This is one of the funniest stories I’ve seen in a long time!
Stink? Light a match! Land the plane!
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Monthly Archives: December 2006
God’s Creativity
Sherri and I have reading from Celebration of Praise by Dick Eastman every night before we go to bed.
One of the things that I have realized is that when I’m praying, it doesn’t take long for “me” to get into the picture. I’ll be praying away and before I know it I’m telling God what I think, or want, or feel. That lends itself to a pretty shallow prayer! 
I want to come to the point where I can talk to God about God for a long time without referencing me. Eastman’s book has been helpful.
He identifies the various characteristics about God, makes a few comments about the particular characteristic for the day (e.g. Love, Grace, etc.), and then gives several verses that highlight that attribute.
I love spending the last minutes of my day and the entire next day simply thinking about one characteristic of God and thinking of all the ways I can to praise Him for that particular characteristic.
Last nights attribute was “Creative.” God is creative.
As I was meditating on that this morning it occurred to me that in five days God created enough to keep us busy for thousands of years! Isn’t that cool!!!
God, I praise you for being so incredibly creative!
After church thoughts
Highlights from this weekend…
1) The church looked GREAT this weekend! We had a ton of volunteers help decorate our
building! They used 150 strands of lights! (That’s 15,000 lights!) OH MY GARSH!
THAT’S A NIGHTMARE TO THINK ABOUT HANGING… but a delight to look at!
Thanks to all who helped!
2) This weekend we started our new series, “What Do You Want?” We are looking at
four of the amazing gifts that Jesus gives to us when we believe in Him: Hope, Peace,
Joy, and Love.
3) We are using Christmas movies as introductions to each sermon. This week we used a
clip from It’s a Wonderful Life. That’s a great movie filled with all kinds of “stuff” about
hope! (Next weeks clip is from Jingle All the Way).
4) This weekend we had a 711 people. This same weekend last year we had a 688 people.
5) I enjoyed singing Christmas songs… even though I’m pretty much getting tired of them
on the radio!
6) We served more coffee this weekend than ever before! It must mean that IT WAS
RIDICULOUSLY COLD OUTSIDE!
6) Here’s a link to the sermon notes (my preaching notes) from this weekend.
High impact living
I finished the book of Esther this morning (by flashlight because our electric was out, but who’s complaining?). Here’s a highlight from the book…
Esther had a decision to make that would either cost her life, or save her life and the lives of her people (the Jews). In other words, it was either win big or lose big! (Ever been in one of those situations?)
She had to enter into the throne room of the king, her husband… uninvited, and plead for the lives of her people (the Jews).
Here’s the problem… (In Esther’s words) “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” (Esther 4:11 NLT) (This was definitely a high-risk situation! Ever been there?)
To make a long story short Esther finally decided to take the risk. She said, (4:16), “If I must die, I am willing to die.”
And with that attitude she went into the throne room. She was welcomed, and as a result her people, the Jews, were spared from the plot of a wicked man (Haman) to put them all to death. (Can you say “BIG WIN!”)
The apostle Paul had the same attitude,
“I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me– the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24 NLT)
Jesus had this same attitude,
“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, 15 just as my Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice; and there will be one flock with one shepherd. 17 “The Father loves me because I lay down my life that I may have it back again. 18 No one can take my life from me. I lay down my life voluntarily. For I have the right to lay it down when I want to and also the power to take it again. For my Father has given me this command.” (John 10:14-18 NLT)
So here’s the point…
High impact living is only done by people who care more about what God wants than what they want!
What would happen if I would decide that “me” doesn’t matter?
What would happen if I put God’s mission ahead of my own… even if it meant being uncomfortable… even if it meant pain… even if it meant death?
People who make significant contribution to the Kingdom of God don’t generally do it under easy circumstances!
My prayer… “God, I want to be a high impact man. I’m a little scared about what this means, but I commit to following your plan for my life. I commit to trusting you even when I don’t understand you. I commit to living a life that does not require a “High maintenance me” but one that is all about you. I commit to caring more about you than me. Help me Jesus!”
