Great Influences

I'm accumulating a group of people who I would like to learn more about, if you have any suggestions, please let me know!

Thanks Everyone!!!

Jesus (Our Savior, Redeemer, and Friend; to list a Minuit number of names he has!)

St. Augustine (whose Famous confessions led incredible numbers of Christians to express their lives by journaling)

St. Macrina (who helped transform Eastern Christian ministries through prayer and good works)

St. Benedict (who when became Ruler gave structure and direction to many Christians)

St. Francis and St. Clare (who continue to remind us that life is more important than accumulating wealth and possessions.)

And, I can't forget John Wesley the Founder of the Methodist Church.

Who has helped influence your life?

I'm cleaning up my blog as if anyone actually reads this thing anyways.  But not only am I cleaning up my blog, I'm cleaning up my life!

What do you usually do when you clean?  

Answer: Throw away trash and things you don't ever use and/or put away everything your not using at the present moment into storage places where you can't see it.

So I was thinking...

How would one clean up his/her life?

If you were to throw away all your garbage and/or trash; like addictions, grudges, evil thoughts, selfishness, greed, and then your actual materialistic things like all those things you never use anymore or could really just go without.  Or, like one of our youth parents always says, "do you really need it, or do you really just want it?"

Now for putting away everything your not using.  Well if you have to put things away, maybe we should all take a look at the things that sit in the back of our closets or even on our entertainment centers, etc... and what are some of those things.  Are they things that we really needed or are they for the most part things we really "wanted"?  

So I guess, what do you really need in this life?

The bible says the first and greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, mind and soul.  (Matt. 22:37 NIV) 

Well if your doing that, what are things.  Do you really need things to love God with all your heart, mind and soul.  And I guess the thing that gets me the most is most of the things I have are more of a hindrance to loving God then to loving God with my whole heart, mind and soul.

Anyways, these are just some thoughts.  If you share a similar view maybe we could hold each other accountable with our "wants" and "needs".  

May God Bless each and everyone of us!!!

Vote Early/Avoid the Long Lines/Here's How!

http://www.govote.org/

(this website will show you where you can go ahead and vote at.)

So do it!

Make a wise choice, based on the issues at hand and ask yourself; who would Jesus vote for?

Old Testament Story: Moses and his father-in-law

A Great Story from the Old Testament on Listening, and "Organizational Structure"

Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening.
When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, "What is this you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?"
Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws."
Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people-me who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain-and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied."
Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said.

Exodus 18:13-24 (NLT)

Let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

1 Thessalonians 5:6 (NLT)

I think this stories shows us that we can't do it all by ourselves, and that God doesn't want us to. We all want to do our best, but how much more better could we be doing if we added people to our team who God has appointed and gifted with amazing skills and resources?

What do you think?

"Merchant to Minister" Book insert: "Revivals"

Revivals

C.H. Spurgeon said, "It is an act of the adversary to turn us Christians from being soul-winners into bread-winners." I am afraid that is exactly what the devil has done. When we come to the Lord's day and realize the many beautiful Churches of Christendom--the beautiful music, the great organs that peal forth God's praise, and the many Christians assembled together in Christ's name, and the many thousands of well-educated ministers standing behind the sacred desks, and add to this picture the thousands of smaller churches, many well organized and capable, yet many Lord's Days pass in the majority of these Churches without a soul being saved.
And when you think of why Jesus came into the world, "To seek and save the lost," we can't help but ask the question: What has happened to us? It seems the devil is satisfied for us to be bread-winners and pleasure seekers--he doesn't want us to wake up to the truth. Of course, he fights revivals for he knows that is how the Church grows and prospers. Dr. F. B. Meyer said that "there has never been a great religious revival without social and political reforms." We might point out that the abolition of slavery followed a revival. The end of child labor came after the Wesleys and Whitefield preached their flaming message of revival. Also flowing like many streams from revivals came the YMCA, the Salvation Army, world missionary societies, and charitable institutions. Material blessings as well as the health of the people were fruits of revivals and of refreshment from the Lord. Psalms 85:13, "Righteousness shall go before Him; and shall set us in the way of his steps."
When the Lord our God moves through a land in a revival blessing, He lays out a way for his people to walk in--when they walk in His way the revival comes and Heaven opens--the blessings come. Revivals open the gates of Heaven.

Revive Us Again

We praise Thee, O God! for the Son of Thy love,
For Jesus who died, and is now gone above.

All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain,
Who has borne all our sins, and has cleansed every stain.

Revive us again: fill each heart with Thy love;
May each soul be rekindled with fire from above.

Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! amen;
Hallelujah! Thine the glory, revive us again.

William P. MacKay John J. Hushband

Grandpa's 80th Suprise Party

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Facebook Devotional for Sept. 8th-15th

Week of: Sept. 8th-15th

Weekly Bible Verse: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the suffering of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 1 Peter 4:12-13

Tip of the Week:Don't get upset when things don't go your way. As a youth pastor things will rarely go the way you have planned them too. Don't be discouraged, but know that through the "painful trials" of your mess up's, akward moments, and random issues and problems; God has given you the strength and courage to get through!

Challenge for the Week: See where you can participate in the suffering of Christ this week, and rejoice!

Prayer for the Week: Amazing Father, even though life throws us curve balls, give us the strength and courage to rejoice no matter if we knocked it out of the park or swung and missed and foolishly fell on our face. Help us to give you praise always, and if we don't get anything else done this week, that we can grow closer to knowing you. Amen

I-Tunes Song for the Week:When Our Hearts Sing by Rush of Fools