New Series for Sundays - Making a Case for Giving Your Best

Coming to the Jackson First Church of the Nazarene

Making a Case for Giving Your Best - November 27th, December 4th, and December 11th
(Series based on a reading of the "Life a Work" Book Series)

Week 1 - "A Case for Character"
Week 2 - "A Case for Skill"
Week 3 - "A Case for Service"

Looking to this weeks message I've read many quotes on character. One of my favorites was definition of character that says, "Character, like integrity, is who you are when no one is looking."

What is your favorite quote?

Leave it here or at my facebook page.

Perfectly Poisoned

Aside from all the swordplay, my favorite scene in The Princess Bride is the scene where the Man in Black enters into a battle of wits with Vincini. Vincini is the mastermind behind the kidnapping of the princess. He accepts the Man in Black's challenge. The Man in Black hands a small container to his adversary and has him smell it. Vincini says "I smell nothing". "What you do not smell" responds the Man in Black, "is iocanine powder. It is orderless, tasteless, dissolves instantly in water and is among the more deadly poisons known to man".

I'll save you my quoting of the rest of the scene. Suffice to say, iocaine was the perfect poison. You can't smell, see it or taste it but its there. It could be placed in my wine or yours or both as see in the movie. As I have been thinking about the message I plan to preach this Sunday this seemed like a great illustration to lead into it.

We find in Genisis that God has created a garden, a perfect place for His perfect creation. There's just one thing you needed to be careful of, don't eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That fruit is poisioned so to speak. Eve speaking to the serpant about the fruit says that "It is pleasing to the eye" and there seemed to be nothing forboding about the fruit other than God's command not to eat it.

This poision was perfect. Even with a warning from God it appears that Adam and Eve neither one saw what was coming. This poision was so perfect that it affected them all the way down to their DNA, which has been passed down to each generation right to us today.

We are fallen, broken, shattered in some way. We are a pale reflection of what we were ever intended to be. Sin has so taken us that there is not one area of life that is not affected by it. We are poisioned, perfectly poisioned.

There is an antidote though that can save us from certain death. But society, including some Christians, has tried to treat the symptoms that arise from our being perfectly poisioned instead of showing and helping to administer the antidote.

Whare are some ways you see those around you trying to treat the symptoms instead of offering the complete cure. What happens when we only treat the symptoms of our perfectly poisioned state?

Drawn

Not pulled. Not pushed. Not draged. Drawn. What is it to be like drawn by God? Do we go kicking an screaming? I don't think so. Are we diving head first into something without checking the depth of the water? I don't think that's it either. When I think of what it means to be "Drawn" by God there is a very different imagery in my mind. I imagine someone walking through woods or even in a city and they have that look as though they can hear or see something that they just can't help but want to investigate. But that noise that sound or sight that has caught their attention is too soft and too far away for them to make it out. Its intriguing and fasinating but just too far off to fully appreciate. So that person begins looking for the way to get closer, to get a better view or better understanding of what has caught their attention.

I believe that's what God does for us sometimes. He's speaking in that still small voice or He is showing us something He has for us and we just but we can't make it out just quite right from where we are. We must move closer if we are to hear what He is saying clearly or if we are to see all the details of what has caught our attention. We realize that if we stay just where we are we might miss something. Who knows how long before its just not there anymore. We are drawn closer. Moving cautiously so as not to miss our target destination. No one is forcing us to go but we just can't help ourselves. We have to check it out. We are just drawn to what He is showing knowing that it could be something great and knowing my God it just might be.

In what ways have you felt drawn by God?

Life Happens

Last week was supposed to be the week I got all caught up, with my posts here, with my class, with stuff at the church... Well that didn't exactly happen. It seemed like the harder I tried to push ahead the more life just pushed back. That's not to say that things were hectic or crazy, just crazier than normal. But there was a lot of good stuff happening. Last week was a week to build bridges as well as relationship, to push ahead, and find our balance. I praise God for everything that was accomplished last week. But there is still much work to be done. I'm understanding from a different perspective the scripture, "By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.". I am trying to take great care in the foundation that I am putting down knowing that there will be someone who will have to build on it.

Still working on converting sermons to google docs and uploading. Also hoping to start uploading audio at some point. If you have been following the messages in our "Consumed" series we had liberating service touching on the topic of guilt and how to be set free from guilt that doesn't belong to us and from the idea that we are somehow on God's "B-list". Coming up this Sunday we will be dealing with bitterness. As a special treat on Sunday July 17th Jon Hensler will be concluding the series with a message on "Being Consumed by the Holy Spirit". I am looking forward to what God is going to continue to do as life continues to happen.

Don't Look Down - Consumed 2 (Fear)

This Sunday in the morning service we'll be talking about our fears. The Bible has a lot to say about fear. This should connect very well with what we talked about on Father's Day when we looked at what is at the heart of someone who is "Consumed by Work".

(A link to the last Sunday's message will be made available soon if you missed and would like to get caught up.)

As a way of leading into this message "Consumed by Fear" I thought we could have a little fun sharing some of the things we sometimes find ourselves afraid of. And in the spirit of fairness I'll go first...

I am afraid of heights, which is ironic considering that I also enjoy a good roller coaster. Once I am more than a few steps up on a ladder the nerves begin. I'm not exactly sure that its a fear of heights or even a fear of falling, it's more the idea of the sudden stop at the end of the fall. regardless, I am afraid of heights. While I will tolerate the occasional ladder and need to be off the ground but I breath much easier once I'm back on solid ground.

So what's your story???

Consumed

Definition: To do away with completely  or to engage fully

What is it that consumes your day, your time or your attention? Is it your work, family, friends, bills? Is it one things that seems to completely do away with your day and you wonder where it all went? Has something so engaged you that its all you think about? A new video game. A new relationship. The latest gossip. Who's getting kicked off this week on whatever show. (Admit it we all watch at least one of those). Perhaps what consumes you or your time isn't nearly as tangible as all that like fear, guilt, anger, worry, or bitterness.

I am easily sucked into the newest video game or phone app. I just have to pass one more level before I stop. I can also find myself consumed with trying to figure out where I'm headed and where I'll be in the coming years. There are many things and thoughts that if I am not careful will quite litterally consume me. It is good to remember sometimes what allowing myself to be consumed might lead to and what in the end "should" (there's that word should again) consume me. Deuteronomy 4:24 reminds us that God is an all consuming fire. If we are to be consumed by anything let it be our relationship with Him.

Is there anything that consumes you???

"Re"vival

Sunday was an eventful day. It's my sincere hope that it was the start of something I hope will change us all. Throughout history God has taken the time to shake His people from apathy and wake them up to the reality that they are not where they should be or doing what they should be doing. Usually this comes through rough waters that cause us all to look to Him as He is now the only source of help. Once awakened and aware of their need for Him and the need to perhaps change how they had been living or acting, God begins to move. As His people get closer and closer to Him they also get closer and closer to what it is He wants for them.

REVIVAL

Sunday morning's message reminded us that we are called to two things: 1. To love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength 2. To love our neighbor as our self. We were called to seriously think about our relationship with God and with each other.

Sunday night began our series "Re"vival by looking at the very first part of 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by my name..." Before we can expect God to move we must understand who and whose we are because understanding that shows us a great deal about how we "SHOULD" be living our lives.

If you were to give yourself a new name or a title to go with your name that describes how you are living what would it be and why? Or simply share what name you would like to see applied to you.

Hope to see you next Sunday night at the Jackson First Church of the Nazarene 6:00pm for part 2 in the "Re"vival series "Retreat".