That's Delight?

Your life was designed to live and enjoy. You are a special creation which is you unique and unlike anyone or anything else this world will ever know. You are the only person who will ever live the life you live, know all the people you know, or go all the places you go. Enjoy life. Delight in life.
Ironically we find that life is delightful at many times, most of which is to our definition of delight. What is God's definition of delight? Is there a divine definition of delight? We seem to define delight as something that is fun, but is that accurate?
When you woke up this morning and brushed your teeth was it delightful? Likely not. So, why did you do it? Because you would rather do it more than get a filling... you delight in the fact that the bigger picture is well worth it. I propose to you that delight comes when we live for something greater than our own selfishness. Our human nature will tell us that we exist for self-preservation; our faith tells us that we live for TRUTH preservation. As followers of Jesus we must delight in seeing truth succeed.
For more on this please take the next 30 minutes to view this session entitled "That's Truth?" If it blesses you in any way please email us and let us know.

The Way of Life

What is your way of life? What path are you on and where are you heading? Are you going where you want to go? This is the dawn of a new year, when we reach dusk will you have the assurance that this year was all it could be?
There are a few things which are certain to be contained in 2010. Please view this session and consider your life and the way it is heading this year.

Guest Speaker: Jim Jones

In my absence our church was blessed to have one of its good friends from Rock of Ages Prison Ministry. Jim is an exuberant voice of God who will inspire you to further your walk with Jesus.

Enjoy this session and if you are encouraged by it, please email us to let us know, and share it with a friend.

A Risky Christmas Adventure

Jesus knew a simple addage: Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
This is Christmastime in 2009 and it seems we all are trying to be safe. Amidst a face smile of good cheer we are only trying to cheaply mask the fear surrounding our national security, personal finances, and shaky relationships. The last thing we are truly experiencing is peace on earth or good will toward men. But, there is hope.
When it was time to bring God in body into the world (Jesus), a message went out of the Messiah's birth but it didn't go out to he high fleutin' politicians in Washington, DC or the religious leaders in the vatican; instead it went out to the plain old working class folks just like you and I. People who have issues, bad days, and are at time insecure are the ones God saw purpose in and it is them that he brought ground breaking news to.
Today that same knews is coming to you, and you have to face the decision of what you are going to do now that you know where Jesus is. Only a fool would know where Jesus is and not run to him.
If you are encouraged by this session please email and let us know and share it with a friend.

Facing Winter

Death is something most people fear but it is as much a fact of life as is birth. We were are all born and we will all die. This fact should motivate us to seriously consider what happens upon death and determine if we are prepared. If we have recognized the truth of Jesus and put our faith in Him we are prepared for this impending winter which is coming. If we have not seen Jesus for who He is then we are unprepared and standing out in the cold with nothing to protect us from a brutish suffering.
This fact should motivate the Christ follower. We are standing in our prepared state and have all we need to face this winter while others stand unprepared. Some great about Jesus is that when he equips us to face this winter he also gives us everything we need to prepare others. Literally we have the boots, mittens, and coat the everyone needs to be delivered from the impending threat of winter. Sadly, many Christ followers tend to scoff at the ones on the outside and talk about how foolish they are and display their disbelief that anyone would go out in the cold dressed in such a way, instead of sharing the warmth with them.
The last challenge Jesus gave to His followers while on planet earth was for them to share the warm; equip others.
Check out this final session of our "Harvest Before Winter" series. If it blesses you in any way please let us know it and share it with a friend.

Turn Around.

A few years ago I went to a "Revival Meeting". Now, I don't know about you but I always thought that these meetings were intended for current followers of Christ to come and get their spiritual flame to burn a bit brighter. The very work "revival" means to literally revitalize or the rekindle what is already there. So, spiritually it would take the Christ follower who has let their flame die down and bring it a raging inferno again. While I sat in this meeting a seemingly angry man demonstrated to me that he found the intent of these meetings to be strickly evangelistic and aimed toward the non-believer (And, that is fine, we need meeting like this but I would not have called it a revival rather an outreach). As I sat in my seat this angry mans fist repeatedly struck the podium and his voice peaked out the sound system which produce a very unpleasant sound. In this arena I asked myself, "Is this the way Jesus spoke to people when he was trying to show them the truth?" When Jesus spoke the words "I am the way the truth and the life" (John 14.6) was he slapping the Pentatuch against a rock to emphasize each word which he shook a raging finger at the crowd. I don't know about your house when I was growing up when mom and dad acted like that I shook and ran from them instead of running and clinging to them.

Sadly I believe many well intentioned Pastors and Evangelist have missed the point of how Jesus became the days superstar of truth and attracted people from hundereds of miles away to walk days just to see him. Mark 1 relays to us the even of Jesus entering into his adult manhood and calling and also shows us the approach that Jesus took. Verse 15 is the first words Jesus speaks in this book and he says, "Repent and Believe...". Now, these are the same words that the man I saw speak was using but again, I can't picture Jesus, jumping, slapping, and spraying spit onto the crowd. In our society the term "Repent" is associated with a man doing all these things but not Jesus.

"Repent" literally means to turn around. Jesus is inviting people to turn around. Why? Because they won't like the destination they are heading toward. He contines and says "Believe". Jesus is in essence telling them "You won't like where you are heading; believe me on this one, turn around, come back this way... come back to me." That is a bit different that how most soapbox preachers present this verse, isn't it? Repent is not a negative word, it is a positive invitation to a better destination because we believe Jesus.

Have to recognized yet that your natural path is not taking you to the destination you desire to be at? Do you need to turn around, beleive Jesus, and reach the destination your soul longs for?

Watch this session as we learn about this turn around. If it blesses you please let us know and share it with others.

What is Your Life?

"This is Your Life" was a TV show in years past which highlighted a person's life and reflected on the accomplishments and failures of life. "E! True Hollywood Story" currently gives a glimpse into the lives of celebrities. We seem to have a facination with look at people's lives; it is time you look at our own.
I encourage you to do something today. Ask yourself, "What is my life?". Really, stop and reflect on it. Scripture poses the question "What is your life?" and gives the insite that it is a vapor. It is here and then it is gone. We run our lives like we are the here all and end all. Consumerism is the recipe of the day and we feel life we must reach the standard of living portraid by commercials and celebraties or else we will never be happy. We end up running our lives as if the goal is to acquire wealth, possessions, and build shallow relationship then wonder why the depression rates are at all time highs, insomnia is not explained as normal to tens of millions of people, and relationships are falling apart quicker than my two year old can dismember a pb & j sandwich.
My suggestion is this. As you examine your life and seek to discover your life's meaning you will have to know the intent of your life before you can discover your purpose. This now becomes an origins game. Consider the fact that you were not made my some random accident, rather you were created by a loving God who makes nothing or no reason but makes all things for his enjoyment and ours. From the beginning of life we were created to know God and have a relationship with Him which allows us to get to know him more. You were intended to be connected with God. But, somewhere along the line this connection was broken through our rebellion, since then mankind has been on a path leading us away from our intended purpose.
Mark 1.15 Jesus says, "You're going the wrong way, turn around... you've got to believe me on this one." And asks us all to open our eyes and see what we are doing to ourselves and then look at a far better life he has in store for us. A life free of selfishness, consumerism, and depression.
Enjoy this video session as we explore the idea of answering the question, "What is your life?" If you receive a blessing from this video please take moment to let us know and then pass it along to a friend.