- Haven’t done a random thoughts for awhile so let’s see where this goes…
- Why oh why on my day off did I wake up at 6am wide-awake?
- Couldn’t believe the news yesterday about Michael Jackson.
- Thriller was the first album I ever bought.
- Too bad he got really weird because he was an amazingly talented man.
- However, no matter how talented you are, death is coming for all of us and it will sometimes come unexpectedly.
- The moral…you’ve got to be prepared for eternity and the best way to do that is to begin a relationship with Jesus.
- I’m getting back into the swing of things after vacation.
- Working on two huge projects right now…1 is exciting…the other is overwhelming…both will be great when they’re completed.
- Vacation highlights were:
- Spening time with Lisa 24/7.
- Celebrating our 14th anniversary.
- Our dinner at Phillips Seafood in Atlantic City overlooking the beach and ocean.
- Not checking e-mail the entire 2 weeks and truly being able to relax.
- Walking with Lisa hand-in-hand up and down the boardwalk with no cares (ok dodging seagulls but other than that) or agenda.
- Treating my parents to a couple days away in the Pocono’s with us.
- Hiking to Bushkill Falls…beautiful!
- Hacking around a par-3 approach course with my dad.
- Celebrating my birthday.
- Getting a sweet authentic Alexander Ovechkin Caps jersey from Andy and Gayle.
- Getting to hang out with my friends.
- We’ve got some pretty cool stuff coming up for July and August in the Experiences that we’re pretty excited about.
- This week is the last week of the One Prayer series…Perry Noble…can’t wait!
- Then I’m back preaching again…really excited about what God is going to do in the next series.
Inside Today’s Experiences
- Great to be back after two weeks away.
- Nice to be able to ease back into things thanks to our One Prayer series.
- It’s amazing that modern technology allows us to participate with thousands of other churches in a joint series.
- Great to hear everyone laughing and participating as Steven Furtick preached the message.
- Everything ran pretty smoothly today which is also a nice way to get back into things.
- 9:15 was pretty full, while 10:45 was down again…I hate summer.
- Thought the band did a great job today.
- Loved Furtick’s message…it really gave good perspective on how big God is and how small our problems are.
- Again I really enjoy this series…hope you are as much as I am.
- To all the dad’s out there…Happy Father’s Day!
What If You Stopped Believing In God?
Imagine that today or tomorrow you just suddenly decided that you no longer believe in God. It would come as a shock to those around you and maybe even possibly yourself. However, here’s the key question to seriously wrestle with…
“How much different would my life look if I stopped believing in God”?
Seriously take a few minutes and wrestle with that question. Unfortunately I think for most of us the answer would be “not much”. What that indicates is lives being lived in our own power instead of “by faith”.
“Without faith it is impossible to please God“. -Hebrews 11:6
What Does the Enemy Look Like?
Yesterday as I got back into the swing of things after two weeks of vacation, one of my break time activities was to catch up on some of my favorite bloggers whom I usually read on a daily basis. Imagine then my shock and surprise when one of the guys announced he was stepping down as Senior Pastor because he had had an affair with his secretary.
Man this hit hard. I first got to know this guy back in the early part of the decade through an online forum that Purpose Driven had at the time and then when I went on staff with them I got to talk with him a few times and was impressed by his passion and vision. His church in the past few years grew to almost two thousand and from all appearances everything was great.
This morning as I was doing my devotions I was reading the story of Adam and Eve being deceived by the serpant. The problem was the enemy was right before them and they didn’t recognize him. If he came to us today in that form we’d recognize him and crush him…but he’s smart and wily and knows better. Paul at one point in scripture says, “He roams around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour”. Again though if he came in the form of a lion we’d be prepared.
So as I was praying I asked God, “Well then what does the enemy look like”? His repsonse was quite clear…”He looks like the thing you want most that I’ve told you you can’t have”. For my pastor friend, satan came to him in the form of a woman. Now realize not literally, but he desired her and despite God I’m sure many times warning him not to sleep with her or lust after her, he did it anyway.
For him satan looked like the thing he wanted most but God told him he couldn’t have. So what does the enemy look like for you? What thing or person are you seeking to have/get/acquire that you know God doesn’t want you to have? For you that’s satan…Don’t be deceived!
Inside Today’s Experience (Vacation Edition)
