PS

October 1: Pray This Way

2010-10-01T11:28:00.000-04:00

Read Luke 11:1-4 (NIV) One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

Prayer is talking to God. When you talk to God in prayer, you can tell him anything. Anything at all. God cares about your needs, fears, problems, and the events that make you happy, sad, or angry. You can pray to God about anything in your life.

When Jesus lived on earth, he took time to pray to his Heavenly Father. He would find a place where he could be alone with God and pray.

You can pray to God anytime, anywhere, about anything. It doesn't matter if it's day or night. It doesn't matter when you pray or where you pray. You don't have to go to church to pray. You can pray in your room, at the park, on the school bus, or when you walk to school.

Think About It

God loves you and wants to spend time alone with you so you can get to know him better. God speaks to you through his word. You speak to God as you tell about your hopes and dreams, fears and problems, concerns and gratitude. That's prayer.

When you get stuck and aren't sure how to pray, you can always turn to the prayer that Jesus taught his friends. It's called "the Lord's Prayer." It is a simple, beautiful prayer. It is short and to the point. Take some time today to think about some of the things you would like to talk to God about when you pray. And don't forget: You can pray to God about anything, anywhere, anytime.

Pray About It

God, thank you for the gift of prayer. Help me to take full advantage of this gift and privilege.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Romans 13

God's Word for Students.

September 30: Be a Good Neighbor

2010-09-30T10:44:00.002-04:00

Read Luke 10:25-37

It was Friday morning, and Kara was walking to school. Her head was full of thoughts of the upcoming weekend. There's the big game tonight and a party Saturday night. Sunday there's a pizza fund-raiser at church to raise money for summer camp. It's going to be a great weekend. I can't wait.

All of a sudden, her thoughts were interrupted by someone crying for help. She stopped. There, by the car—someone was holding his bleeding head in his hands.

She realized that she didn't know him, but that he was a gang-banger. A member of a group that she and her friends avoided and shunned. They were different, not like her or her circle of friends.

What should I do? Her adrenaline started pumping; her breathing grew faster.

In the dim recesses of her memory, Kara had a vague recollection of a story that Jesus told. What was it—the Good Samaritan? There was an eerie similarity between Jesus' story and this situation.

She made a decision. She had no choice. She had to help. She swung the straps of her backpack over her shoulders and headed for the injured person.

Think About It

Just about everyone knows about the Good Samaritan. Even if they don't know the story from the Gospel of Luke, most people know that a Good Samaritan is someone who helps people who can't help themselves.

You never know when you may find yourself in a situation where God offers you the chance to be a neighbor to someone in need. When the opportunity presents itself, don't pass it up. If you do, you may be making a big mistake. That's not just your neighbor lying by the side of the road. In a sense, it's Jesus himself (read Matthew 25:40).

Pray About It

God of love, help me to remember the story of the Good Samaritan. When I see someone in trouble, don't let me forget that when I help my neighbor in need, I'm helping you, too.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Romans 12

God's Word for Students.

August 19: Foggy Love

2010-08-19T10:22:00.002-04:00

Read Hosea 6:4-6

Fog has a certain romance to it. It's the cloudy mist that spreads across the Yorkshire bogs of England, the early morning cloud that nestles low in the mountain valley, and the gray, mysterious soup that soaks the New England shoreline. Fog reminds us of eerie mysteries and passionate romance.

But, as a phenomenon of weather, fog is really kind of bland. Fog exists when it's not wet enough to rain and not clear enough to be sunny. It's kind of an in-between condition. It's there just enough to cloud our visibility and add a chill to the air.

The prophet Hosea charged that Israel's love for God had become like morning fog that passes away. The people knew all the right "God-talk," but they never seemed quite willing to give God the steadfast love he desired.

It wasn't that they were always bad or never good; it was just that they were always in between. Their love wasn't wet enough to be rain or clear enough to be sunshine. It was just a halfway gray that kept them from clearly seeing God.

Think About It

Too many of us know exactly why God was dissatisfied with Israel's love. Instead of a faithful, steady commitment to God, many of us also have offered him a foggy, halfway love that seems to melt away as the day wears on. We start off okay, but then in the heat of everyday life—tough choices, tempting options, tests, and trials—our foggy love evaporates into a midday mist.

What are some of the foggy areas in your life? Is it greed? Is it disobedience to your parents? Is it looking down on others who are different from you? Is it holding back from that full commitment to God? Is it your dating relationships?

This passage reminds us that foggy faith is neither refreshing like rain nor warm like sun. What makes your love for God foggy? Ask God to burn away that fog and help you to love him fully.

Pray About It

Lord, show me the places in my life where I have given you a halfway, foggy love instead of the wholehearted, steadfast love you want.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Revelation 21:21

God's Word for Students.

July 19: Faking It?

2010-07-19T11:20:00.003-04:00

Read Isaiah 29:13

Don't you hate it when people at school are nice to your face but talk about you behind your back? It's awful to find out that a friend is two-faced.

Unfortunately, we can be like that with God if we pretend to be a Christian at church or home but live differently at school or among friends. Living "by the rules" but not having a relationship with God makes us fake. (Just like someone who is nice to you while you're around but cuts you down when you leave.)

We can learn to live by the rules easily, can't we? We can work to stay out of trouble and look good while we're around Christian people. If it's just an act, though, it's not an honest relationship with God.

Think About It

Do you really know God, or do you play the "Churchianity" game? God knows the truth about you. Take a moment and talk honestly with God about your life. Tell him about areas where it's hard to live like a Christian, and ask for his strength.

Pray About It

Lord, I really want to be honest with you. I don't want to be like people who worship you with their mouths, yet their heart is far from you.

Daily Reading Plan—Read 1 John 2

God's Word for Students.

July 16: The Best Plan

2010-07-16T10:49:00.002-04:00

Read Isaiah 16:5

What's the biggest party you've ever been to? Imagine what it would be like to plan a party that big! The excitement of what you were going to do and who would come would keep you motivated. As the big day would draw closer, you'd invite lots of friends. They, in turn, would invite more friends. The day of the party would come and be a huge success! You'd have the right food, the right music, and the right games. Everyone would love it.

Thinking about planning a big party makes you wonder: How would you do it? A huge party doesn't happen by accident. It needs careful planning. Without a plan, it just wouldn't happen.

Think About It

How long would it take you to plan a big party? A few days? A month? That planning doesn't compare with God's effort in planning salvation. God planned that Jesus would be a descendant of King David and that Jesus would be born about 1,000 years after David. Then, God planned for you to hear the Good News of salvation about 2,000 years after Christ was born. What a plan!

In all his planning, God never forgot you. In fact, he planned salvation with you in mind. Take a few moments and thank God for his plan to save you.

Pray About It

Father, thanks for thinking of me and planning for me throughout history. Help me to fit into your plan for my life by allowing Jesus to direct my life.

TBWC Daily Reading Plan—Read 2 Peter 3

God's Word for Students.

July 15: Hoping for the Best!

2010-07-15T09:56:00.002-04:00

Read Isaiah 9:2-7

Remember Christmas when you were a kid? You saw what you wanted on T.V., in the toy store, or at your friend's house. You dreamed that you would get exactly what you wanted, and you hoped for it with all your heart!

We're not that much different now than when we were little kids. We have hopes and dreams that engage our imagination. How about a car? or being accepted into your favorite college? What about hoping for a special friendship? It's exciting to hope and dream!

Think About It

Imagine what the prophet Isaiah must have felt when he told of the greatest possible hope in Isaiah 9:2-7. This hope wasn't just a dream; it was guaranteed. He was anticipating a sure thing, the coming of Jesus Christ!

It's easy to forget about Jesus. We get busy with the boring routine of school or work. We get caught up with friends, and our daily schedule becomes a numbing reality. But Jesus Christ can break through the numbing boredom. He not only came so that we could have Christmas morning but also so we could have Christmas every day. He gives us a reason to live, a joyful life, and an exciting future!

Pray About It

Lord, you know that I forget to watch you work in my life. A lot of times I look for excitement in things, activities, or people. Help me keep an eye out for the great things you do in my life.

Daily Reading Plan—Read 2 Peter 2

God's Word for Students.

July 5: Taking Out the Garbage

2010-07-05T08:42:00.002-04:00

Several summers ago, the garbage collectors in New York City went on strike. They walked off their jobs and refused to collect any garbage. Day after day, week after week, garbage piled up around the city. It looked awful. It smelled worse. Finally, the garbage collectors returned to work, and the garbage was trucked away. As you can imagine, the entire city rejoiced!

Think About It

Do you ever feel like garbage is building up in your own life? Maybe it's not the garbage you see in the trash can next to your desk, but spiritual garbage. The garbage of sin and guilt can accumulate until you feel smothered and suffocated.

Proverbs 28:13 tells how you can take the garbage out of your life. "Whoever confesses and abandons [his or her sins] receives compassion."

To take the sin out of your life today, you must first admit your sin to God. The more specific you can be, the better. Next, you must leave that sin behind you. It is only then that you will experience the freedom and relief provided by God's mercy.

Pray About It

Lord, the garbage is building up in my life. I confess my sins to you and turn away from them. I especially bring my sin of ____________ to you. Thank you that you bring freedom and relief from the garbage in my life.

Daily Reading Plan—Read James 3

God's Word for Students.

July 2: Bridges Not Walls

2010-07-02T10:39:00.002-04:00

Read Proverbs 25:15

For Leslie, another Friday night brings another family fight. She wants to go to the movies and spend the night with Michelle and a bunch of other girls. Leslie's dad wants more information before he lets her go. He asks her, "What movie will you see? What friends will be there? Will Michelle's parents be home?" When Leslie admits that she doesn't know the answers to these questions, her dad tells her that she can't go unless she finds out all the details.

Leslie responds angrily, "What do you mean 'all the details'? Don't you trust me? You never let me go anywhere. You hate me."

Angered, her dad confronts her. "Sorry, Leslie, you're not going to talk to me in that tone of voice. You're grounded all weekend."

Words become weapons. The weapons leave wounds. Wounds that hurt. Wounds that last.

Think About It

If Leslie had applied Proverbs 25:15, she might have been able to work out a compromise with her dad. "With patience you can persuade a ruler, and a soft tongue can break bones."

Patience and gentleness are two keys to the best possible relationship with your parents. These traits build bridges between you and your parents, instead of building walls.

Think about your conversations with your parents in the past week. Did you build bridges or walls? Did you show patience toward your parents? How could you have spoken with gentleness?

Pray About It

Lord, I confess that I do not always show patience and gentleness toward my parents. Help me to be quick to listen and slow to speak. Guide me as I build bridges, not walls, with my parents.

Daily Reading Plan—Read James 1

God's Word for Students.

July 1: Strikeouts Are Part of the Game

2010-07-01T09:15:00.002-04:00

Read Proverbs 24:10

When you hear the name Babe Ruth, what do you think of? One of the greatest baseball players of all time? One of the greatest home run hitters ever?

Did you know that Babe Ruth not only holds records for home runs, but also for strikeouts? It's true. Babe Ruth was not only the "Home Run King," but also the "Strikeout King." Yet despite his many strikeouts, Babe Ruth persevered. He didn't give up; he kept working. Today, he's remembered for his success.

Think About It

Think about the tough parts of your life—the times you have felt like giving up. Are there areas of your life that seem hopeless right now? Proverbs 24:10 says, "If you faint in a crisis, you are weak." Those who can persevere during difficult times, however, are strong.

Each one of us has trouble. Strikeouts are part of the game. In fact, most achievements have an occasional strikeout along the way. When you fail, don't give up: Keep trying. Jesus is ready to help you, and nothing is impossible for him.

Pray About It

Thank you, Lord, that you are my strength. Use my times of failure to teach me to rely on your strength.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Hebrews 13

God's Word for Students.

June 30: The Ultimate Gift

2010-06-30T11:57:00.002-04:00

Read Proverbs 23:5

Your ten-year-old brother, Andy, is starting to annoy you. He constantly reminds you that his birthday is thirteen days away. He has a long list of toys he expects to receive from you, your parents, and his friends.

The big day arrives, and Andy is thrilled as he surveys the huge pile of gifts that awaits him. One by one, he tears the ribbon off each gift and rips into the wrapping paper. His excitement grows as he realizes that most of the gifts he wanted he has, in fact, received. A car racetrack, the hottest video game, and a brand new skateboard are now his!

But Andy's smile quickly turns into a frown. The cars keep skidding off the racetrack, the video game becomes boring, and it's raining too hard outside to try out the skateboard.

Like Andy, have you ever felt disappointed? Probably so. Each one of us has had our birthday gifts go bust. Toys get lost, clothes get ripped, and stereos get broken.

Think About It

The writer of Proverbs undoubtedly had similar problems. In Proverbs 23:5, he writes, "Will you catch only a fleeting glimpse of wealth before it is gone? It makes wings for itself like an eagle flying into the sky." When have you had a gift get lost, stolen, or broken? How did this loss of "riches" give you a new perspective on the gifts you received? Can you think of any "gift" that will last forever? Jesus is the ultimate gift. He will never get broken, stolen, or lost. He is the only gift that lasts forever. Take one minute to thank Jesus for how he has changed your life.

Pray About It

Help me, Lord, to appreciate the many things that you have given me but also to remember that they are only temporary. Give me a fresh focus on your gift of salvation that lasts forever.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Hebrews 12

God's Word for Students

June 24: Don't Laugh

2010-06-24T10:00:00.002-04:00

Read Proverbs 17:5

Laughing is a natural human activity. Laughter was given by God to lighten up our load in life. Scientists have demonstrated that people who laugh regularly are happier and healthier than people who don't.

But not all laughter is equally funny. Some people get laughs at other people's expense. And God doesn't like that. Listen to what Solomon says in Proverbs 17:5: "Whoever makes fun of a poor person insults his maker. Whoever is happy to see someone's distress will not escape punishment."

Some types of humor make fun of other people or their tragedies. Most of the really popular stand-up comedians or late night talk-show hosts engage in humor that pokes fun at other people. Sure, it may be funny, but God says it's wrong.

Think About It

Here are three things you can do when people around you are engaging in unsavory humor.

(1) Don't laugh. Learn to control how you respond to humor. If it's offensive, don't laugh.

(2) Don't participate. Some people seem to spend most of their lives insulting other people. If that's the case with people you know, find some new friends.

(3) Love unfortunate people the same way God does. Be ready to help people who have less attractiveness, intelligence, or worldly possessions than other people. Stand with them in their sorrow. Don't add to it.

Making fun of other people is a cheap way to get laughs. Creatively think of better ways to add humor to your life. And don't support people who attack others.

Pray About It

God, I thank you for all of the blessings I have in life. Help me to be kind to people who have less than I do. I don't want to offend you by poking fun at their weaknesses.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Hebrews 7

God's Word for Students.

6.24.10

2010-06-24T09:24:00.002-04:00

TBWC Prayer request:

Thank you for praying! To have a request added contact pastor@thenazbridge.org

6.23.10 We are in the process of renting building on Rt 3. Pray that if this is the right place God will work it all out and if it isn't that we will move on. It looks like it might be a 6 month lease to start with.

Pray with us if we rent this building for 6 months that we will be able to find a more permanent building before the six months is up.

4.15.10 Building plans God has for us. We need a lease or another building.

6.16.10 TBWC to raise $900 to pay budgets in full.

6.23.10 Family Fun Day coming July 31st

Sam Bays

Leader Muriel Mitchell and Ron Lamborgini

Volunteers – let Muriel know if you can help

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Kids to show up

This will be a great out reach in our new building.

6.23.10 Financial Peace University:

New Class previews on 8.8 and 8.18. People to come find out what FPU is all about.

New Classes to begin August 25th We hope to have at least 20 people so we can break into 2 groups.

Members will find God’s help in getting out of debt

Pray Pastor Scott and Jan Sinozich as leaders

Sara Torrice babysitting

Each family to fund their emergency fund…$1000

Each family that has completed emergency fund to finish dept snow ball

6.23.10 New minister Jan Sin to start August 1st.

Smooth transition both at TBWC and Culpepper where she is leaving.

6.17.10 Sunday morning worship for Connie Wilson and a worship team, Pastor Scott’s anointing and for people to hear from God. We need God's guidance for the future. Pray for Connie and Pastor Scott.

6.16.10 VBS meeting that was moved to June 26th

5.20.10 VBS meeting on June 13th

4.15.10 VBS coming on August 14th

Leaders :Sam Varner and his team from Leesburg Church of the Nazarene (Children and families pastor)

Michele Magaw and Muriel Mitchell and Kathy Brady

“Unity, openminededness ,wisdom. Sam says pray for, Friday evening arrival and setting up and do any last moment preparations.

Volunteers from TBWC

Meeting between Tammy, Sam and Michele and Muriel to plan event.” by.-Sam

Kids to have fun.

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6.17.10 GriefShare and decisions on what to do about meetings. We are having troubles getting meeting in because members can't make it. We are thinking about postponing till after we have moved and are set up in new building.

Members making Godly decisions

Members need to forgive others

Members need help sleeping

Members feeling abandoned

Leaders

Preparation to be ready for a tragedy at High Schools, which High School do we start with. Principals will be receptive to the idea. We want to be able to get in to local High Schools and when tragedy happens, we will be ready to take GriefShare either into the HS or the HS will send students to us. We may need more facilitators.

6.16.10 Kristie Street

I wanted to ask all of you guys to please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. After being in the hospital on Saturday, the re-admitted me late Monday night to MWH. I absolutely hate this place, and I hate being away from my family. (Of course HCA--the new hospital doesn't accept my insurance.)

On top of the Crohns and everything else under the sun, they still think my gallbladder isn't working. Please pray that if that's they case they will remove it and I will heal quickly!

5.13.10 Kristie Street Thank you so much! The stomach disease that I have has gotten better. However my health is still in poor shape. I started having a problems with blood clots which is also causing inflammation of the vessels, something is going on with my heart, (doc said it could be related to the clots) and I have Pneumonia again. The disease just severely weakens my immune system. Please keep praying if you don’t mind…I can use all that I can get.

4.14.10 I have struggled with my health big time the past 6 months. I'm called into ministry, and the devil is trying to interfere with me reaching my destiny and I refuse to let him win!! If you could also pray for our finances that would be a blessing as well. All of these medical bills are piling up and becoming a bit overwhelming. – Kristie Street

6.17.10 Messick family

6.18.10 These requests are from DS Phil Fuller

Yesterday George Stevenson a member of our district staff underwent an ablation procedure in a Roanoke Hospital. He is recovering and doing well and is expected to be home yet this week. The family thanks you for the prayers for his quick recovery.

Please continue to pray for Ken Salyers who has been having some physical problems.

Received word that Richmond Trinity Church (Pastor Rob Mills) has all approvals in place now to begin construction on its new facility on Hull Street in Richmond. We praise the Lord for this development.

Praying for Charlottesville First Church (Pastor Bill Willis) as they make important steps toward the construction of their new facility. They are in the final stages of approval of funds. Site work is ready to begin any day now.

Please pray for our newest NewStart congregations: East African/Eritrean Ministry (Pastor Solomon MIrach) which is meeting with the Alexandria First Church congregation at present, and Living Water Church of the Nazarene a developing new congregation in the western portion of Henrico County in the Greater Richmond area.

Please pray for Willson and Edie Aginer (Varina Church). Willson serves as our District W&W Coordinator and has just been diangosed with prostate cancer. Edie just recently lost her job of almost 35 years.

6.10.10 Haysi, WV Mission Trip for Aug 1-8, 2010 – Kenney Martin

6.10.10 Hope Chapel to find a building.

6.2.10 NYI leadership – Mark Tilley, Kelly Funk, Muriel Mitchell, Butch Cover, Sara Torrice, Tiff O’Quinn, and Austin and Joseph Fowler

4.15.10 Nancye Fender is home and battling Cancer

4.15.10 Marion Armstrong, Linda Messick’s brother and his battle with cancer.

Ladies CARE group and hosts Kim Sluss

4.15.10 Mixed CARE group and host Connie and Jim Wilson

4.15.10 High School CARE group will be restarted

4.15.10 Children CARE groups on Sunday mornings and the teachers.

Class 101

>Class 180<

Class 201

4.15.10

NMI organization

To add prayers just respond to this email.

To be removed from our prayer team, respond with remove in the body leaving subject line intact.

June 16: Smarts 101

2010-06-16T09:45:00.002-04:00

Read Proverbs 9:10

At school, classes get harder as you advance each year through the grades.

Take math, for example. In junior high, you take basic mathematics. But in high school, you are required to take algebra or geometry.

Such difficult classes may make you long for the good old days when you worked on simple problems like 2 + 2 = 4 or 6 x 6 = 36. But the harder classes help you learn how to handle more difficult problems, get into college, or land a good job.

Christianity is a complex course, too. Sure, the beginning is easy. You simply have to trust Jesus as your Savior and ask him to direct your life. But as you get older, the going sometimes gets tougher.

You need to learn the most basic of all life's lessons: the fear of God. We can call that Smarts 101. You may acquire lots of other knowledge, but nothing's as important as the basic fear and reverence of God.

Think About It

This basic lesson of the Christian life is stated quite clearly in Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Go ahead and learn more and more about God every day. But never forget the basics. No matter what you learn, be sure you maintain your reverence for him.

Pray About It

God, help me fear and honor you every day of my life. Don't let me forget this most basic lesson.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Philemon

God's Word for Students.

June 11: Vital Signs

2010-06-11T10:21:00.002-04:00

Read Proverbs 4:20-23

Jonathan just turned forty. He's been in great shape all his life. He played high school basketball and tennis. He was all-state in baseball. In college he ran five miles three times per week. Since then, he's been exercising at least four days a week. He stays away from junk food and gets enough sleep.

But several weeks ago he started experiencing chest pains. He immediately went to his doctor and was given an EKG—a test that monitors the heart. The doctor wanted to see if Jonathan was having a heart attack. The machine revealed that he was fine. It turns out that the chest pain was only a pulled muscle. His heart was in great shape.

The Bible teaches that we have two types of hearts: a physical heart and a spiritual heart. Have you ever considered how busy you keep your physical heart? The heart pumps blood and beats more than 100,000 times a day! The heart pushes oxygen and nutrition through more than 60,000 miles of arteries and veins. When it gives out, the person dies.

Think About It

Your spiritual heart keeps busy, too. It is the part of you that causes you to act the way you do. Your words, actions, and attitudes all begin in this heart. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us that our heart is the source of our life. Because of this, Solomon gives us wise advice about the way we should take care of our spiritual heart. He says: "Guard your heart more than anything else."

The state of your spiritual heart will determine how you react to people and problems. It will also determine what words you say. Be careful, then, to guard it. Do your best to only allow attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors that are healthy for your spiritual life.

Pray About It

Lord, train my heart so that I respond to people and situations the way that Jesus would. Encourage me as I try to keep my heart pure.

Daily Reading Plan—Read 2 Timothy 4

God's Word for Students.

June 10: A Missed Turn

2010-06-10T09:02:00.002-04:00

Read Proverbs 3:5-6

German Silva had an incredible experience. The twenty-six-year-old runner from Mexico was racing in the 1994 New York City Marathon (a 26.2-mile run). During the race, though, he got temporarily lost. With less than a mile to go, Silva got sidetracked and went off the course. He missed the correct turn and took the wrong road.

It seemed that Silva would never get back to the right road, but a police officer waved him back on course. Silva miraculously won the race in a time of two hours, eleven minutes, and twenty-one seconds, beating out his training buddy, Benjamin Paredes, by only two seconds. It was the closest finish in the history of the city's marathon.

Have you ever gotten lost while driving? or sidetracked trying to find someone's house? Or what about in your spiritual marathon with Jesus? Have you ever gotten off that course?

Think About It

Have you ever felt like you made a wrong turn in your spiritual life? What got you offtrack? Proverbs 3:5-6 challenges us to trust God with all our hearts and not to rely on our own understanding. As we allow God to lead our lives, he will clear the road for us to follow. Be sure that you are trusting him for today and your future. Trusting yourself will take you offtrack.

Pray About It

Lord, I have fallen many times and gotten off the course you would have for me. Teach me to walk with you and trust you.

Daily Reading Plan—Read 2 Timothy 3

God's Word for Students.

June 4: Material Girls (and Guys)

2010-06-04T07:37:00.000-04:00

Read Psalm 135:15-18

They called her "Gucci Girl," they explained, because "just look at her. Every item of clothing she's wearing has an expensive label."

She didn't seem to be embarrassed by this observation. In fact, she grinned sheepishly as she pointed to a little designer logo on her shirt and the designer name on the side of her shoe. Her friends were right. Her outfit was 100% label. In fact, her outfit was 100% her. She got her identity from being the girl with all the right clothes.

Here was a girl who had become a living, breathing mannequin. When she got up in the morning, she didn't get dressed, she got decorated! She had made that scary, weird slide from being a person who acts and thinks to becoming an object that people look at.

According to Psalm 135:15-18, that's the way idolatry works. We actually become like that which we worship. We stop living life as a human being and become an object. We have mouths, but we don't speak; we have eyes, but we don't see; and we have ears, but we don't hear. We become just another beautiful face staring out from the pages of the "catalog," so that people can decide whether or not we're worth buying.

Think About It

Do you want to be an object or a subject? a beautiful statue or a living being? The psalmist warns us to be careful. We tend to become what we worship. The next time you're looking through catalogs or walking through the mall, be careful not to fall into the trap of idolatry. It steals our humanity and makes us objects.

Pray About It

Lord, help me to see the pockets of idolatry in my life. It may be the clothing I wear or the identity that I put on—but, Lord, help me avoid that trap.

Daily Reading Plan—Read 1 Timothy 4

God's Word for Students.

June 3: Addicted to the Marvelous

2010-06-03T09:47:00.002-04:00

Read Psalm 131:1-3

The "retreat reentry syndrome"—there's nothing worse. You've been away on a youth group retreat. It's been an awesome time with your friends and an awesome time with God. There was great music, beautiful scenery, and some neat people. You've laughed more, cried more, done more (and slept less) over the last few days than you thought was humanly possible. You've come home totally exhausted, with a sore throat, and you've completely lost your voice. What a wonderful time of renewal and refreshment!

But sometimes that return to real life, that "retreat reentry" can be pretty painful. You have to come back home—back to the "real world"—the same old school, the same old job, the same old family, the same old hassles.

The writer of Psalm 131 has been there.

Psalm 131 was sung by people who were making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This trek would have been a major spiritual retreat in the life of a Jewish pilgrim. The nearer a pilgrim got to Jerusalem, the more exciting it was.

Finally, when the pilgrim reached the great city, there would have been days and nights filled with celebration (Psalm 132:13-18), fellowship (Psalm 133:1-3), and worship (Psalm 134:1-3). We're talking summer camp, winter retreat, and missions trip all rolled into one!

But the writer of Psalm 131 is smart enough to know that even the best retreats end. Sooner or later, folks go back home. And he wanted to make sure that he wouldn't crash at the end of this experience. He determined not to make a place or an event the focus of faith, hope, or joy. Like a child who has been weaned from his mother, the faith of the psalm writer matured beyond the constant need for the marvelous and the amazing. He set his hope in the Lord.

Think About It

Unfortunately, life is not a summer camp or a winter retreat. Occasionally, God gives us those terrific times of great fellowship, worship, and celebration. But we can't allow ourselves to become addicted to the marvelous.

Where is the hope and joy in your walk with God? Are you waiting for the next retreat or camp or marvelous moment? Or are you finding contentment and hope in a God who is with us 365 days a year?

Pray About It

Lord, help me to be weaned from a constant need for the marvelous. Help me to set my hope in you.

Daily Reading Plan—Read 1 Timothy 3

God's Word for Students.

June 2: Sand Castles in a Rising Tide

2010-06-02T08:00:00.002-04:00

Read Psalm 127:1-2

You may have had a problem building sand castles when you were a kid because you didn't understand the rising and falling tides. You may have been out there digging, scraping, and sculpting—trying to get this castle just right—when, all of a sudden, WHAM! Caves became waves, tunnels became funnels, moats became floats, and your Disney castle became Sea World.

Of course, the great thing about being a kid is that you didn't have to know any better. So you probably started building again. Your castle was stronger this time, fortified by five cool-looking shells, and your flip-flop sandals. And this time the construction lasted about five minutes before a wave crashed against it, and once again your castle melted into a sandy pile.

But you built again and again and again—trying to convince yourself that somehow you could make this waterproof structure out of sand and water. But as you know now, it just doesn't work.

Psalm 127:1 reminds us that it is no less futile to try to build a house, a marriage, a family, or a life without the Lord as our foundation and designer.

History is filled with people who have scraped, fussed, fought, and clawed through life, hoping to build their own water-resistant empire. But it never works. The tides of hassles, hurts, and other human hurricanes have a way of making our monuments look like puddles of childish miscalculations.

Think About It

Jesus said that every one of us will choose one of two construction plans for our lives: We will build our house upon the rock, or we will build our house upon the sand (take a moment and read Matthew 7:24-29). All around us we see people building little castles fortified with popularity, good looks, money, brains, and skill. Maybe you've even been tempted to look into one of these building plans.

Psalm 127 and Matthew 7:24-29 remind us that there is no future for a sand castle built next to a rising tide. We can fortify it again and again, but the end result will always be the same mound of frustration.

Pray About It

Lord, you are the master builder. Without your guidance, all of my scraping and clawing are in vain. Give me the wisdom to build my house upon the rock.

Daily Reading Plan—Read 1 Timothy 2

God's Word for Students.

May 31: Straight Walking in a Crooked World

2010-05-31T10:46:00.000-04:00

May 31: Straight Walking in a Crooked World

Read Psalm 119:9

The game show host asked his question carefully, "Which do we need more, the sun or the moon?"

The contestant thought long and hard about this one. Her answer meant the difference between a win and a loss. With a tilt of her head and a sheepish smile, she spoke cautiously, "We need the moon more . . . because it shines at night when it's dark. We don't need the sun during the day because it's light anyway!"

The game was over. She was a loser because she didn't know where light actually came from.

While almost everyone realizes where light comes from, many people don't realize the source of true spiritual light. Because spiritual light comes only from God, people who don't know God aren't able to live in an enlightened way. Rather than make decisions that reflect God's light, they stumble around in spiritual darkness, trying to satisfy themselves. Often these people tend to believe that there is no standard of right and wrong at all. They claim that right and wrong are just a personal matter, and what's impure for one is pure for another.

Think About It

God, however, insists that there is right and wrong. How can you keep your life right and pure? How can you decide right and wrong for yourself? Should you talk to friends and do what they say? Should you follow the majority opinion? Should you take your cues from T.V. and movies?

Psalm 119:9 tells us very clearly that the only way we can make straight choices in a crooked world is to make choices according to God's word. It's not what "feels good," "seems right," "works for me," or "pleases my parents." The only sure guide is the word of the Lord. "Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path" (Psalm 119:105).

Pray About It

Why not pray the prayer of David found in Psalm 119:10: Lord, "I wholeheartedly searched for you. Do not let me wander away from your commandments."

Daily Reading Plan—Read 2 Thessalonians 3

God's Word for Students.

May 30: Let Me In!

2010-05-30T19:30:00.000-04:00

Read Psalm 117:1-2

Ronnie was on a youth group retreat. As a joke, some of the group members decided to "ditch" Ronnie in the woods. Separated from his friends, he was lost and alone for over an hour. Finally, he found his way back to camp and made his way to the cabin where he was staying . . . only to find it locked. He started pounding, "Is anyone in there? C'mon let me in." He felt like an outcast. The door was finally opened, and he went inside where all his "friends" were waiting and laughing at him. After the weekend ended, Ronnie went home, resolving never to go on another youth group trip.

Ever been excluded from a group? Often groups form into cliques. These little pockets of people join together, excluding and hurting others. Youth groups have them, so do schools. They exist almost everywhere.

Think About It

How would you have felt if you had been Ronnie? What would you do when your "friends" laughed at your expense? In what ways have you avoided someone at school or church? Why? Remember that God is not partial toward certain people. He loves all different kinds of people. Do your best to imitate that love to others.

Pray About It

Lord, I want to learn to love people the way you do. Help me to be patient with those who are difficult for me to like and love. With your help, I'll follow your loving example.

Daily Reading Plan—Proverbs 30

God's Word for Students.

May 29: A Safe Prediction

2010-05-29T07:46:00.001-04:00

Read Psalm 115:9-15

A number of people believe that cows can predict the weather. These cow watchers claim that the higher the percentage of cows lying down in a field, the greater the chance of rain.

Predictions. Forecasts. Promises. People try to predict many things: weather, sports scores, the economy. On and on people make predictions.

You can get in trouble if you trust predictions too much. You've probably heard forecasters promise a sunny day, only to be drenched around noon. Or perhaps you've heard about people who have lost lots of money when they invested in a company that was predicted to grow. And you've probably witnessed preseason predictions of athletic teams that have turned out very wrong.

Only one kind of prediction is completely trustworthy: God's predictions. You can be sure that whatever God predicts will come true. Although the predictions of people are often wrong, not one of God's predictions has ever failed to come true.

Think About It

The author of Psalm 115 revealed one of God's predictions that we can count on. The prediction is this: Those who put their trust in God will be rewarded. He promises to help and protect those who follow him. The psalm goes on to say, "The Lord, who is always thinking about us, will bless us" (Psalm 115:12). God knows our needs even before we ask him to meet them! For what do you need help and protection today? Tell God you trust him to look out for you.

Pray About It

Lord, I praise you for helping me and protecting me. I know you are completely trustworthy and are fully capable of taking care of my needs.

Daily Reading Plan—Read 2 Thessalonians 2

God's Word for Students.

May 28: Baby Steps

2010-05-28T08:46:00.002-04:00

Read Psalm 111:10

Perhaps you've seen the movie titled What about Bob? Bob, the main character, is a paranoid sociopath who fears everything—people, catching diseases, heights. You name it, he is afraid of it. He gets referred to a psychiatrist, who tells Bob that he can find healing by reading a new book, Baby Steps. By reading the book, Bob learns to take small steps toward overcoming his fears—and it eventually works (and drives his counselor crazy in the process)!

We can also grow by taking small steps. Because we don't mature overnight, these small steps become important in becoming the type of person God wants us to be.

One part of our life that God wants us to expand is our wisdom. We don't talk much about gaining wisdom in our culture. It's not one of the hot topics mentioned on T.V. talk shows, but it is mentioned several hundred times in God's book—the Bible. As one of God's children, you can become wise. The Bible gives guidelines that, if followed, can bring wisdom.

Think About It

Psalm 111 tells how we can begin to become wise. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Psalm 111:10). Fearing God means that we love God and respect him because he is almighty and all-powerful. As you begin to fear him, your wisdom will grow. What small step can you take today toward fearing God?

Pray About It

Lord, I know I need wisdom. I ask for your perspective. Help me know how to make wise choices.

Daily Reading Plan—Read 1 Thessalonians 4

May 27: Country Boy

2010-05-27T10:21:00.002-04:00

Read Psalm 109:4

Ben had a horrible seventh-grade year. He got picked on. Not once, but so many times he lost count. He had just moved from Tennessee to Ohio because his parents had just divorced. The girls from the Midwest thought his Southern accent was cute, but the guys mocked it.

Ben got ridiculed all year long. He never felt like he did anything to deserve such treatment.

"I was accused of being a country boy, even though I was really a city boy. I was laughed at because I came from Nashville, Country Music Town USA, but I can't tolerate that music!" Ben stated.

If you have ever been laughed at, picked on, or accused of something, you are in good company. David was someone else who felt the pain of other people's words. David, the shepherd boy, giant-slayer, and king, wrote about his own pain and humiliation. "They surround me with hateful words. They fight against me for no reason" (Psalm 109:3).

What do you do when you are hassled? mocked? put down? What do you do when so-called friends betray you? Should you judge them? fight back? have a pity party? change schools?

Think About It

David responded to his mockers in a God-honoring manner. What did he do? It's pretty radical. Are you ready? Here it comes: Pray. That's right. Listen to Psalm 109:4: "But I pray for them." Great words. But can we do that? When you get knocked to your knees, it might be God saying, "It's time to pray." Prayer can change your attitude. When someone hurts you, follow David's example . . . and pray.

Pray About It

Lord Jesus, I get mad when I'm treated in ways that make me look bad. Help me be a person who prays in response to situations that hurt me.

God's Word for Students.

Daily Reading Plan—I Thessalonians 5

May 26: But I Forgot!

2010-05-26T10:06:00.002-04:00

Read Psalm 105:5

"Oh no, I forgot to set my alarm!"

"Uh . . . I forgot to walk the dog!"

"Oops, I forgot to register for camp!"

I forgot. It's a loaded phrase. We've heard it often from someone in our family, a friend, or a teacher. We say it regularly, and we feel bad when it happens. The results of forgetfulness can often be severe. Missed deadlines. Late papers. Dates who are all dressed up with nowhere to go. We have places to go, people to see, and tests to take. We have activities to attend and a room to clean. How do we forget about some of these important things?

Busyness is one reason. But there is another one: We love to make excuses. "Mr. Policeman, I forgot to drive the speed limit because I have maggot-infested garbage in the trunk. I've got to get it to the dump—fast!" Or "I forgot to turn in my paper because my next door neighbor's uncle's brother had his hand stuck in a locked car door, and I needed to help him get free."

Think About It

We have another problem: We forget about God. The Israelites forgot about God, too. Somehow they had forgotten their history. They had forgotten how God had saved them (read examples of this in Psalm 106).

We are no different. We forget the miracles and the power God uses to provide for us. The writer of Psalm 105 urges us to remember God's works and miracles (Psalm 105:5). "Give thanks to the Lord. Call on him. Make known among the nations what he has done" (Psalm 105:1).

Why not start a daily "thank" time when you praise God for all your blessings?

Pray About It

Lord, forgive me for forgetting you. I get too busy and think only of myself. Teach me how to give daily thanks to you and remember that you are always with me.

Daily Reading PlanGod's Word for Students.

May 25: The Perfect Father

2010-05-25T07:27:00.000-04:00

Read Psalm 102:1-28

Imagine yourself walking through a local clothing store. As you do, you discover a lost little girl who is standing in the middle of the aisle, bawling. Tears stream down her face. Only the teddy bear she clutches in her left hand is a comfort to her.

Of course you want to help, and you look around to see if you can identify this girl's father or mother. As you glance around, you see a man hiding behind a clothes display. He looks at the child and laughs. Then the man calls the girl's name. She stops crying, wipes a tear from her eye, and looks in the direction of the voice. But the man again ducks behind the display. The girl, seeing no one, resumes her crying. Suddenly, you realize that this man is the child's father! You watch as he takes great pleasure in tormenting his child.

What would you think of that man's cruel behavior?

Think About It

You'd probably be disgusted by the above situation because it goes against what a father should do. A father doesn't torment and hide from his child; he loves and protects his child. A father runs to his daughter when she's lost, wipes away her tears, and holds her close.

Maybe you never had an earthly father who cared for you like that, but you do have a Heavenly Father like that. Psalm 102 tells how God cares for us, his children. He hears us, protects us, and loves us continuously. When people you trust let you down, remember that you have a Heavenly Father who never will.

Pray About It

Father, thank you for being the perfect father to me. Thank you that you will never abandon me and that you are ready to help me the moment I cry out to you.

Daily Reading Plan—Read 1 Thessalonians 3

God's Word for Students.

May 24: Competing for Life

2010-05-24T08:08:00.002-04:00

Read Psalm 99:1-9

Alex is a typical student. Each day she faces competition. In fact, to her, all of life seems like a competition.

Her friends compete for the best date to the prom. They compete for the coolest clothes. Classmates compete for the highest grades. When Alex steps out onto the soccer field, she even has teammates who compete for starting positions.

There are few places she can go without feeling the pressure to compete.

Alex's experience is not unique. Throughout our lives, we will find ourselves in competition. It begins on the playground, goes on through school, and continues through most careers. It becomes easy to judge people by their success. People who succeed are often held up as models for the rest of the world to imitate.

Think About It

Although people are often considered great if they have success, the writer of Psalm 99 reminds us that only God is truly great. He is the only ruler of the world, and only he is perfect, fair, and strong. No person's success can ever compare with God's success. Compared to God, no person seems as impressive. Be sure to honor God with your abilities. How can you use the gifts he has given you to praise him instead of focusing on competing with others?

Pray About It

God, it's tempting to use the abilities you have given me for my own honor. Remind me to praise you for the life you have given me.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Psalms 99:1-101:8

God's Word for Students.

May 23: "Four Stars!"

2010-05-23T14:17:00.002-04:00

Read Psalm 96:1-13

It's the best of the year. Dazzling. Brilliant.

Movies aren't the only items that get lots of praise. Athletes receive MVP awards. Musicians win Grammy awards. Scientists win Nobel prizes. Students receive honor roll status. Cars are rated against each other, and the best car of the year is chosen. Even kitchen appliances are given awards for efficiency.

Every day you probably hear someone or something get praised for some accomplishment. You would think that praising is one of the most natural activities we do each day.

But really, the best kind of praise is one of the least remembered activities of the day. The best kind of praise doesn't praise people, but praises the God who made the people. It doesn't give honor to a talent, it praises the one who gave the talent. God is behind most of the items we praise. He is the source of the talent or creative ability we often admire in others.

Think About It

Take note today of anytime someone praises someone or something. When you hear the praise, ask yourself if God is ultimately responsible for the person or activity. If he is, praise him for it. Give him the credit he deserves.

Pray About It

God, give me insight so I can see that you are responsible for the talents and skills of others. Help me praise you for your wisdom in granting our abilities and talents.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Psalms 96:1-98:9God's Word for Students.

May 22: What to Do When You're Having a Bad Day

2010-05-22T11:03:00.000-04:00

Read Psalm 94:1-23 (NIV)

O Lord, the God who avenges, O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve. How long will the wicked, O Lord, how long will the wicked be jubilant? They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. They crush your people, O Lord; they oppress your inheritance. They slay the widow and the alien; they murder the fatherless. They say, "The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed." Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? The Lord knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile. Blessed is the man you discipline, O Lord, the man you teach from your law; you grant him relief from days of trouble, till a pit is dug for the wicked. For the Lord will not reject his people; he will never forsake his inheritance. Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it. Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against evildoers? Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. Can a corrupt throne be allied with you-- one that brings on misery by its decrees? They band together against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge. He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.

"Wake up! Wake up!" the voice cries. Startled, you open your eyes. Then you close them again. This can't be happening, you think to yourself. It's just a bad dream. It will go away.

The voice begins again. In earnest. "You slept through your alarm. You're going to be late! You better get up!" Half-asleep and groggy, you wipe your eyes and drop back into bed. You are disoriented. "Just five more minutes," you say to yourself.

The firm, relentless, parental voice doesn't quit. "Don't you have an exam today? You slept through the alarm. You better get up. You have to catch your bus in twenty minutes!"

You slowly wake. It's not a nightmare. It's real. You overslept the day of the big exam. You are running late. You already know that this is going to be a bad day.

Think About It

What can you do to conquer a bad day? Psalm 94 gives us some good suggestions. (1) Remember that God never deserts you (Psalm 94:14). When you're having a bad day, it's easy to think God has forgotten you. But he never does. He remembers you and still looks out for you. (2) Go to God for help (Psalm 94:17-18). God is ready to help his children. Don't try to conquer your day by yourself; tell God about each problem you face. (3) Spend additional time praying and reading the Bible (Psalm 94:19). God's words to you can be both soothing and comforting. When you have a bad day, the easiest thing to do is to forget God. But don't do it! You need him too much to try to get through your day on your own.

Pray About It

God, thanks for caring about my bad days as much as my good days. Thanks for caring about me on days when nothing seems to go as I had planned.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Psalms 93:1-95:11

God's Word for Students.

May 21: Day and Night with God

2010-05-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

Read Psalm 92:2-3

How do you start your day? What's the first thing you do when you get out of bed in the morning? Drink a cup of coffee? Take a shower? Exercise? Eat some breakfast? Read the morning comics?

What about the end of your day? What's the last thing you do at night before you go to bed? Raid the refrigerator? Brush your teeth? Cozy up with a good book? Catch some T.V.?

Does your morning or evening routine include a few moments to think about God? Taking a few moments in the morning to focus on God makes sense because you never know what the rest of your day will hold.

But spending time with God in the morning is not the only important time. Spending time with him in the evening makes sense, too. Just before you go to bed you have the opportunity to think through your day and remember all the ways God demonstrated his faithfulness to you.

Think About It

The writer of Psalm 92 took a few moments in BOTH the morning and the evening to think about God. He said, "It is good to announce your mercy in the morning and your faithfulness in the evening." Consider setting aside a few more moments each day to remember God. It doesn't have to be very long or formal. If you don't already, find a few moments in the morning to dedicate your day to God. Also, consider setting aside a few moments each night to thank God for his influence in your day.

Pray About It

Father, I don't want to take you for granted. Remind me to dedicate each day to you and end each day remembering your faithfulness to me.

God's Word for Students.

No place like home

2010-05-19T09:30:00.001-04:00

May 19: There's No Place Like Home

Read Psalm 84:1-12

Picture the scene. It's the end of the Wizard of Oz, and the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man all stand around Dorothy. Finally, she clicks her heels three times and says, "There's no place like home. . . ." And suddenly she finds herself in her own house—simply by wishing to be there.

Did you know we can enter God's house the same way—simply by wishing to be there? For the Jews, God's house was limited to the temple. Today, we can meet with God anywhere. Maybe for you that place is your church. Or your youth group. Maybe it's a Bible study. Or a room in your home.

Psalm 84 describes God's house as a place where our souls long to be. It's also a place to "[shout] for joy to the living God." It's a place where our strength is renewed. And finally, it's a place where we are encouraged to keep trusting God.

Think About It

Where do you meet with God? What happens when you do? Make a commitment to spend some time alone with him this week. The writer of Psalm 84 described what happened when he spent time with God. Ask God to give you that good experience, too.

Pray About It

Lord, I confess that I don't always make time to spend time with you. But I want to. Help me to remember that I'm the one who misses out when I don't.

Daily Reading Plan—Read Psalms 82:1-84:12God's Word for Students.

I am going to try to post a daily reading for awhile, Im not sure how this will work but I'm going to try.

Let me know if you like it?

The Mystery of God's Glory

2010-04-18T19:25:00.000-04:00

Where does God show His glory today? He began showing His glory in the creation of the earth. He has shown it in everything He made. He was in the cloud and fire that lead the Israelites. He certainly showed us His glory in Jesus the Christ. He has shown His glory in the tabernacle. Moses saw His glory so up close God had to hide him in a cave so Moses could only see His back, that is how strong His glory is.

When Moses came down off the mountain he had to wear a veil because God's glory was so bright. But where does He show His glory now? I want to see God's glory, where can I see it? Hold on to your hats, here it goes,

GOD SHOWS HIS GLORY THROUGH THOSE THAT CALL THEMSELVES CHRISTIAN!

We learned today that many people when they hear about Jesus and how He died for their sins, will ask for God's forgiveness and become a Christian. Then they will start to follow God and to be all God wants them to be. Then they run into something He asks and they are not ready to be obedient. People will often choose to follow their friends and the culture instead of the word of God, the Bible. Some people are so much looking to be cool, they end up not following God and can't figure out what went wrong.

God wants so much to fill us with His glory, and we have to be willing to allow Him. The way we do that is by surrendering to Him. I am not talking about surrendering this or that, that is good. I am talking about letting go of anything that comes between God and me. This could be a good thing or a bad thing, if God speaks to us and we are not obedient that is sin and it separates us from God's glory.

So how does God fill us with His glory? We give God our all. This can be done by praying and allowing God to show you what He is not in control of. We give it to God, we give Him our family, job, friends, money and anything that He puts His finger on. Then we come to the crossroad, we will give God ourselves completely, holding nothing back. At this time He will clean us from all sin, inner and actions. And then we can enjoy the glory of God.

We had several in our service do just that today. God changes lives all the time at TBWC and if you don't have a home church, come visit with us and see what God wants to do in your life. If you would like to know more about this complete cleansing power of God, just let me know.

I know this, God wants to cleanse each of us completely!

The Mystery of History

2010-04-10T19:53:00.000-04:00

What an awesome time we had looking at life through God's eyes. We looked at God's love for us from Eden to Eternity. As we learned about His glory on earth and how He wants us to give Him glory, we learned just how much God loves us.

God made it all. He made everything beautiful and good. He started in Eden where God made it all for our good. This is act 1, God made it all. We can see how great God is by looking at everything He made. He made the sunrise, the mountains, and the sea. He made the stars, the sun and the entire universe. And He made it all for us. He wanted to show us how much He loves us. And after the sixth day, God said, "it is good.'

God made it all to express his love for us. Everything He made was for us. Everything was perfect. He even made us in His image to show us His love. Jesus came to earth and died for us to show us God's love. Everything good that happens is to show us God's love.

Act 2 we see Adam bringing sin into the world. This actually gave us all an equal playing field. We know that everyone is born with sin and no one ix exempt. We all need forgiveness. What came with sin? The worst thing is separation from God. Adam hid. Sin also turned this perfect world into a mess. We see it each day, as sin ruins lives. Sin takes everything that was perfect and messes it up. Sex was perfect; sin took it and made child molesters, prostitution and other perverted sex acts. God made it good for His glory, sin messed it up.

Act 3 is Jesus came to restore us to Him. Jesus came into this world to save us from eternal damnation, to keep us out of hell. He showed His love by teaching us how to live for God. He taught that following all the rules just is not good enough, even if we could. Just as sin entered the world though one man, Adam, sin was deafeated by one man, JESUS. He is the way, the light, the truth. To escape hell, we accept Christ forgiveness by asking for His forgiveness and believing Him when He says He forgives us. We know we have accepted His forgiveness by repentance, the Bible teaches. That is to turn away from doing wrong.

Act 4 is God gave us the ability to choose. The question is this, which will you choose? Will you choose to follow God? Or will you choose to follow your own way? How do you know His way? I learn from reading His Bible. I learn from attending His church. I attend TBWC, where He has called me. One thing we can know for sure, He has called each person to belong to a church. We are His family and we should be in His house with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I learn from being in a small group. I learn from Godly relationships among other ways.

After learning, the choice is mine. I will answer to God for my choices and so will you. Do you choose God's ways or your ways?

Act 5 is Jesus will return for His family. One day, I don't know when, He will return. What will He find you doing? What relationship will you have with Jesus when He arrives? When He arrives it will be too late to start a relationship. This is the day the Lord has made and He made it to get glory by you giving your life to Him. What will you choose?

Don't miss this week’s sermon, "The Mystery of God's Purpose." I will explain God's perfect will for our lives. I know God's will for your life, do you? Find out at 10:30 AM on Sunday mornings at TBWC.

Phil Perkins

2010-03-28T20:23:00.001-04:00

WHAT and awesome display of God's presence in our service today. I want to thank Phil Perkins for sharing what God had put on his heart. God really used you today.

With God's presence at the end of the service more people than could be counted found help from God. As we looked at the storms of life, many admitted they had storms in their own lives and were willing to turn them over to God. I am excited about what happened today and can't wait to hear how God answered all the prayers today.

We often start to get to a place where we just don't depend on God as much as He would like. Everytime we come back we go how did I get so far away. I know I need to depend on God and I didn't mean to start handling things on my own, how did I get here? I am greatful that when we do, God brings some Godly person along to remind us it is all about HIM.

I don't know about you, but I thing it starts with things starting to go well. It is at this place that I start to not pray as much, I don't read my Bible as much, I get comfortable. Once there it is just a very easy slide down that road to self reliance. (that's a no no in God's eyes)

Once I am in self reliance, wheather I realise it or not, I end up trying harder and harder to do the things of God, or anything else. I start to fail and can't understand why. I fight, I struggle, I come to my end, and you know who is waiting, God.

He is right there with me all along wanting me to turn to Him. Many today, found themselves on that slippery road and turned back to God.

What about you? What is going on in your life that you can't control no matter how hard you try? Do as we did today. Admit there is a storm and it is bigger then you. You can't handle it and you need some help. God is right there with you wherever you are reading this saying I (Jesus) can handle it. Why don't you turn it over to me?

Mathew 7:7 says, "Ask and it will given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.

Go ahead right now and ask and watch as God works a miracle in your life. If you like, show a little faith and put your request here and come back later and let us know how God answered your prayer. I know this, God answered prayers today at TBWC and will answer yours too!

Serve First

2010-03-07T17:01:00.002-05:00

PS What an AWESOME day with God and His children at TBWC. I am speachless...j/k about the speachless part but you already knew that.

God was so awesome. I want to thank Debbie O. and her team for the Servant look. It really had people talking and excited before the service. I would like to thank Barbara and her crew for cleaning. You always do an awesome job. It is so rewarding when I see you and today asking if you could clean TBWC twice if needed this week. That is excatlly what we looked at today, First Serve.

KO got off to a wonderful start. Thanks Ron, Tiff, Sara and all that helped. It was awesome and I can't wait to see what God does with our kids as they grow accustumed to their service.

It was awesome having the kids come in and sing Happy Birthday to Kathy B and Connie W. Happy birthday Kathy and Connie

We prayed for all our KO workers in the service and beleive God is doing a mighty work in our midst.

Thanks Connie, Jim and John for the awesome song worship. The lights down, music up seemed to get everyone excited about Jesus the Christ. O yea, thanks Tyler for help with the lights.

The sermon went great. I received a few BTB cards with committments. I talked with more people after church today then well, maybe ever about the sermon, what God is calling them to do.

One person recommitted their life to Christ, one person moving from volunteer to servant, and one I spoke with is really searching. God is good, no great no AWESOME!

PS when I think about the service today, I know there are times I can't get to everything I want to do. So if I am not a volunteer but a servant what do I do? Believing God never gives me more to do then I can do, I have to ask myself what am I doing that is not from God? How do I know what is not from God?

First I pray, pray and pray somemore. Being a part of the 101 prayer team helps me, it might help you too. I look to see what lines up with the Word of God. I make sure I am taking care of myself and my family. I have to allow God to show me what is a God thing and what is a good thing. I often find out by talking with my CARE group. I talk with my CARE group and the leadership team. With prayer, Bible reading, and good Godly wisdom, I can usually figure out what God wants me to do. If I am still perplexed, I ask God which of these will do the most good for the kingdom of God, what will bring You the most glory.

Until next time,
PS

Thy Kingdom Come

2010-02-28T18:30:00.003-05:00

I praise God for His wonderful Spirit that was with us today. He is always awesome! He moved and we were blessd.

I praise Connie for her wonderful spirit as she leads us in our singing. As always, the songs picked out were just what we needed. God used her in our service today.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

This was our main scripture for today. We have often went out in front of God expecting Him to bless what we are doing when in fact maybe we should be waiting on His Spirit.

We looked at Matthew 28:18-28 and released that we are all mandated to spread the good news about Christ. This is not so much about telling others, as living in front of them. Not everyone has the gift of evangelism, I am not sure but I think it is only about 10% of believers. But we all have the ability to witness, that is to tell and show people how God has made a difference in our lives.

That mandate is to all believers to witness to all unbelievers. Everyone in our lives that don't know Christ are watching to see if God really makes a difference in our lives. You can read the newspaper or watch the news to see that people are not happy in the world. They are looking for something that matters. That something is Christ living in us.

How does God use us? He uses our availability. We often have to look at our calendars and see what good things are stopping us from being availible for God. Is your day too full to be obedient to God? Then your day is too full. Daily, I have to take time to ask God to show me what His will for the day is. I can get so busy doing good, church, work, that I miss His will. Are you availabile?

He uses our experiences, prayers, pain and faith to witness to the world.

When it comes to financies, God wants us to meet the needs of people through giving. He asks us to give regularly, give wisely, give quietly (don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing), and give joyfully.

What a task. It seems impossible to live up to these mandates from God. But God being a good God, He has given us what we need. The key is in Acts 1:8. Many people have come to know Christ and have not come to let Him be Lord. What does that mean?

Letting Jesus be Lord means I will give every area I have spoken about in our lives to God, hold nothing back. God then asks us to give Him ourself. It is like writing a blank check and giving God permission to fill in our lives.

Today, would you like to do just that? Take time to stop where you are and praise God for the power to live without sin. He is stronger then sin. Give God your past, present and future. Then accept His sanctifing power in your life.

Today we had one gentleman do just that. He is Holy! God made him clean and He will do the same for you.

We prasie God for our guest today and her kind words about she felt that TBWC was a GREAT place to worship God.

Hea those of us that already attend TBWC, already know that.

PS

PS

2010-02-26T13:40:00.003-05:00

Welcome to our new blog, PS. PS stands for Pastor Scott. Have you ever told someone something and then later remembered you for got something? I do. That is where PS comes in. I will be posting my thoughts and commentary on sermons. Join in anytime you like.

This last week I preached from our series One Family: The Sacred Blend. The subject for the week was Practicing Hospitality.

We often think of hospitality as only being entertaining. The deeper meaning is to serve one another. I don't get to entertain in my home that often. I am not the type to do a lot of visiting without being invited. If you want to have me and Kathy over anytime, just ask, we would love to come over we just don't invite ourselves often.

Even though I don't think of myself as being an entertainer, I do enjoy serving. I love to help other people with the gifts God has given me. I love to work on PCs. It gives me joy to get them working. I love to help people work on their vehicles when I can, I get joy by seeing the job complete. That is how God wired me. I love the finished product. I don't see that much in ministry.

Do you have the gift of entertaining, if so use it to the fullest. God wants to use you to help others enjoy life. If not, like me, let's see what we can do with the deeper meaning, who could you serve today?

Does hospitality inspire the unchurched to come to church? The Bible teaches we will be known by our love. We do Church in a way that anyone should be able to enjoy church. I had a teen this last week on Facebook tell me it makes her feel good to come to church, PRAISE GOD! Hospitality might get them to Church, but serving will keep them. Most people come to see what the church has to offer them, we at TBWC try to meet needs.

The greatest I ever hear about us is we do what we do with a great attitude, that is love. How did this happen?

We have heightened our spiritual sensitivity. We look through the eyes of Jesus, when we see someone hurting, we see an opportunity to help. When we see someone that is lost, we see an opportunity to show them the light. It takes being close to Jesus and allowing Him to control our thoughts.

We also show unparalleled generosity. What am I talking about? Not letting the right hand know what the left hand is doing! It is doing for others expecting nothing in return. Have you done a deed for someone today that you know can't repay you? If not, ask God to show you and then do whatever He asks.

I think I am going to like PS. Let me know your thoughts. Please write something from time to time so I will know you are reading.

Until next time,
PS

God's Grace is Plural!

2010-01-25T09:35:00.003-05:00

In our service today we looked at three points, We really do need each other, we must actively become connected together, and use what you have to helpothers.

1. We learned that we all have spiritual gifts that God gives us. Some have more then one but every one has at least one, and we need each other to be the body of Christ.

2. Once we know our gift, we are to actively seek God's will for us. It is not ours to sit back and say I don't know what I am suppose to be doing, God expects us to look for what He has for us.

3. Once we know our gift, and we seek how to get connected, all we need to do is help others with the gift God has given us.

God was good and two people signed up for class 180, our class, The Bridge to Basic Christianity. If you would like to join us on Sunday mornings, let me know.

Also, 1 preson recommited their life to Christ.

One person signed up to find out their spiritual gift and to find a ministry.

God is good...

We are not in this alone.

2010-01-17T15:48:00.002-05:00

Anyone want to know the correct way to do church? Look back in the book of Acts at the early church. They didn't have a bunch of people telling them how to run a church, they listened to the Holy Spirit and did what He said.

Take a look at how they took care of one another, even selling items to get the money if needed. Wow!

What happened? In our society Individualism is sought. Individualism leads to Independence, Indifference and individuality if we are not careful. God never intended for us to live a self absorbed life.

If we want the power of God we need to work together. Answer these questions about those in your life: What do they cry about? What do they sing about? What do they dream about? We at TBWC will make an effort to get to know a few people in the church that well. We will do that by being in church to get to know one another and getting involved in a CARE group. Would you join with us?

Today, we found out two areas we will work on in our lives, We will find a need and fill it and then we will find a person and encourage them.

You are invited to go on this journey with us.

The Sacred Blend

2010-01-14T13:55:00.001-05:00

We kicked off the series with a mission for 2010. In 2010 we will focus on Worship, being in church every Sunday. We will focus on partnership, we will work together to accomplice more than ever before. We will focus on discipleship, it is our desire that everyone find a CARE group.We will focus on stewardship of our time and monies and make the most out of everything God has given us, including building relationships. We will focus on friendship by being better friends to the un-churched so we might be able to declare Jesus to them.

Vision

2010-01-06T12:55:00.001-05:00

Join as we learn about God's Vision for the church.

Jesus-The Name Says It All

2009-12-28T10:12:00.002-05:00

We looked at three names of Jesus yesterday and celebrated what they mean.

The first was Jesus is our Immanuel: God with us. God is with us at all time. He never leaves us. The question is do we acknowledge His presence. It is great to fill His presence when with a group of believers, do you feel His presence when you are alone?

Secondly, Jesus is our savior: God for us. I can imagine all the great gifts received for Christmas. But have you received the greatest gift? Jesus, God in person came to earth to offer you a gift. Have you received it? How do you know?

Thirdly, Jesus is our Christ the Lord: God in us. There is a difference between Jesus as our savior and Jesus as our Lord. When we allow Him to be Lord we surrender our entire life to Him. As we prepare for the new year, what is one thing or person you can surrender in the New Year? Is there something God would have you add to your life, or delete from your life?

May bless you as we begin 2010!

Joseph

2009-11-23T10:45:00.002-05:00

Joseph was a man of influence. We don't know a lot about Joseph but we do know a little about his influence. We know he was influenced by his relationship with God, his sensitivity to God, his obedience to God, and his worship of God.

We are all influencing people everyday. We are influencing kids, friends, co-workers and anyone else we cross paths with. If you would like to be a positive influence for Jesus, then we must be influenced by God. Do you have a relationship with God?

We have to be sensitive to what God is telling us. Do you listen to God through Bible reading and quiet time daily?

How is your obedience to God? If Joseph would not have been obedient then God would not have worked out His perfect plan through him. God has a perfect plan for your life, but you have to be obedient to Him.

Does God get glory from you? Do you attend church and influence those around you, or do you like to stay home and keep the glory to yourself? God built us for worship in a crowd and at home.

Mary

2009-11-06T12:31:00.000-05:00

Join in as we discuss Mary.she had to trust God for the impossible and if we can learn to do the same, He will work a miracle in our lives. Join us on November 15th to get started on the upcoming holiday season.

All I really need is Friendship

2009-08-10T10:32:00.003-04:00

Who is your best friend? At the end of the service we found out our best friend can be Jesus. Do you know Him? He will be with you no matter what. He already know all your faults and still wants to be your friend. Today would be a great day to start a relationship with Jesus.

Being a friend involves Availability, Dependability, Vulnerability, and Responsibility.

How do you develop deeper friendship?
Be

F orgiving
R ealistic
I curably grateful
E couraging
N atural
D isciple of Jesus

Which area do you need to work on the most? If you want to have a friend, you have to BE a friend

Security

2009-08-02T17:02:00.002-04:00

Security is looked for in many places. Family, friends, finances among others. Today we looked at finding security in God. He is the only one we can depend on no matter what.

To find security in God we commit, which is to reveal our real self to Him. Have you gotten honest with God lately, humbly admitting your sins and short comings?

Secondly, we trust Him, that is to release it to the Lord. What ever burden you are carrying around you can release to Him. The sooner we do that the sooner we can find security in Him.

Thirdly, dwell in Him, that is to remain. So many people come to God and the church and find comfort and then stop coming back. then they wonder why they are insecure. The bible teaches to remain in Him and He is in our services. To stay secure we need to remain in the house of God.
Fourthly, we looked at Delight, that is rejoice in the Lord. Christ died so that we can have eternal life and that is reason enough to rejoice in the Lord. If you have received Him into your life, you know what I am talking about. If not, let us know because God wants you to know.

And lastly, Wait, that is rest in the Lord.The Bible teaches be still and know that God is God. We often hurry into decisions when we should be waiting on the Lord.

Do you find your security in Jesus?

Understanding

2009-07-26T17:42:00.007-04:00

What did you think of the idea of thinking of someone you want to understand you, then learning Biblical truth and then being asked to apply it to that person? That really makes you look at yourself and not the other person, They want to be understood as much as you do.

How do we become better listeners?

What did we learn? Don't always judge by first impressions. John 7;24 says Stop judging by mere appearances . . . . First impressions are often wrong. Most people are not comfortable meeting new people or new circumstances. We can and need to get to know someone, not jump to quick conclusions.

We looked at Phil 2:4 and not looking our for our only our interest. We should be looking out for others.

3. Don't give an answer before the other person is through talking. Proverbs says he who answers before listening - that is he folly and shame (18:13)

Have you ever don't that? I know I have and it is because I am not understanding, I am thinking ahead.

4. We are to do this calmly? ouch! Proverbs tells us that a man's wisdom gives patience (19:11). maybe we aren't calm because we have not understood. Maybe we have but have we overlooked an offence so God can get glory?

5. Are you an active listener? Proverbs 20:5

6. do you recognise the healing power of a listening ear? James 5:16

7. Do something about what you understand. James 1:22 says Do not merely listen to the word, ans so deceive yourselves. DO what it says. This is how we become more like Jesus!

The Deal with God

2009-05-25T10:52:00.002-04:00

The Greatest Mother's Day gift

2009-05-11T10:41:00.003-04:00

We looked at the best Mother's day gift you can give. The three steps are Accept her, Appreciate her, and Affirm her. we learned that these same principles will work in any relationship to make it better, weather it is strained or in good shape.

We accept others just like they are. This helps build a relationship. We can do this because whatever offence they may have commit ed we are reminded we all have sinned and fallin short of the glory of God.

After accepting we then Appreciate others. This is the process of focusing on others good behaviors. Everybody has some things that are helpful and if we encourage others in those areas instead of putting them down, we will see better relationships,

And Finally we affirm others. This is telling others how much we love them. Words can build a relationship or tear one down. You have that power every day. Tell someone how much they mean to you today.

And finally we researched how God would never ask us to do something He was not willing to do Himself. he has already accepted you just as you are. He already appreciates you and has laid down His life for you.

Stayin Alive-Stayin up in Down Times

2009-04-26T20:00:00.003-04:00

Today we were blesssed with God's mighty presence. He continually teaches me that He is in charge and no matter what, He is with me. We did not have many in church today for some reason, but those that were there did experience the power of God.

We looked at tough times. As we looked at the world we live in, it was obvious these are hard times and it is hard to stay upbeat. David taught us that no matter the circumstances in our life we can stay upbeat if we up -link, talk to God

We learned we do not have to clench our teeth and get through, we can enjoy live, even in the hard times, how, uplink. Uplink is get in touch with God, prayer.

I have to be still and let God talk. Today I have been struggling with hearing from God. I know he speaks to me and i know He has a purpose for my life, but sometimes I will not sit still and know He is God. I am working on that. I have a very important question for Him, will you pray with me that I will see His will.

When it seems the world is crashing, that is when we need to be still and know Jesus is GOD!

Bridge Over Troubled Water

2009-03-22T18:32:00.004-04:00

We started the day with our new spots for the speakers and the singing went wonderful. Connie does a great job preparing us for worship. Thanks to all the people behind the scenes that make church happen on Sunday's.

I started the sermon with Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over troubled water. This song was known to be sought by those looking for peace and comfort. We learned there was a better place to find these.

It was powerful to watch God move us from secular to spiritual. As we searched for where God's word teaches us to seek Purity, Promises and Protection, we found our answers in Psalm 119.

God's word, the Bible is where we can find God's love letter to us.

We closed making a commitment to go on a journey together until Pentecost Sunday. We will be reading the powerful word of God during these days ahead. I gave out a reading program to read the four gospel and the book of Acts. We are looking for a new Pentecost to fall on us.

If you would like to join us email me and I will send you a copy of the reading program.

Yesterday

2009-03-16T09:35:00.003-04:00

Purity for Yesterday, Today and Forever

Psalm 1 shows us how god will be treating the godly and ungodly. It it up to each of us to choose which side we will fall on.

V3 talks about the reality of the reward God has for the Godly. If we have decided to follow Jesus and given our lives to Him, we are among the Godly. God promises that if we will be obedient to His word, (I will be preaching about the Bible next week) we will have satisfaction, contribution, health and wealth. It all comes down to finding our all in God!

V 1 talks about the regression of the ungodly. It starts with walking with the ungodly. "Bad company corrupts good Character," Which v in the Bible is that? People move from walking to standing with the wrong crown, this is letting them influence us. and it moves to sitting with the wrong crowd. Backsliding starts here.

The next reality is the rebellion of the ungodly, then rejection of the ungodly. Which side to you fall on. Are you obedient to God's word (Godly) or ungodly (disobedient)? There is a remedy. It is in God's word.

The remedy is v2. Delight in God's law, the Bible.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2009-03-09T09:13:00.005-04:00

Seven strategies to secure Self Respect.

R main Committed to God. Commit you life to Christ and stay committed.

E xamine yourself. Get along with God and let Him search us for anything not from Him.

S tay in the word. Jesus said know the scriptures are full of God's power. Mark 12:24

P ersevere in doing right. When no one is looking, do the right thing.

E gage prayer. There is power in prayer. much prayer much power little prayer little power

C ontinue to be positive. The attitude you fuel will be the strongest attitude.

T ake time to worship. Will you make worship a priority?

Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head

2009-03-01T16:51:00.004-05:00

We got off to a great start in our Hit Parade:Best Songs of All time.

Today we looked at problems. Is something or somebody raining on your parade? As we followed David in Psalm 13, we noticed at first he was on his face, complaining to God about God and circumstances in his life. We took some time to think about areas of our life we have been complaining about. With the economy down many people are mad at God, and or their circumstances.

In v 3 David turned to prayer. He asked God to show him the light. As he was knelling before God, we saw that when we are complaining we can change like David and start to seek God and His answers.

In v 5 David started to be planted on firm ground and sing praises to God.

David moved from complaining to praising with out any circumstances changing. The only person to change was David himself.

We closed out by actually bowing on our knees and talking with God. We admitted we had been compiling and now wanted to seek His direction.

We left like David praising God.

Join us next week as we look at R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Life Change- A Life of Victory

2009-02-02T13:30:00.015-05:00

God is so good, I had no idea that our people needed this message so much. I have heard many comments about bad things in peoples lives, and many were encouraged that we can still live a life of victory no matter the circumstances inour lives

1 John 5:1-5 (NIV) Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

We started by reconizing everyone doesn't live a life of victory, we do not have to reamin a victim or circumstance and that Jesus can enable us to overcome the world. The choice is yours, will you let Jesus helill you let the circumstsnces victimize you?

The life of victory starts when we are born again. It starts when we move into a personal relationship with Jesus. It is expressed in our love for others becasue we have received the love of God.

we looked at we can make a decison to live a life of victory if we will stay focused on eternity. Many problems cme and go, but as long as we have an up to date releatioshinp with Jesus, we can live in victory. What will you choose?

defeat or victory? Victory can only be foung in Jesus.

Life Change - How to Sustain a Changed Life

2009-01-25T17:33:00.004-05:00

Many of you have been allowing God to change you since we started this series. I can tell by the number of people getting involved with ministry and CARE groups.

How do we keep it up? New things become old and the freshness goes away, how do we maintain.

First we can maintain if we stay focused on the fact that Jesus is coming back. If we get tired of something here on earth, we can continue on when we focus on Jesus and His return. I want to keep my eyes on Jesus and I pray you will also.

Nest we looked at doing the right thing. Many times we face doing what God wants and what our friends want to do. to sustain life change we learn to do the right thing no matter who is watching, God is always watching. Grace is not some grease we can slide into God's blessings, it take obedience after we become a child of God.

Our third point was to realise who we are. We are God's children with all the rights that go with that. Even though I love the song Friend of God and am glad I am a friend of God, to maintain under pressure, I remind myself that I am God's child.

To sustain we have to keep ourselves pure. Not that we can be perfect, but we can at least try. To know you are going to heaven, all we do is trust Christ's blood to get us on the road, nothing else can do that. God does expect us to learn to be obedient as we learn more about Him. He called us to be Holy, which means we will ask WWJD and then do that.

The last point was to love one another. You can sustain your new life change if you will obey Christ in loving each other. We do that by spelling love T I M E. We spend time with others int he church, a CARE group. We spend time with those that don't attend church so they know we love them. Most importantly, we spend time with God. Time reading His word, Time in prayer, Time in meditation will all help us to sustain our life Change.

You want to sustain a life Change, give it to God and then stay close to HIM!

Life Change Why do we want to Learn?

2009-01-20T10:28:00.002-05:00

This was our last family day in the present format. Starting in February the children and teens will meet together out of church. We are using this time to train teens toward maturity in the church.

Today's message was about learning. We start learning when we are born and need to continue until death. It is proven that the more active we keep our minds the better they will function as we grow older.

We looked at how to meet with God and where. Two places we talked about was in church weekly and in small groups.

God has an appointment with you in His appointment book. He is waiting on you each Sunday at church. He is with us all the time, but this is a special appointment. He wants us all to meet together and worship Him together. Would you make a commitment to be in church each week until Easter?

Secondly, we talked about joining a CARE group until Easter. Jesus met in a small group and if it is good enough for Him it is good enough for me. We have three new groups starting in February and each one is looking for a few people to meet with them. If you life near S Stafford, Spotsylvania, or Bumpass, Contact us and we will help you find a group. The teens look to meet every other Friday in S Stafford.

This week study Hebrews 10:19-39
Memorize Hebrews 10 :25
(ICB) "You should not stay away from church meetings, as some are doing. But you should meet together and encourage each other. do this even more as you see the day coming."

Life Change - Choice

2009-01-12T08:06:00.007-05:00

What a wonderful day at church. We enjoyed the Lord's presence in a sanctifying way. HE is all powerful to cleanse us from sin.

The question of the day, Do you love God or the world?

In loving the world, John the writer, was talking about the mindset of the world. God gave us the world and told us to take care of it and we know god loves humans, that leaves the mind set. The Bible teaches that Satan is the prince of the world and to follow the worlds ways instead of Jesus' way, is to not love God.

When you read John 2.12-17 you can find out how we know we love God. We will be obedient to His commands. We will believe His word and and the truths we learn. We will find fulfilment in God's will. We will base our life on eternity and not on what just will happen while we are here on earth.

As we researched, we understood that all this is not about rules and regulations, even though God's laws are always best for us. Our love for God is what is in our heart. We obey out of love, not fear.

What are some temptations that keep us from loving God? Cravings of the flesh which is the original sin we are born with. It needs to be cleaned. Lust of the Eyes is about us wanting things that are not ours. and Boasting is an unhealthy pride. God loves humility but not many people can claim this virtue.

We looked at we can't love both the world and God because they are headed in different directions. It all acme down to this,

DO YOU LOVE GOD OR THE WORLD?

The problem many people struggle with is trying to love God and the ways of the world. Today, many decided to make the choice to follow God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul. they asked God to forgive them for wanting both and gave Him everything they could think of. Then they gave God themselves.

Wouldn't you like to do that?

Obedience

2009-01-08T17:16:00.003-05:00

As we continue our walk with Jesus from the book of 1 John, this week we talked about obedience. In this book the people of God had failed to obey God, live as Jesus did and to love their brothers. What can we do to make sure we don't make the same mistake.

We start by saturating our lives with obedience. We learned it is not about legalism but about following Jesus out of love. When you are in love with Jesus, being obedient comes natural. sometimes easier then others, but it is always our objective.

Next we looked at how all relationship have standards, rules and guidelines. God gives us those guidelines out of love. He created us and knows what is best.

Do you love God? You can tell how much you love Him by your desire to follow His commands. What needs to change in your life/

The Walk

2008-12-29T09:24:00.003-05:00

We started our Life Change series this week. It was an awesome experience with 3 new people giving their hearts to Christ with one re-dedicating their life. AWESOME! This series is based on 1 John.

To experience true Life Change we started with a walk. We are always moving so we need to find out which direction we are heading toward.

We started the walk recognizing who Jesus is. He is fully God and He is fully human. If He were not fully God that died for our sins then His death would mean no more then mine. If He was not fully human, We would not think that He could understand what we go through. the first step in our walk is to know that Jesus is who He said He was, God!

Once we know this it is up to us to admit to Him that we have been walking in darkness. God is light and there can be no fellowship between dark and light.

Next we learned that if we walk in the light, we can have fellowship with God. The Bible teaches God will cleanse us from all sin and we do not have to walk in sin, We can live sinless. You can talk with God and He will communicate with you.

To be true follower of Christ, the Bible teaches we will walk as Jesus walked. He was in the temple teaching and that shows us we should be in church. To say you are a follower of Christ and to say that you don't like church means you have your eyes on the wrong thing. How can you not love church and love God?

We are also told we will love God's people. We do that by worship on Sunday and small groups through out the week. Would you like to join with us? You are welcome!

God's power means we can not sin, but we still have a choice to make. We will be tempted (Christ was tempted) but we do not have to sin.

And the last point was if we do sin, Jesus is in heaven making sure we are forgiven. Have you asked for God's forgiveness for walking in the dark? If not do it now, ask Jesus to forgive you for yous, come and live in your life and then find a Bible preaching church.

More than Power

2008-12-15T18:36:00.002-05:00

In this sermon we looked at power. Herod tried to kill Jesus and he was a mighty man. The problem he has was he was running on his own power.

We looked into our own lives to see if we were running on our power or God's power. we looked at three steps to receive God's power in our lives.

Step one was to admit that we need it. God is looking over us and wanting to give us His power but He would never force it on us. He gave us free will and does not over ride it. He is always trying to get our attention so we can surrender to Him.

Step two was to be plugged in. A toaster will not work if it is not plugged into a power source. We must be plugged into God if we want to receive His power. We stay plugged in my being obedient. It is arrogant to think we can receive God's power while we are being dis-obedient to His will. He is not going to bless sin. To say plugged in we need to be obedient to the things God wants to add to our life and remove the things He wants removed.

Step three is to live by faith. Look up Hebrews 11:1 to find the definition of faith. When we start to believe we have heard from God and He is calling us, it is up to us to start to take the steps of faith. He will direct the paths of His children, but we have to take the steps.

Have you admitted you need God's power, ask Him for it.

Are you plugged into God, pray and seek HIM!

Are you walking by faith, what has god spoke to you about that you need to take the first baby step?

Christmas behind the scenes: More than Pagentry

2008-12-07T18:29:00.002-05:00

God's presence was awesome today. He showed us much grace.

We started looking at Christmas the way it was on that first Christmas. We looked at different people and what they were feeling.

Joseph, was afraid, the Angel said, "Do not be afraid.

Mary was uncomfortable. Can you image riding on a donkey for 7 days, pregnant?

the Inn Keeper was busy, he had a full house to take care of.

And the first visitors, the wise men and shepherds, were awestruck so much they praised God. the shepherds went into the streets to tell others.

How do we feel today when we hear the name of Jesus? are you afraid to accept Him into your heart? If you have done that are you uncomfortable when you are asked to cahnge your ways and live Christ's way? Ar you too busy? No time for church, for Bible study, or for prayer? Are you awestruck where you have to tell others? Which ever feeling you have, yuo are not alone. The questions is this, will you take that feeling and peel it back and as God to help you find our why?

3 Modern Meanings of Christmas

2008-12-03T11:47:00.005-05:00

Today was our Sabbatical Sunday. We enjoyed a wonderful time with God and each other.

The teens started us with a skit about the real meaning of Christmas and then I spoke on 3 meanings of Christmas. The skit was about Christ is Christmas.

The first meaning was that there is a way out of sinfulness. Jesus came to earth that we might have life abundant, not a life of sin. Sin was here before Him and He came to defeat it. With out Christmas there would be no forgiveness of sin and no power to live above it.

Secondly, we looked at God can speak to us in strange places. No matter where we are and what we are doing, God can and will speak to us. Every time we are in church, God speaks to each of us. the question is always, Are we listening? Many people were in church today for many different reasons, and it doesn't really matter why they were there. The questions is did they listen to God? It is my hope and prayer that God speaks to people through our blogs. If you hear from God, please share with us.

Thirdly, Christmas demands an response. Every time we read about God, hear someone speak about God we have a decision to make. How will we respond. There are millions of ways to respond that can be narrowed down to two. Yes Lord or no.

What is your response to the fact that Christ came to earth and died for our sins? Will yo accept His forgiveness right now or say no!

I pray you will say yes to God's will for your life.

We finished our time together with communion and then a meal.

Being Thankful in the Tough Times

2008-11-23T16:39:00.003-05:00

What a wonderful day we had learning more about how to be thankful, even in the tough times. We had one new guest and he seemed to enjoy himself. There were several raise their hand to acknowledge that they had received help from God today. What a blessing!

The scripture for today was Philippians 4:4-8. We can find at least 4 steps to being thankful in the tough times.

Step One: Worry about nothing. Easy to say but not so easy to live. With 40 % of worries never going to happen, and 30 % being from our past with nothing we can do about it, and 12 % about health concerns that never happen and !0 % that insignificant issues that only leaves 8 %. Th key is to live one day at a time.

Step 2: Pray about ever thing. Replace worry with prayer. God was not asking us to find time to pray, just the time we were spending on worry, turn to prayer. We learned that we can dump all our problems on Him. No matter what it is, God cares and wants us to drop them on Him. One study says people that go to church live 5.7 years longer, maybe because we choose to dump our worries on Him.
The insight: No problem is too big or small to pray about.

Step three: Thank God in all things. Our goal is a attitude of gratitude. The scripture says we can be thankful in all things as long as we believe that God is in control and no matter what I am going through, God's purpose is larger then the problem, God's power is more powerful then any problem and I can learn for anything.
Insight: Thanks and Giving go together.

Step Four: Think on right things. Instead of reading the newspaper and watching TV all the time, take some time to read the Bible. Put garbage in your brain you get garbage out. Want to be more like God, read the Bible and obey it.

What do you think?

Markings on the Door Post

2008-10-30T11:52:00.036-04:00

What an awesome service we had Sunday. God's presence was powerful. In the last two weeks we have seen miracles at work.

This week we looked at Peter's spiritual growth spurts and how we can have similar ones. It all starts with How hungry for more of God are you? The question I asked to start the sermon and then let you answer at the end and asked that you keep in mind as we looked at Peter's life.

Peter moved beyound his comfort zone and put a mark on the doorpost of his life. Anytime we allow God to move us out of our comfort zone we have a growth spurt. Is God trying to move you in to a new area in your life? God does this by expanding our understanding of Him. The more we learn about God the more He changesus. He changes our motivations. He gives us a thought. God starts to change our desires and plans. He does this through preaching, Bible study and small groups among other ways. Then He gives us an oppoutunity. What will your choice be? A growth spurt or saying no to God?

We looked at groth spurts come from spending consistent time with God. I asked everyone in the service to add 5 minutes with God to there calendar. What a difference it will make in your life if you will jsut spend time along with God. This was to be a quiet time. I know you can pray anywhere and at anytime. Many pray traveling the highways and this is good. But I asked to set aside a time to be alone with God and to see how He will give usa growth spurt. If you make this deceision you can put a mark on the door post.

Do you want a spiritual growth spurt? Are you willing to let God help you remove barriors in you life? First, ask God what barriors you have. He will let you know. It could be an action, an attitude, an addiction or whatever He reveals is stoppingyou from getting closer to Him. Are you hungry enough for God to allow HIm to show you and then to be obedient? Which brings us to

Whatever. I hear younger people say this a lot in a negative way. WHATEVER! I ask you this, are you willing to do whatever God asks? Are you willing to give your whatever to God? I had one person let me know that God spoke to her about tithing. He will not start. This is awesome, becsue I didn't mention tithing. That is the Holy Spirt at work in our midst.

Would you like some spiritual markings to put on the door post?

How hungry are you for God?

Fatih needs Works

2008-10-20T10:40:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful day we had with family day. the kids helped me to understand that if I have faith that a calculator will give me an answer, I have to input the numbers. With faith and works I was able to find the correct answer

James writers that faith without works is dead. So as we are having growth spurts, we need to learn what our part is. I believe there were some great growth spurts yesterday.

As we develop a Mighty Faith, we need the joy of expectancy. we looked at moving mountains and we noticed we didn't really have enough knowledge to know where to move physical mountains so we focused on mountains we each have in our lives, relationships, finances, etc.

We ofter wait until we can't do any thing but yell help. We today decided we would take our mountains to God expecting Him to answer us we joy. We even decided that we would have faith for those that are struggling right now.

Now that we joyfully expect God to flatten the mountains in our lives we need action of obedience. We will start to be obedient to God in all areas of our lives. No more holding back the financiers, no more holding grudges, no more bad attitudes, basically we decided to do the things we all ready know God would have us to do.

Lastly, we decided we would trust God with the outcome. We understand some things might not work out our way, but that is OK. we trust God.

Is there a mountain in your life you need moved? Are you willing to be obedient to God? Will you trust God with the outcome? If you do that mountain might just be a daffodils.

I Can't Stay Like I Am

2008-10-12T20:49:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful day with the Lord today. His Spirit was with us in a powerful way. He truly blessed as we started looking at Growth Spurts.

We started by looking at all the ways we are nor perfect, like attitudes, or our tongue, or complaining and what we found out is we all have room to grow. We can't stay like we are. If we need spiritual growth spurts, how does this happen.

There are so many ways but we started to look at a few. For us to have spiritual growth spurts we must have the Holy Spirit at work in our lives. So many times we can't grow because we are not willing to wait and pray. Int he book of Acts the apostles were told to wait and pray and they did not do anything until they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Once filled with the HS, they had a spiritual growth that took them out of the upper room and into the world. Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit?

Another spurt we looked at was how we grow when we are around other growing believers. It is important to rub elbows with growing believers. If we rub elbows with those that aren't growing, if we are not careful we will start to become complacent. We can do this best at worship and in small groups. Have you made a commitment to attend church weekly? How about joining a small group where iron sharpens iron.

The last one I want to write about today is how we grow when we are filled over and over. In Acts 2.4 the apostles were filled with the Spirit. In Acts 2.31 the apostles were filled with the spirit. Being filled with the HS is not a one time event. There is a crises event where we give God our all and become sanctified(set apart for God) but even after that we need to be filled daily. I can't imagine going through a day that I did not completely surrender my life to Christ and receive His filling. I need to grow closer to God daily. Do you re commit your life fully to Jesus daily? What difference would it make if you did?

We looked at more ways, but that is enough for now. Let me know how you experience spiritual growth spurts.

Don't miss next week when we look, "At the Marking on the Doorpost"

We area chosen People

2008-10-06T09:19:00.002-04:00

We celebrated the Church of the Nazarene's 100th Birthday yesterday. As we looked at the past, we celebrated what God has done and we looked at what He will continue to do in the future. We are a chosen people, we are a Holy people and we are a sent people.

Did you know God has chosen you to be his child?
Did you know God has chosen you to be Holy?
Did you know God has chosen you to be sent?

The Church as the Temple Of God

2008-09-29T09:45:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful time we had this Sunday with God pouring out His Spirit on us. We looked at the temple of God being the people in the church. Throughout the sermon we talked about how the church body as a group and as individuals.

The we are the dwelling place of God. If we will be the dwelling place of God, then God must be present, and He was ever so present yesterday. We were challenged to allow God to be present 24/7 and not just at church. If God is present in our church, then guests will know it when they visit.

God must be host if we will be His dwelling place. We so often act like God is the guest and He is welcome in parts of our life. God wants to be host so that He is our life, that every thing we do is what He would love.

Then for us to be His dwelling place we could see that God must be comfortable in our lives. WE do that by living the way He desires and we learn that from the Bible.

Secondly we learned about the church is built with people. God has been building the church with humans for thousands of years. At the same time Jesus Christ is the corner stone. So as God uses people to grow His church, and each day we have to do church differently to reach new people, everything has to go through the foundation.

Lastly we looked at the church is a Holy Temple. We must be Holy because God is Holy. We looked at some scripture to prove to us that we do not have to live in sin.

1 John 2:1 (NIV) My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

Romans 6:1-2 (NIV) What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

We came to the conclusion we can live and not sin. we can live and sin. It is a choice and with the power of God we can chose to not sin. God is more powerful then sin.

Most excitedly we had two people give their hearts to Christ. Praise His name!

Out of One Many, Out of Many One

2008-08-28T22:44:00.003-04:00

This starts our Centennial series. We are starting our series with our Sabbatical Sunday with a baptism. The series will consist of these messages: The Church as a Covenant Community, The Church as the Body of Christ (Family Day), The Church as the Temple of God and The Church as a Chosen People.

Sermon Chat

2008-08-26T13:19:00.001-04:00

We will post sermons to this blog from now on. Each Sermon series will have a post. You will be able to add commets to the posts.