New Orleans 2009 Mission Team from LibertyHill

Sunday @ LibertyHIll

* Sunday Small Group: role of the conscience, difference between guilt and conviction, and other thought provoking stuff!

* Infant baptism - love recognizing God's grace at work in our lives.

* Celebrating communion - dancing to the table!

* Worship old school with new flavor. Jason and the gang did a great job.

* Message: Ruth - God's purposes are worked out through our loyalty.

* 17 join the church. 4 Professions of faith.

* Food and fellowship at the lake.

* Baptisms in the lake - cold but warmed by the Spirit of God.

* Hearing wife singing to the boys - priceless.

* Conclusion: God was all over the place today.

What's In a Name

Do you know the meaning of your name? My mom got the idea for my name from a soap opera. I really don't know what to think about that. While I was studying the first chapter of Ruth I came across interesting discoveries when it comes to the names of the characters in the book. Elimilech means "My God is King." Naomi means "pleasant." Ruth means "friend." Orpah means "back of the neck." Mahlon means "sickness." Chilon means "spent." Boaz means
in him is strength." Now that you know the meaning of each name take an opportunity to read the book and see how each name has significance in understanding the story.

Maybe you don't like your name. Maybe your name has been the source of ridicule. Maybe your name has you associated with abuse, pain, or hurt. The Good News is that God knows your name and he wants to give you a new name. A name that stands for forgiveness and love.

Fail to Plan

"What could we do that would guarantee we never see our vision materialize?" The answer: fail to plan. As a pastor one of my duties is to preside over weddings. I usually do a minimum of three counseling sessions with the bride and groom before the wedding. It never fails that brides will come in with a plan for the whole wedding event. Many will have a schedule printed out on what needs to be ordered by a certain date. The whole wedding day is broken down into thirty minute blocks. She has everything planned out. But I ask if they have a goal, a plan for the marriage and most look like they don't have a clue. One thing I require for couples desiring to get married is that they have a marriage plan. I want them to have a vision for their marriage. A sure way to fail at anything is to NOT plan.
While in college we took a trip to South Carolina. On the bus trip I sat beside a guy who was looking through a notebook. I asked him about the notebook and he said it was his plan for the life that God was calling him to fulfill. After law school he had plans to build an orphanage in Eastern Europe. He had a beautiful vision. And a plan to back it up. What could we do that would guarantee that we never see our vision/s materialize? We never plan. Take an opportunity to plan today. Write down on paper the steps necessary to fulfill the vision. Jesus says, "Count the cost."

Visioneering by Andy Stanley

Chapter Three: Positions Please!
Quotes:
- Just about every God-ordained vision appears to be impossible.
- God-ordained visions are always to big for us to handle.
- God is using your circumstances to position and prepare.
- If you are "seeking first" his kingdom where you are, then where you are is where he has positioned you.
- Success is remaining faithful to the process God has laid out for you.
- You are as successful now as you will be the day you see your vision materialize.
- To focus on what's around you diminishes your ability to focus on what's before you.
- Waiting time is not wasted time for anyone in whose heart God has placed a vision.

QUESTIONS:
1. What does remaining faithful in your current situation entail?
For me, it is doing with excellence what is before me.

2.What is the main thing about your current situation that makes it difficult for you to believe God is preparing you for his vision?
- it takes a lot of time and energy
- people do not share the same passion

Would you be willing to pause and express your faith in God's ability to use your present circumstances to position you for the fulfillment of his vision for your life?

Coming in October @ LibertyHill Church

Drought

It is with irony that I read I Kings 17 today in my devotion. The story starts out with Elijah prophesying NO rain for the land to King Ahab. As I write this we are receiving record rain falls and people are being evacuated from their homes in and around Atlanta. Elijah was told to go hangout by the brook Cherith. If I was to go to a brook at this moment I would need to take my kayak for fear of getting washed away. It was this time last year that the news media was feeding on our own fears of drought by telling us we only had so many more months of water left in the reservoirs. How things change in a year. We may not know what is coming but we can trust in the One who does.