A Time To Rejoice

1 all the people assembled with a unified purpose at the square just inside the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had given for Israel to obey.
2 So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. 3 He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform that had been made for the occasion. To his right stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah. To his left stood Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. 5 Ezra stood on the platform in full view of all the people. When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.
6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites—Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah—then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. 8 They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage.
9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting for the people said to them, “Don’t mourn or weep on such a day as this! For today is a sacred day before the Lord your God.” For the people had all been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
10 And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”
11 And the Levites, too, quieted the people, telling them, “Hush! Don’t weep! For this is a sacred day.” 12 So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.
Nehemiah 8:1-12

Prayer of Nehemiah

4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 5 Then I said,
“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! 7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. 8 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’ 10 “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. 11 O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”
Nehemiah 1:4-10

Psalm 32:1-2 The Living Bible

What happiness for those whose guilt has been forgiven! What joys when sins are covered over! What relief for those who have confessed their sins and God has cleared their record.

So Cool

http://naldzgraphics.net/inspirations/45-breathtaking-and-powerful-movie-posters/

Transformed Lives

Somewhere around 1950 a church in Alabama decided to hold what they called a “tent revival.” So they rented a vacant lot downtown Anniston, Alabama, put up a tent, and planned a series of “revival” services.
Across town there was a couple who’d had a rough go of it—J. D. and Maude. It was the second marriage for them both. On a survey Maude would have checked “Christian,” but she hadn’t darkened the door of a church in many years. She loved J.D. but found it hard to live with him. He had a good heart but rough language, crude manners, and an affinity for alcohol. He’d left school after the 6th grade, was 18 when the Great Depression hit in 1929, and had hoboed, partied, and fought his way across the south. J. D. had a gold tooth near the front which took the place of a tooth knocked out during a fight.
Then, somebody in that church that had decided to have a tent revival invited J. D. to church. Since his friend invited him, and since going to a tent wasn’t exactly like going to a church, J. D. considered it. When he mentioned it to his wife she thought it couldn’t hurt. So they went. And something happened. That fire-breathing, pulpit-pounding, Bible-waving preacher spoke of sin and salvation in language that a man with a sixth grade education could understand.
J. D. and Maude kept going back and then after the service one night J. D. couldn’t sleep. In the middle of the night he called his brother-in-law who was a pastor and that pastor with big hands, broad shoulders and a tender heart drove over to his house and they talked about what it means to be saved, to be changed, to become a follower of Jesus. They knelt in the living room of 200 East 30th Street, Anniston, Alabama, and J. D. threw himself on the mercy of God. He prayed through his tears for God to forgive him and change his life. God answered his simple prayer and J. D. became a moral, ethical, loving, devoted follower of Jesus. He was radically changed.
This “transformed lives” thing is personal for me. The pastor with the big hands, broad shoulders and warm heart who drove over in the middle of the night and prayed with J. D. was Barto Mason, my uncle. J. D., the man with the rough history whose life was transformed, was my father. Maude was my mom. That was a decade before I was born. It frightens me to think of who, what, and where I’d be had my father not had a life-transforming experience of Jesus.

This is from Travis Collins, pastor of Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond VA and author of Directionally Challenged and Tough Calls.

Tough Calls - Book

Almost finished reading Tough Calls by Travis Collins. It is a good read. Full of great stories, thoughtful counsel, and sound leadership principles for living with and making tough calls. I recently met Travis in the Hampton Roads area. I knew he was a sharp cookie within the first few minutes of our meeting one another. I had no idea he would bless me as he has with his words about the church being a mission outpost, a bit of his fathers story and Tough Calls. Thanks Travis.

Bunch Of Pastors

I met with the group of guys today that I powwow with about three times a year. We were encouraged to come together via The Spence Network. We gather to encourage one another, pray, pray for one another, learn from one another and others and grow in our leadership character and qualities. These guys are good leaders. They care for people. They are always learning. They have a good understanding of their weaknesses and strengths. They know to play to their strengths. These men want to see people accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and become followers of Jesus Christ. Good days and bad days are a part of their stories. Good decisions and not so good decisions have been made by these fellow leaders. Growing, learning, improving, evaluating, collaborating, teaching, training, developing are all of part of these leaders lives. It is refreshing to hear from them and to share with them. Today we played a little catch up and shared message ideas so that we can become stronger faith leaders and better life change communicators. It was a good time. It was a growth time. The peach cobbler rocked.

The Church Is A Mission Outpost

Jesus, His Church, Mission Outpost

In those forty days between his ascension and his resurrection we have very few of his (Jesus) sermons recorded. Two of them were about his followers going into the whole world with a mission. The first occurred in Galilee on one of the mountains surrounding the Sea of Galilee. Matthew recorded that scene. Jesus said to his followers, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the world.” The second was immediately before he ascended. That is recorded in Acts 1. Jesus said, “Go down the mountain and stay in Jerusalem. Just wait. In a few days you are going to be bathed with the Spirit that I’ve been telling you about. And you are going to receive such power when that happens that you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus was ensuring his legacy. He was ensuring that his teachings and his compassion for the poor and his passion for people who are spiritually lost would be carried lived out by the church in the world.

Jesus didn’t found a retreat center. He founded a mission outpost. Retreat centers are great. But they are very different from mission outposts. I googled “retreat center” recently and the descriptions were similar. Here are a few:
Surrounded by lush green fields, relaxing streams and breathtaking sunsets, your experience at the Walking on Water Retreat Center will be harmonious and unforgettable. Our retreat center is a place to escape and enjoy and let your creativity soar. A great place to escape and just have some fun with your friends.

Those could be the mission statements of a lot of churches! A lot of churches have chosen to be retreat centers. But I don’t believe for a minute that Jesus intended to found retreat centers. Jesus wanted to found mission outposts! Mission outposts were and are those places where Christian missionaries go and plant themselves among people who are far from God and/or in great need. They are inconvenient and dangerous. They require an appreciation and understanding of the local culture and language. When I googled “mission outposts” I found stories of heroism and adventure. Like Frederic Baraga, “The Snowshoe Bishop” who came from Europe to establish a mission outpost in the harsh lands around Lake Superior in the early 1800’s to evangelize the Ojibway Indians. From his mission outpost he risked his life and nearly died more than once, but by the time he did breathe his last on earth he had baptized four thousand Native Americans.

See the difference between retreat centers and mission outposts?
A retreat center mentality builds walls.
A mission outpost mentality builds bridges.
A retreat center mentality wants guards.
A mission outpost mentality wants scouts.
A retreat center wants watch dogs.
A mission outpost wants search dogs.
A retreat center mentality says “the world out there is bad and we need to isolate ourselves.”
A mission outpost mentality says “God is just as interested in ‘out there’ as He is our sub-culture in here.”
A retreat center mentality fears being impacted by the culture out there.
A mission outpost mentality wants to impact the culture out there.
A retreat center mentality gives awards for the most congenial.
A mission outpost mentality gives awards for the most courageous.
A retreat center mentality’s theme song is “Kum Ba Yah.”
A mission outpost mentality’s theme song is, “Wherever He Leads, I’ll Go.”

Don’t get me wrong. People in a mission outpost depend on each other and help each other and, yes, love each other. When one is wounded the others help patch him or her up. The camaraderie in a mission outpost is deeper and more sincere than the shallow niceness of a retreat center. But the people of a mission outpost know that the place exists not for them, but for the people around them.

This information is from Travis Collins who is pastor at Bon Air Baptist Church in Richmond, VA.

No Perfect People Allowed

This coming Sunday SCC will address the topic "My family is perfect. LOL." This title has generated a buzz and people are interested in this topic. It seems to me people are interested because we know the sentence is not true and we like to laugh. We are going to have fun learning just how we drive one another batty. Batty is good because then the grace of God can and will abound. Batty is good because we then can admit to own own battyness and allow others the same opp. When we do this we can begin to experience the grace of God more than we can imagine and grow in a healthier relationship w God, self, and others. The potential for you and I to grow in healthier and more meaningful relationships is mammoth if we will apply what is going to be shared this coming Sunday, 4-26-09. Admit you are Batty. Don't' down other Batties. Allow God to work in your life and change for His sake, yourself and healthier relationships.

One Another

love one another (John 13:35 - this command comes 16 times)
be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10)
honour one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10)
live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
build up one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:11)
be likeminded towards one another (Romans 15:5)
accept one another (Romans 15:7)
admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16)
care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)
serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2)
forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)
be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)
be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19)
submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21, 1 Peter 5:5)
consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)
look to the interests of one another (Philippians 2:4)
bear with one another (Colossians 3:13)
teach one another (Colossians 3:16)
comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13)
stir up one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24)
show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
employ the gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another (1 Peter 4:10)
clothe yourselves with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)
pray for one another (James 5:16)
confess our faults to one another (James 5:16)
We are to do these things because we belong to one another (Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:25).

Awesome

Snagged this site from a twitterer.

Long Exposure Photos

Get The Word Out - HOPE

Town Hall For Hope With Dave Ramsey

A New Command

34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:34-35

For SCC - The Five Love Languages - 4-19-09

T

On Sunday, 4-19-09 SCC began a new series about building healthy relatioships. We had fun hearing from people about their primary love lanquage and learning about the five love languages and how to apply them in our relationships. visit http://fivelovelanguages.com/ and spend some time this month and into May learning and discovering the love languages. Applying these in your home will have a positive impact and help you build healthy relationships.

Freed

1It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists. 8Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. 9Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." 12When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" 15"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." 16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place. 18In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

Acts 12:1-18

Answered "yes" prayer is a very real part of life. We often miss out on a "yes" from God because we do not ask or we ask with wrong motives and an impure heart. The angel delivered Peter, but it was prayer that delivered the angel. God really did it all, but the obedience of people to pray. The desire for people to call upon God. The willingness of Peter to listen to the angel. People praying in faith. Peter acting in faith. The young lady answering the door. The young lady reporting. The people listening. Together, all the above harmony deliverd Peter. All of this is prayer. We may often think that prayer is offering a request and going about our day. No, prayer is living in hope, desire, obedience, action, and relationship to God and others. Answered "yes" prayer is a very real part of life. Pray today. Move beyond requesting to praying. Ask. Desire. Watch. Listen. Expect. Act. Obey. WOW.

Others

A man (person) all wrappred up in himself makes a very small package. - Calendar in Kitchen

Five Love Languages

www.fivelovelanguages.com

Have some fun and Build Healthy Relationships. :)

Serious Times

Why Are We Killing Each Other?

Five Love Languages - Healthy Family

Thoughts about a healthy family

Maryland Inn - Hyde Suite

This pic is taken at the Maryland Inn In Annapolis, MD. We are in the Hyde Suite. Ruth and her cousin, Mary Ann, are descendants of the Thomas Hyde family, who is one of the founders of this Inn. This was a very exciting few minutes for all of us in the picture. Visiting the Inn and the room made me think of family, life, legacy, generational blessing or not. I do know that Bill and Mary Ann and Ruth and I want to be a blessing to God and to others as we seek to live a life of obedience, grace, truth and love so that our children will experience generational blessing as they seek to honor God and others with their lives. Historic Maryland Inn

Directions

The picture to the right was taken in the IKEA store in Northern Virginia. The IKEA store is large, colorful and fun to experience. The parking lot and the store are well marked with directions so that customers can make the most their time and know their way around the store. This directional arrow was painted on the floor. The store marks the floor and whole walls with directions and has very large signs that are well marked hanging from above. Very cool. Very helpful. God's Word is also very colorful, well marked and helpful. We just need to enter into it and enjoy as we are guided through life and live with anticipation.

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8

Great Time

Easter

1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" 4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' " 8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Mark 16:1-8

PRETTY

He Lives

I serve a risen Saviour,

He's in the world today;

I know that He is living,

Whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy,

I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him

He's always near.

Chorus:

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and He talks with me

Along life's narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives:

He lives within my heart.

In all the world around me

I see His loving care,

And tho my heart grows weary

I never will despair;

I know that He is leading

Thro' all the stormy blast,

The day of His appearing

Will come at last.

Chorus

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian,

Lift up your voice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs

To Jesus Christ the King!

The hope of all who seek Him,

The help of all who find,

None other is so loving,

So good and kind.

Chorus

Believing Thomas - John 20:24-29

24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.” 26 Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Thomas, the follower of Jesus Christ, has been given a bad rap over the years with the nickname we have given him, "Doubting Thomas". Thinking Thomas, Wondering Thomas, Questioning Thomas, and I Want To See It To Believe It Thomas may have been better names for this follower of The Way. It seems he just wanted to be sure and was not going to buy some very inexpensive swamp land in FL just because it was listed as "swamp cheap" in Real Estate Mag.

He did however believe. He did follow Jesus to his death. He did proclaim the Gospel. He did give his life over to Christ. He did serve others as he told them about Jesus. He carried out Jesus' commission of making disciples. He gave his all to Jesus. Believing Thomas gave his life for the cause of Jesus. "He took up his cross, denied himself and followed Jesus." In the Gospel of John when Jesus is determined to go to Judea the disciples are resisting Jesus' decision to return to Judea because the Jews had previously tried to stone Jesus there. Thomas says bravely: "Let us also go, that we might die with him." When Jesus appears to Thomas after the Resurrection, Thomas declares, "My Lord and my God." Thomas the believer. May you and I be blessed as we believe. May our nickname be Believing ___________.

This Is A Cool Pic

Martin Sullivan captured this while we were on the backside of the Smithsonian Museum enjoying the smell of the Gardens on 4-3-09.

Christ

I have never been able to doubt Christ for very long, because he will not leave me alone for very long. I am much like the philosopher who after trying to be an athiest gave up all hope. Why? He said that if we try to dismiss Christ as a man, he haunts us as an idea. If we try to dismiss him as an idea, he haunts us as a man.

Calvin Miller, The Christ of Easter

It's Friday, But Sunday Is Coming

I Corinthians 15:1-20

1My friends, I want you to remember the message that I preached and that you believed and trusted. 2You will be saved by this message, if you hold firmly to it. But if you don't, your faith was all for nothing.
3I told you the most important part of the message exactly as it was told to me. That part is:
Christ died for our sins,
as the Scriptures say.
4He was buried,
and three days later
he was raised to life,
as the Scriptures say.
5Christ appeared to Peter, then to the twelve.
6After this, he appeared
to more than five hundred
other followers.
Most of them are still alive,
but some have died.
7He also appeared to James,
and then to all
of the apostles.
8Finally, he appeared to me, even though I am like someone who was born at the wrong time. 9I am the least important of all the apostles. In fact, I caused so much trouble for God's church that I don't even deserve to be called an apostle. 10But God was kind! He made me what I am, and his wonderful kindness wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's kindness at work and not me. 11But it doesn't matter if I preached or if they preached. All of you believed the message just the same. 12If we preach that Christ was raised from death, how can some of you say that the dead will not be raised to life? 13If they won't be raised to life, Christ himself wasn't raised to life. 14And if Christ wasn't raised to life, our message is worthless, and so is your faith. 15If the dead won't be raised to life, we have told lies about God by saying that he raised Christ to life, when he really did not.
16So if the dead won't be raised to life, Christ wasn't raised to life. 17Unless Christ was raised to life, your faith is useless, and you are still living in your sins. 18And those people who died after putting their faith in him are completely lost. 19If our hope in Christ is good only for this life, we are worse off than anyone else.
20But Christ has been raised to life! And he makes us certain that others will also be raised to life. 21Just as we will die because of Adam, we will be raised to life because of Christ. 22Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us.

Easter Views

These clips are taken from the movie "Jesus" a ministry of the Campus Crusade for Christ.

Jesus Project

Who Is Jesus?

Who Is Jesus?

Nice

The Greater Things Workshop in DC was awesome. The workshop really was good. Enjoyed getting to know Martin Sullivan (Martini). Enjoyed the sessions. Very sharp people who are full of hope were great to be around. DC was beautiful. Ikea store is sooooo cool.

The "King" Is Alive

Lives again our glorious King...
Where, O death, is thy sting?...
Dying once He doth all save,...
Where thy victory, O grave?...

Charles Wesley

This Is Good - Crazy Good

Warning: A cuss word is bleeped out. A man uses a bad word out of shock.

Early

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" 38 Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

Mark 1:35-39

Unity

Partnership (Unity) is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organized objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results…. Simply put, it is less “me” and more “we.”

God's Grace

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of his grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace. Everyday should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone. - Jerry Bridges