Sunday Update

A great day!
* Good discussion on King David in S.School
* Worship was great -got a youth pastor that can lead worship too!
* a taste of the Kingdom of God as people prayed for friends, neighbors, family members, and others who need Jesus
* a great picnic after church
* fishing with the boys - didn't catch anything
* a great day meeting new friends and letting the boys play on the water slide.
* an email from a friend in Jerusalem
* evening with the wife

Still Believing,

Jamey

5 Questions Every Husband Needs to Ask

Perry Noble http://www.perrynoble.com/ asks challenges husbands to ask their wives these questions:

#1 - What is the most romantic thing that I’ve ever done for you?
#2 - What is something fun we can do together?
#3 - What is one thing I can do for you this week that will relieve stress from your life?
#4 - How Can I Pray For You?
#5 - If you could change one thing about our marriage–what would it be?

Then he reminds of what Jesus says in Ephesians 5:

we are to love our wives as Christ loves the church…
He never stops loving the church…
He never stops pursuing the church…
He always comes home for the church…
He never cheats on the church…
He provides for the church….
He never stops thinking about the church…
He takes the church seriously…


I like it.

Still believing,

Jamey

Getting Dirty

I had a thought the other day taking my son to the restroom-I am always thinking. We treat this world like we treat public restrooms. I tell my son to get in get out, wash your hands, don't touch anything, and try not to get anything on you. I see some Christians who live their life this way. They stay away from the hurts and pains of the world or least stay a safe distance where they can wash their hands when they are finished. But as followers of Jesus we will get dirty. We are called to be with dirty people, broken people, hurting people. Following Jesus is not safe and it definitely is not clean. If following Jesus has never made you feel uncomfortable, unsafe, or unclean then you might be following to far back.

Still Believing,

Jamey

Hope

I met a guy last year that held tchuworo the philosophy of human optimism. He ultimately thought that given the chance all humans were good. Philosopher Immanuel Kant was right when he said if we were all good we would all be happy. But the world as we know it is not like this. Moral evil is pervasive and no matter what humanist teach us we do not have the resources to put a stop to it within ourselves. My friend believes what the world needs is a little more optimism. Optimism has its limits and when stretched leads to despair and a world full of anxiety. Christian hope takes optimism to a different level. Optimism is founded in human abilitiy. Hope is founded in God. For the person who has a relationship with Christ, hope is not dependent on the strength of our own spirit, but functions when our optimism fails. Only Christian hope has the power to unlock the future for those whose present is a dead end. If you want to hear more about hope overcoming doubt join us for worship Sunday Morning, 11am at Cherokee County High School.

Still Believing,

jamey

Wish

For the past few months I have been looking at the world differently, at least the people that make up our world. The other day I was in a restaurant and a thought came back from a message I heard once on "faith sharing." The guy preaching said, "If you had only one wish, pick a random person and ask yourself what would you wish for them?" It is an interesting way of sharing your faith with people. The answer is different for every person depending on the vision that God has given you for the world. For me, I wish every person would discover their passion and purpose in life. I want people to know that life is more than just breathing. So the next time you are at a restaraunt and the person across from you is forcing french fries down their throat ask yourself, "What is your wish for french fry guy?"

Engage

Messages

August 2: Authentic Community

August 9: Passionate Worship

August 16: Intentional Discipleship

August 23: Strategic Mission

August 30: Extravagant Generosity

EPIC

Leonard Sweet says, "To connect with postmoderns, the church will become more EPIC:
Experiential
Participatory
Image-driven
Communal
I think he is correct in what he says about being "image-driven." "Images generate emotions and people will respond to their feelings.
Postmodern culture is image-driven. The modern world was word-based. Not until the fourteenth century did truth become embedded in principles and positions. Its theologians tried to create an intellectual faith, placing reason and order at the heart of religion. Mystery and metaphor were seen as too fuzzy, too mystical, too illogical.
The church now enters a world where metaphor is at the heart of spirituality. Propositions are lost on postmodern ears; but metaphor they will hear, images they will see and understand. These come as close as human beings will get to a universal language. Indeed, it seems clearer than ever that metaphysics is nothing but metaphor.
Someday I will hold up my Bible before a congregation, shake it, and yell at the top of my lungs, "This is not a book about propositions and programs and principles. This is a book about relationships."
The church, not Hollywood, ought to be the world's greatest image factory. The greatest image in the world, the image that draws people into real, life-giving relationship, is the image of God in Jesus the Christ."
As communicators of the Gospel we are called to paint pictures of life in God's Kingdom.

Drum Beat

More than one hundred years ago, Henry David Thoreau wrote, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears however measured or far away.” Michael Jackson danced to a different beat. It is the choosing of a different drum beat that caused him to be an American icon.
I cannot accept Thoreau’s words without question. Some beats are not worth dancing too. There does come a time, however, when we have to make up our minds about the drum beat that we will follow.
Whatever drum we choose, it must preserve our integrity. One way of looking at integrity is asking how we would like to be remembered. What do you want your best friend to say at your funeral? How about your children? Your grandchildren? Your spouse? Some of us have spent time trying to define what we want to do. We know what we want to accomplish. The question is: Have we determined what we want to become? Your doing will flow from who you are. Your character determines your legacy.
It is also important to listen to a drum which keeps life focused on important things. It is possible to live our lives for things that don’t really matter. Jesus said, “I must do the works of him who sent me while it is still day, for the night comes and no one can work.” We are to work at the important things while it is still day. The life of Michael Jackson can teach us that price tags of life can and do get mixed up. A home is more important than a big house. Friends matter more than success. Physical and emotional health is greater than the stress found in climbing the ladder of success.
If the drum beat you listen to preserves your integrity and keeps you focused on what is important then I say, “just beat it.”

Environment

I met a person the other day that was sharing with me how they are a follower of Christ. I admit from the person's negative attitude and disgruntled view of the world I was thinking to myself that they must be following at a distance. Scripture reminds us that we can plant seeds and harvest results but the growth is up to God (I Cor. 3: 6- 7). Growth may be in God's control but we can create environments conducive to growth. Before we question why we don't see fruit(results) in the lives of people we have shared our faith with we must ask, "What in my life may be hindering the growth?"