Preaching in the Spirit (Self-Discovery)

All too often we preach about history and abstract values when we should be able to say, "The Word of God has come alive for me. Here's what it says about me and to me!" That's the point of being biblical in our preaching: We must present the Bible not only as the Word of God, but as the Word of God about us. Biblical preaching involves more than reciting and explaining the text. Most evangelical preachers can quote significant portions of Scripture, but that is not enough; Scripture must be presented in such a way that it speaks to the needs of the person who hears it. That can occur only through the enlightening power of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit's internal revelation breaks into the preacher's mind and attends his preacing, it has the potential for radically transforming people's lives.

- Dennis Kinlaw ("Preaching in the Spirit")

Little is Much

Little is much when God is in it!Labor not for wealth or fame.There’s a crown—and you can win it,If you go in Jesus’ Name.

A lot of times this great chorus is associated with things. "Give your $10 to tithe and God will bless it and make it great." Really, this song is about us. The things we do in this life are pretty small. Someone else did my job before me, someone else will do after me. The difference maker is Jesus. When we abide in Him, and He dwells in us, our lives are made great. The little things we do, become great. As Christ followers, our lives are meant for so much more than the minutae of the day-to-day. God turns our "little" selves, into "much" for His Kingdom.

In the harvest field now ripenedThere’s a work for all to do;Hark! the voice of God is callingTo the harvest calling you.

Little is much when God is in it!Labor not for wealth or fame.There’s a crown—and you can win it,If you go in Jesus’ Name.

In the mad rush of the broad way,In the hurry and the strife,Tell of Jesus’ love and mercy,Give to them the Word of Life.

Does the place you’re called to laborSeem too small and little known?It is great if God is in it,And He’ll not forget His own.

Are you laid aside from service,Body worn from toil and care?You can still be in the battle,In the sacred place of prayer.

When the conflict here is endedAnd our race on earth is run,He will say, if we are faithful,“Welcome home, My child—well done!”

Hear the song at cyberhymnal.org.

Local Headlines

Home Depot worker wears 'under God' button more than year, then gets fired

OKEECHOBEE — Trevor Keezer didn’t start working at The Home Depot to make a religious statement. He just wanted to earn money for college.
“I want to go to school to become a nurse,” said the 20-year-old Okeechobee resident.
Keezer says for 19 months, ever since he started working as a cashier at The Home Depot in Okeechobee, he’s worn a button with an American flag on it that reads: “One nation under God, indivisible.”

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/oct/23/home-depot-worker-wears-under-god-button-more/

The Hobbled Church

Seth Godin a marketing expert/author/blogger recently posted this in regards to "the problem with cable news thinking":

Not only the networks of all political persuasions that come to mind, but the mindset they represent...

When I was growing up, Eyewitness News always found a house on fire in South Buffalo. "Tonight's top story," Irv Weinstein would intone, "...a fire in South Buffalo." Every single night. If you watched the news from out of town, you were sure that the city must have completely burned to the ground.

Cable news thinking has nothing to do with fires or with politics. Instead, it amplifies the worst elements of emotional reaction:

1.) Focus on the urgent instead of the important.

2.) Vivid emotions and the visuals that go with them as a selector for what's important.

3.) Emphasis on noise over thoughtful analysis.

4.) Unwillingness to reverse course and change one's mind.

5.) Xenophobic and jingoistic reactions (fear of outsiders).

6.) Defense of the status quo encouraged by an audience self-selected to be uniform.

7.) Things become important merely because others have decided they are important.

8.) Top down messaging encourages an echo chamber (agree with this edict or change the channel).

9.) Ill-informed about history and this particular issue.

10.) Confusing opinion with the truth.

11.) Revising facts to fit a point of view.

12.) Unwillingness to review past mistakes in light of history and use those to do better next time.

If I wanted to hobble an organization or even a country, I'd wish these twelve traits on them. I wonder if this sounds like the last board meeting you went to...

It seems that perhaps Satan has found this to be true and is utilizing these 12 methods to disable the Church. If you find yourself in the midst of a spiritually dead congregation, maybe it's time for an "evaluation of mindset".

Best Movie (Never Made)

One of todays best Christian fiction authors is, Ted Dekker. His fictional stories read like modern day parables. He has written a 4 book series, called Circle Series (Red/Black/White/Green). This series would appeal to fans of sci-fi/fantasy.

Mark Carroll of Christian Video Magazine penned the following article that I would recommend you tto read as an accurate introduction to the Circle Series, and the work of Ted Dekker.

**Reflections on the Best Movie Yet to be Made**