thoughts from the weekend

Thoughts from the weekend

Busy, busy weekend.

Friday evening, Debbie and I attended the "Unmasking the Enemy" concert here at Stone Church. Quite lively, upbeat, contemporary music with kind of a Latino flare. Our church was practically full of people worshipping God and seeking him.

It was great to see the youth students of our church at the altar during some of the music, enjoying the presence of God, and expressing themselves as they worshipped Him. It is going to take some time, and teaching, but I believe that we are on the upward swing in seeing our youth breaking out and worshipping God in spirit and in truth!

I understand that 8-10 people turned in decision cards, stating that they would like to have a relationship with Christ. We will be following up on them this week.

Many, many thanks to Edwin Mendez and David Dewes for all of their hard work and time!

Last night at our life group, we continued our discussion of John Ortberg's, "When the Game is over, it all goes back in the box."

We discussed (off of the dvd) the idea of "resigning as master of the board."

Recently I was reading of a billboard that was signed, "God." It read - If you want to make me laugh, tell me your plans."

One of the great illusions we have in life is that we are in control. It is not just a lie, it is as author Ernest Becker called it the "vital lie" because we need it for our egos to survive.

"We have a tough time admitting that we are fundamentally dishonest about reality, that we do not control our lives, that we are always relying on something that transcends us," he writes.

Here's what I know: when things are going well, it's easy to give in to the illusion that we are in control. It's only when things are going bad, that we begin to sense that life is something that is beyond our control. That no matter how much we work at changing difficult situations around us - only God can help.

And...perhpas..that is exactly where God wants us to be. We need to resign as Master of the Board." The Bible's word for this is "surrender."

Surrender means I accept the reality of what is, but know that God can change as situation as I come to him.

What do you need to give to God today? Go to Him and to His word.

Yesterday, I talked about the passages in the Bible that we can go to in time of need. Here is a list that I gave (I was asked by several people to blog the list):

If you need wisdom - Proverbs 4:7,8
If you have difficulty being the spiritual leaders in your home - Deuteronomy 4:9
If you need to make a major career decision - Proverbs 3:5,6
If you need peace within - John 14:27
If you need to forgive - Mark 11:25
If your child is sick - Psalms 103:2,3
If you job is unsatisfying - Psalms 32:8
If you need motivation - Deuteronomy 31:6
If your child is rebellious toward you - Exodus 4:12
If you child is rebellious toward God - Malachi 4:6
If you need to overcome anger - Ephesians 4:26
If you need peace within - John 14:27
If you need to make a major career decision - Proverbs 3:5,6
If you need to overcome - Romans 8:37-39
If you need motivation - Deuteronomy 31:6
If you need to overcome fear - 2 Timothy 1:7
If you need healing - Exodus 15:26
If you need forgiveness - 1 John 1:9
If you need to overcome worry - 1 Peter 5:7
If you need to walk in purity - Psalms 119:11

May you be blessed this week....