Benediction

Here's a verse in Romans that I read recently that I think makes a great benediction for a worship service. See what you think.

Romans 15:13 (New American Standard Bible)

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Amen.

Psalm 22

Psalm 22:30-31 (New American Standard Bible)

"Posterity will serve Him;
It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.
They will come and will declare His righteousness
To a people who will be born,
that He has performed it. "

God's works and righteousness will be told to the coming generation....then the next and the next...etc. God will get the praise for the things He has done. Generations will learn from past experiences. The question is do you and I want to be a part of that? Cause it will happen with or without us. Let's figure out today what it means to "declare His righteousness".

Only in the Bible

I was reading my Bible in bed the other night and I could not help but laugh...then I laughed again...then I was about to fall out of bed from the laughter. I was reading Genesis 28-31...a story I was familiar with but had not visited in a loooooong time. Here was Jacob who not only had two wives but his wives also gave him two maid servants for him to sleep with. Then when he got the maids pregnant the wives praised God for it. Then Rachel wants mandrakes from Leah's son and so offers Jacob as the price for the mandrakes. Now I'm not sure if that's a testimony to how good mandrakes are or not but this whole thing just made me laugh out loud. The Bible is just funny sometimes.

still international

I have received a hit to thoughts and things from another country. Last year sometime I received a hit from Spain. This year we add another country to the list. Drum roll.......South Korea!

Who would have thunk it?
Fascinating.

Monday morning reflections

• God is good. All the time. Even when nothing makes sense.
• The nursery is ready for baby Micah. Four weeks from today is the due date.
• I am loving the "Love Dare" Sunday school class running right now. Although I'm a little behind on the homework. oops.
• The last couple of Sunday nights I have not slept well. This is getting frustrating.
• The Back to School Bash is coming up fast and I'm excited to see how God pulls it off this year.
• I'm realizing more and more all the time how easy it is for leaders to set a certain atmosphere in a worship service.
• I really want to do my part in setting an atmosphere of praise and celebration for our worship services.
• I love my family.

Today's quote

I read this quote today and I laughed, then cried, then smiled, then got quiet, then thought, "I wish Groucho Marx could be a guest on "The Daily Show with John Stewart".

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it, and then misapplying the wrong remedies."(Groucho Marx)...

Prayer qoute

This is what Juliana of Norwich had to say about prayer.

"Its ground: God, by whose goodness it springeth in us.
Its use: to turn our will to His will.
Its end: to be made one with Him and like to Him in all things."

Now that's one way to start the day.

Monday morning reflections

• Preaching through the life of Joseph in just two weeks is an overwhelming task.
• I pray that many will go to the book of Genesis and read about Joseph for themselves.
• The last two weeks of worship services have been fun!
• Micah is coming soon and the crib is up and ready.
• Wow!!!! Micah is coming soon!
• It has been very cool to go through the "Love Dare" book with several other couples in Sunday School.
• I actually worked out in the gym this morning before coming into the office. That was an accomplishment all by itself. Thank you Lord!
• Walt Disney once said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
• I like it this way, "It's kind of fun to watch God do the impossible."
• I watched "Madea goes to jail" this weekend. I got a little animated in the pulpit Sunday morning. Madea does that to me.
• Wow! Micah will be here soon! *gulp*

Today's quote

"The careful balance between
silence and words,
withdrawal and involvement,
distance and closeness,
solitude and community,
forms the basis of the Christian life
and should therefore be the subject
of our most personal attention."

-Henri Nouwen

Today's Prayer

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

Philippians 1:9-11 (ESV)

Monday morning reflections

• Yesterday was the first part of a 2 part series called "The happiest place on earth." The first place was the "place of obedience".
• Joseph (in Genesis) was almost always surrounded by horrible circumstances but God saw fit to make sure he prospered despite his surroundings.
• Next week we'll finish up the life of Joseph and see what "happy place" he ends up at.
• Allison and I were overwhelmed by all of the baby gifts at the shower yesterday. Everyone was so gracious and we appreciate you all.
• Allison told Natalie that she could pick out the outfit that "Micah" will come home in from the hospital. Now I have to figure out how I can get Natalie to pick out the guitar outfit. hmmmmm
• Several people took the weekly challenge from Wednesday night to heart and really stepped up with their efforts to greet people and to try a different style of dress yesterday. It was a very cool thing for a pastor to watch happen.
• Giving eye drops to a 3 year old can be hazardous to your health.
• I can not wait to see baby Micah! He'll be here soon!

Joseph

I've been looking over the life of Joseph in the Bible lately and I'm noticing some keys to his success throughout his ups and downs. Every time Joseph gets kicked down he then ends up in a place of leadership and responsibility. The natural question to ask is, "what is Joseph doing that leads him to such success?" The key is to answer that with a super-natural answer.

Genesis 39:2
2 "The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master."

The Lord was with Joseph. This is stated several times as you read about Joseph. The most important key to Joseph success has nothing to do with what Joseph did but rather what God did. Joseph was always careful to give God the credit (Gen. 40:8) but even then if God did not take the initiative to "BE" with Joseph then his life would lack serious purpose and meaning no matter the measure of "success" he may experience.

Of course now my temptation is to ask God to "be with" me in order for me to have success but that misses the point entirely. The fact that God was "with" Joseph is simply an indication of the relationship that the two of them shared together.

So instead of seeking ways to be successful maybe we should all simply seek God and enjoy the results of seeking HIM first. (Matthew 6:33; Jeremiah 29:13)

leading worship

Los has the best 7 keys to being an effective worship leader that I have ever seen. Every worship leader, pastor, teacher, etc. can benefit from these. Check them out here.

Monday morning reflections

Here are some random thoughts from yesterday's service and the weekend as a whole.

• Dunkin' Donuts coffee is a decent pick-me-up to get ready for a worship service.
• "Your Everlasting Love" is a fun song to play and worship with.
• 5 young people were baptized yesterday. The KINGDOM is GROWING!!!
• I can not believe my daughter is 3 years old!!!
• I can not believe we are about to start over with a new baby in August!!!
• I can not believe Bob Copeland is still speaking at summer camps (he spoke when I was a camper...mmm...how old is he? :-)
• My in-laws are full of surprises.
• A swing set can take about 9 hours to put together when you have at least one person who knows what they are doing. (not me)
• Troy Henderson rocks the planet and is great at putting together a swing set.
• I am much better at baking and decorating cakes than building things. (yep...that's right...I'm a real man)
• Smoked chicken makes great chicken salad.
• Senior camp started yesterday at Suwannee. Pray for a great week for everyone there.
• I love my wife. She is amazing.