Sunday @ LibertyHill

* Great presentation on Latvian Angel Project. Check it out: http://www.latvianangelproject.org/
* Chad rocked on drums
* Great to see the commitment level of folks on a Sunday with all the excuses to stay home
* 9:45 Small Group: distinguishing between what is essential and nonessential.
* Karina shined in reading scripture
* Most folks didn't know that we had issues with the lights early on - thanks Karen you rock!
* Mark, Walt, Daniel, Karina, Jim pulled trailers and set-up in the pouring rain - the rain will not even stop us from praising God - even if we have to do it from an Ark!
* Don't forget to pray for the New Orleans Mission Team
* Ran into a colleague from Sears at the gas station - small world
* mom cooked some GOOD vegetables
* put up fence posts in the rain with dad and brothers
* niece staying with us for two nights
* my wife looks beautiful tonight

Time

You know the cell phone commercial where the mother is fussing over "unused minutes?" I have a few of those "unused minutes" in my past. They are the wasteful hours that I spent doing mindless things. It is more than just staring at walls. It is filling my schedule with pointless things. I would love to be at a place in my life where I live so intentionally that I never have to ask "What might have been." It is important to remember that heaven can be won or lost in one tiny moment. God never gives the future. He gives only the present. Jesus says, "The Kingdom of God is at hand." It is here. This is the moment we are meant to live.

Apricots

If you have the privilege of being in my presence today then you will notice a unique aroma. I ran out of my "man soap? and had to use my wife's body wash. I noticed on the bottle that it is apricot. So today I get to walk around smelling like a fruit. I have never figured out why we want to bathe our self in an aroma similar to a bowl of fruit. It makes me want to start smelling people: she is an orange, here comes a peach, there stands banana.
Did Jesus say we will be known by the fruit we "bear" or "wear?" Paul says we are to be a walking fruit tree. I just hope we don't let it go bad- have you ever smelled bad fruit?
It stinks.

Still Believing,

Jamey

Visioneering by Andy Stanley

Chapter Two: Praying and Planning
Quotes from book
* We see often what we are looking for, we often miss what we don't expect to see.
* Prayer sensitizes us to subtle changes in the landscape of our circumstances.
* Pray for opportunities.
* Dreamers dream about things being different. Visionaries envision themselves making a difference.
* Dreamers think about how nice it would be for something to be done. Visionaries look for an opportunity to do something.
* Pray for favor.
* Focus your prayers on what you know needs to happen in order to get your vision off the launching pad.
* Plan as if you knew someone were going to come along and give you an opportunity to pursue your vision.
* Opportunity apart from preparation results in missed opportunity.
* Why should God bring an opportunity your way if you are not in a position to take advantage of it?
* If you were God, to whom would you give opportunities? Wishful thinkers, Dreamers, or Planners?
* Vision usually precedes just about everything necessary to bring it into the sphere of reality.


Questions
1. What opportunities do you need to be praying for?
- relationships w/ M.
- open doors into M.E.
- connections with persons of influence

2. Who are the people who could help you accomplish your vision?
(I have a list of people/organizations)

3. What changes would need to take place in their thinking in order for them to support your effort?
- realize the need/opportunity
- more support
- vision to reach out
- clarity of call
- become followers of Jesus

4. Write a simple plan
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4

(working on this)

5. What can you do now?
(pray and plan)

Book Review

If you have teenagers, work with teens, or have children who will one day rise up to be teenagers then you need to read Do Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris. Better yet, read it together with your teen.

The premise of the book is that as a culture we have set the expectations of teenagers too low. They say, "Where expectations are high, we tend to rise to meet them. Where expectations are low, we tend to drop to meet them. And yet this is the exact opposite of what we're told to do in I Corinthians 14:20: "Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults." Our culture says, "Be mature in evil, but in your thinking and behavior be childish." The authors argue that teenagers have proven strength and God-given potential that is not being tapped into because as a culture we put low expectations. Their goal is to show that deep down teens what to do hard things, that they were created to do hard things, and they can do hard things.

They outline "Hard Things" into five categories:

1. How to do hard things that take you outside your comfort zone.

2. How to do hard things that go beyond what's expected or required.

3. How to do hard things that are too big for you to do alone.

4. How to do hard things that don't pay off immediately.

5. How to do hard things that go against the crowd.

The book ends by telling personal stories of teens doing hard things. It is a book for teenagers (and adults) written by teenagers.

Sunday @ LibertyHill

* 9:45am Small Group: Acts 9 Paul's Conversion or Commission/Call? Great Discussion. Relationship w/ Jesus is dangerous
* Great to see some of our college students come back and visit for the weekend (even if one of them does put up a fake b-day on FB :) )
* Andy gives an awesome testimony.
* Sign up today for Rock Eagle Men's Retreat: http://www.ngcumm.com/
* Commission New Orleans Mission Team. They will be leaving Saturday. Pray for them.
* Habitat Home dedication this upcoming Saturday - Don't forget.
* Mission Trip to Kenya on Oct. 25th. Spaces available
* Challenge: Write letters to the person/s who introduced us to Jesus Christ
* Charge Conference: great to have a D.S. that is passionate for people being introduced to Jesus
* Falcons win!

My Thoughts on the Health Care Debate

I am not sure if I am intelligent enough to dig through all the misinformation so I will keep my comment simple.

I am happy with my insurance. The United Methodist Church provides excellent insurance for the clergy in our system. Unfortunately, the cost for churches continue to rise but that is for another day.

The point is not that I am happy with my health care. As a follower of Jesus, I have to ask, "Am I happy with my neighbors health care?" I am part of a church that takes seriously meeting the needs of the poor. Weekly we have people walk in our office looking for assistance for house payments, car payments, rent, and medical bills. I don't know the answer to the debate. I do know the faith community needs to be part of this debate. BTW: health care has its beginnings with the church. The church is called upon to serve the poor and the widow. Would we be having this debate if the church took serious its call to serve the "least of these?"