking about life, family and of course rocks, but it didn't seem like she needed to be anywhere too soon so I invited her over for dinner with us and it was so fun.
It is amazing the bond we have with other believers right from the start. There was really nothing awkward about having a "complete stranger" over because we were not complete strangers. I think everyone was encouraged by the end of the evening and we now all have some new friends.
There may be any number of excuses not to invite someone over, but those all lead to missed opportunities for joy and encouragement on both sides. Try it out some time.
It is easy to think that our local body is "the church" and yet "The Church" is so much bigger than how ever many people you see in the pews around you each Sunday morning. We are going to spend eternity with these people, we should start to get to know them.
Have a blessed Lord's Day.
Last night I had the privilege of meeting someone, whom I never had previously met- and she came and had dinner with our family. She came into PG and we got to talking about life, family and of course rocks, but it didn't seem like she needed to be anywhere too soon so I invited her over for dinner with us and it was so fun.
It is amazing the bond we have with other believers right from the start. There was really nothing awkward about having a "complete stranger" over because we were not complete strangers. I think everyone was encouraged by the end of the evening and we now all have some new friends.
There may be any number of excuses not to invite someone over, but those all lead to missed opportunities for joy and encouragement on both sides. Try it out some time.
It is easy to think that our local body is "the church" and yet "The Church" is so much bigger than how ever many people you see in the pews around you each Sunday morning. We are going to spend eternity with these people, we should start to get to know them.
Have a blessed Lord's Day.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Last Minute Provider
God seems to have a similar method to the way He does things. I am not trying to say that I have God figured out because He is way to smart for me to even begin to do that, but it seems that He does have a pattern at least on the way He provides.
Example; on Tuesday one of the guys and I were talking about how we-PG- only one side of next week's schedule filled up, which would mean that we were going to have to let a few of the guys take next week off, as we generally install with 2 teams each day. When we have people with signed contracts that doesn't mean they are ready to go and there were just not many who were ready to go.
I told him that it is difficult to wait on God because it seems like He always waits until the last minute to fill the need. In the Hudson Taylor book there are countless times when God provided literally almost to the minute of when the need had to be met. God did that again at PG. We started out with 5 jobs on the board and yesterday by the end of the day we had 9. He is good.
Remember the Israelites standing in front of the Red Sea? The water was not up 3 days before it needed to be up. The lions in the lions den weren't vegetarian lions. There was not a feast for 10,000 people waiting when the disciples were hungry and so were the people- it was provided one person at a time as they broke off the food and past it around. God provides The way of escape in the necessary time and in the necessary way.
Knowing this pattern- last minute provision- actually makes it harder and easier to trust. Harder because you have to wait until there is no other way and it is totally up to Him which requires a lot more faith, easier because as we see this pattern and we see that He always provides what is needed we can just wait until the last minute and expect Him to provide.
He is so kind. Please keep praying that He would find favor to bless us and pray with thanksgiving for His provision.
Example; on Tuesday one of the guys and I were talking about how we-PG- only one side of next week's schedule filled up, which would mean that we were going to have to let a few of the guys take next week off, as we generally install with 2 teams each day. When we have people with signed contracts that doesn't mean they are ready to go and there were just not many who were ready to go.
I told him that it is difficult to wait on God because it seems like He always waits until the last minute to fill the need. In the Hudson Taylor book there are countless times when God provided literally almost to the minute of when the need had to be met. God did that again at PG. We started out with 5 jobs on the board and yesterday by the end of the day we had 9. He is good.
Remember the Israelites standing in front of the Red Sea? The water was not up 3 days before it needed to be up. The lions in the lions den weren't vegetarian lions. There was not a feast for 10,000 people waiting when the disciples were hungry and so were the people- it was provided one person at a time as they broke off the food and past it around. God provides The way of escape in the necessary time and in the necessary way.
Knowing this pattern- last minute provision- actually makes it harder and easier to trust. Harder because you have to wait until there is no other way and it is totally up to Him which requires a lot more faith, easier because as we see this pattern and we see that He always provides what is needed we can just wait until the last minute and expect Him to provide.
He is so kind. Please keep praying that He would find favor to bless us and pray with thanksgiving for His provision.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Don't be Afraid-Have Peace
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
You should read John 14-16 as an encouragement today.
I have been thinking a lot about how much pain and trouble is all around me and how many trials and opportunities are around me right now. I can not imagine trying to do life without the Helper. I am so far over my head at every turn, so lacking in wisdom and discernment, so weak and yet I have the Helper, the Comforter to guide, strengthen and direct me. I would be lost without Him.
Can you picture the scene through these 3 chapters? Jesus is telling His disciple all they need to know. He is telling them about going to Heaven to prepare a place for them, about being the Only Way to get to Heaven, that those who will get to Heaven are those who obey His Word, not leaving them as orphans but sending them a Comforter, being connected to the Vine in order to bear fruit, being hated by the world because He was hated, the work of the Holy Spirit, turning sorrow into joy and then He ends with 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
What a difficult time this must have been for them. They had been with Jesus for 3 years and He had been their teacher, friend and comforter and now He was leaving? These grown men had to be saying, "We can't do this ourselves, we aren't smart enough, strong enough or enough in number to do all this. There is too much work and not enough workers. We're scared about what is going to happen" Jesus has the answer and He is the Answer.
In vs 33 this is where we live- in tribulation. Life is hard and then you die is where we are called to live as believers. God did not call us to a life of ease. They hated Him and they will hate us, but only if we are not the same as they are. Jesus was hated because He was light in a very dark world and He called people to repent from their wickedness. Are we hated because we call sin "sin", or do we just let it go unchecked?
There are so many promises in these 3 chapters and one of them is that Jesus went to prepare a home for us and He is going to come back for us, but while He is away He left us a Comforter Who knows the encouragement that we need. He knows more about what we need than we do. I can't imagine trying to do this life without Him. We have a Father Who loves us very much and wants what is best for us, we have an Advocate before the Father Who knows our temptations- because He came to earth to have those temptations- and yet He never fell to them, and He left us the Comforter who instructs us in the way that we should go and convicts us of sin.
Oh that today would be the day of His return and yet if it is not today He has work prepared for us to do and souls to bring into the Kingdom. Maybe today will be he day that you are instrumental in leading someone to Christ and maybe that one person is the last one on this earth as we know it.
You should read John 14-16 as an encouragement today.
I have been thinking a lot about how much pain and trouble is all around me and how many trials and opportunities are around me right now. I can not imagine trying to do life without the Helper. I am so far over my head at every turn, so lacking in wisdom and discernment, so weak and yet I have the Helper, the Comforter to guide, strengthen and direct me. I would be lost without Him.
Can you picture the scene through these 3 chapters? Jesus is telling His disciple all they need to know. He is telling them about going to Heaven to prepare a place for them, about being the Only Way to get to Heaven, that those who will get to Heaven are those who obey His Word, not leaving them as orphans but sending them a Comforter, being connected to the Vine in order to bear fruit, being hated by the world because He was hated, the work of the Holy Spirit, turning sorrow into joy and then He ends with 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
What a difficult time this must have been for them. They had been with Jesus for 3 years and He had been their teacher, friend and comforter and now He was leaving? These grown men had to be saying, "We can't do this ourselves, we aren't smart enough, strong enough or enough in number to do all this. There is too much work and not enough workers. We're scared about what is going to happen" Jesus has the answer and He is the Answer.
In vs 33 this is where we live- in tribulation. Life is hard and then you die is where we are called to live as believers. God did not call us to a life of ease. They hated Him and they will hate us, but only if we are not the same as they are. Jesus was hated because He was light in a very dark world and He called people to repent from their wickedness. Are we hated because we call sin "sin", or do we just let it go unchecked?
There are so many promises in these 3 chapters and one of them is that Jesus went to prepare a home for us and He is going to come back for us, but while He is away He left us a Comforter Who knows the encouragement that we need. He knows more about what we need than we do. I can't imagine trying to do this life without Him. We have a Father Who loves us very much and wants what is best for us, we have an Advocate before the Father Who knows our temptations- because He came to earth to have those temptations- and yet He never fell to them, and He left us the Comforter who instructs us in the way that we should go and convicts us of sin.
Oh that today would be the day of His return and yet if it is not today He has work prepared for us to do and souls to bring into the Kingdom. Maybe today will be he day that you are instrumental in leading someone to Christ and maybe that one person is the last one on this earth as we know it.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Fruit Trees
"The key to suffering rightly is to see in all things the hand of a merciful and good and sovereign God and 'to live upon God that is invisible.'(Bunyan) There is more of God to be had in times of suffering than any other time." J.Piper
I want you to read these next 2 paragraphs with our souls in mind, but it is amazing that God created these trees in such a way that they need the "trials of winter cold" in order that they would produce fruit. It is also incredible to think that God has to make sure the temperature is very precise for a certain amount of days in order to bring the trees out of dormancy, but then if He allows the temperature to get too cold again after it is warm for a little while the blossoming fruit will be killed and the tree will not produce fruit that year. The tree will not die from this, but no fruit will come until the next cycle of cold and warm.
"Most hardy fruit trees need a certain amount of cold winter weather to end their dormancy and to promote spring growth. When winters are too mild, spring growth is delayed, irregular and slow, the period of blooming is extended and the possibility of frost injury increased.
Extreme cold during winter dormancy, however, may kill the fruit buds. Winter weather rarely threatens apple, pear, plum and sour cherry varieties. Sweet cherry trees are relatively sensitive to cold until they become dormant. Peach trees are very vulnerable to cold weather; peach buds can be killed by midwinter temperatures of 10 degrees F below zero. The stone fruits--cherry, peach, plum and nectarine--can lose cold hardiness due to extended midwinter warm periods. Damage to the flower buds can be extensive, especially if the warm period is followed by a very cold period."URI GreenShare
Each one of us are unique "trees" and God knows exactly what is needed in order that we would produce fruit. He prunes us perfectly- wrong pruning reduces fruit production- "Plants" us exactly where we will grow best, giving us the right amount of water and sun, sends the cold and the warm at precisely the right time and then allows the fruit to grow.
The trees in an orchard are not lauded because of their amazing fruit production, it is the orchardist who is praised when he takes some little trees and crafts them to bear lots of big, beautiful fruit. The same is true with anything that is created; the Creator gets the glory.
I love that statement, "There is more of God to be had in times of suffering than any other time". I want as much of God as I can get and I think it is true that the suffering gets more of God into our souls. It is so hard to remember that when we are in trials, but He doesn't gives us more than we can handle and they are all for our good. We have to live on those unseen things, especially when the trials keep get added to the ones that were left over from yesterday and last week...
"Oh for grace to trust Him more".
I want you to read these next 2 paragraphs with our souls in mind, but it is amazing that God created these trees in such a way that they need the "trials of winter cold" in order that they would produce fruit. It is also incredible to think that God has to make sure the temperature is very precise for a certain amount of days in order to bring the trees out of dormancy, but then if He allows the temperature to get too cold again after it is warm for a little while the blossoming fruit will be killed and the tree will not produce fruit that year. The tree will not die from this, but no fruit will come until the next cycle of cold and warm.
"Most hardy fruit trees need a certain amount of cold winter weather to end their dormancy and to promote spring growth. When winters are too mild, spring growth is delayed, irregular and slow, the period of blooming is extended and the possibility of frost injury increased.
Extreme cold during winter dormancy, however, may kill the fruit buds. Winter weather rarely threatens apple, pear, plum and sour cherry varieties. Sweet cherry trees are relatively sensitive to cold until they become dormant. Peach trees are very vulnerable to cold weather; peach buds can be killed by midwinter temperatures of 10 degrees F below zero. The stone fruits--cherry, peach, plum and nectarine--can lose cold hardiness due to extended midwinter warm periods. Damage to the flower buds can be extensive, especially if the warm period is followed by a very cold period."URI GreenShare
Each one of us are unique "trees" and God knows exactly what is needed in order that we would produce fruit. He prunes us perfectly- wrong pruning reduces fruit production- "Plants" us exactly where we will grow best, giving us the right amount of water and sun, sends the cold and the warm at precisely the right time and then allows the fruit to grow.
The trees in an orchard are not lauded because of their amazing fruit production, it is the orchardist who is praised when he takes some little trees and crafts them to bear lots of big, beautiful fruit. The same is true with anything that is created; the Creator gets the glory.
I love that statement, "There is more of God to be had in times of suffering than any other time". I want as much of God as I can get and I think it is true that the suffering gets more of God into our souls. It is so hard to remember that when we are in trials, but He doesn't gives us more than we can handle and they are all for our good. We have to live on those unseen things, especially when the trials keep get added to the ones that were left over from yesterday and last week...
"Oh for grace to trust Him more".
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
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