Hope: To desire something with some confidence of fulfillment. A desire supported by some confidence in its fulfillment. A ground for expectation. To look forward. Expectation. Confidence. Anticipation. "Be joyful in hope..." Romans 12:12 "I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13 "..my hope is in you all day long." Psalm 25:5b
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The Resolution Of Resolutions
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Zechariah Speaking About His Son
will be called the prophet of the Most High,
because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide us to the path of peace.”
Luke 1:76-79
These are powerful words. May I as a father speak to my children and about my children with powerful words from the Father in heaven.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Luke 2:1-20
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Tuesday, December 07, 2010
Matthew 1:18-25
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Thanksgiving Thoughts
I am thankful for my children. Time flies.
I am thankful for Ruth. I am so glad she agreed to lead music at camp Chaparral in the summer of '88.
I have some good friends.
The Macy's Day parade was sweet. NYC was so much fun. I am glad we came across the band in the subway. Their CD is great. Fred's was just the right atmosphere.
The weekend was difficult for some people and we all need to remember that while counting our blessings we are to pray for those who are saddened and seek to encourage them.
I need to be more giving.
I need to slow down in some areas of life and up the tempo in others.
I am glad my son is able to work at the Christmas Tree Lot. He enjoys it and it is helping him learn about work and finances.
My daughter is smart and is doing well at GMU.
We have two nice looking Christmas Trees that are ready to be decorated.
I am thankful our neighbors allowed us to use her dryer. Look forward to repairing ours.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thanksgiving Break
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Effective Organizational Leadership
Remember And Tell
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
An Old Cowboy
The church he entered was in a very upscale and exclusive part of the city. It was the largest and most beautiful church the old cowboy had ever seen. The people of the congregation were all dressed with expensive clothes and fine jewelry. As the cowboy took a seat, the others moved away from him. No one greeted, spoke to, or welcomed him. They were all appalled by his appearance and did not attempt to hide it.
As the old cowboy was leaving the church, the preacher approached him and asked the cowboy to do him a favor. "Before you come back in here again, have a talk with God and ask him what he thinks would be appropriate attire for worship in church." The old cowboy assured the preacher he would.
The next Sunday, he showed back up for the services wearing the same ragged jeans, shirt, boots, and hat. Once again he was completely shunned and ignored. The preacher approached the cowboy and said, "I thought I asked you to speak to God before you came back to our church."
"I did," replied the old cowboy.
"And what was his reply?" asked the preacher.
"Well, sir, God told me that he didn't have a clue what I should wear. He said he'd never been in this church."
Monday, November 08, 2010
Thursday, November 04, 2010
The Ress
Raised With Christ, Adrian Warnock, Page 19
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Three
Horizon Community Church wants you to grow in your relationship with God. We believe that if you will Celebrate God (worship God regularly), Connect with Others (be in regular contact and community with other followers of Christ in a local church) and Contribute to Ministry (meet your neighbors, through a party, be missional, give financially, lead or serve in a ministry, share Jesus with others as you invite them to be a part of Horizon) you will experience a more full and meaningful life. Let's start thriving. Let's begin Celebrating God, Connecting with Others and Contributing to Ministry. Thrive On Three.
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Monday, November 01, 2010
Opportunity
Out Live Your Life, Max Lucado, Page 8
Friday, October 29, 2010
Calender Reading
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Christ Raised - The Symbol For Christianity
Suffering Growth
To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:
2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
II Corinthians 1:1-11 NIV
Experiencing trials and suffering can help us grow and minister to others. For example, in 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 we read three good things that God can bring out of suffering. First, is that we can learn to comfort others.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God (vv. 3-4).
Anyone who has gone through a heartbreak, a time of loneli¬ness, or a period of great pain and had been comforted by God is able to comfort those who go through a similar trial. There is a mutual understanding and a real compassion that allows one to better help and minister to someone during a dark and hard time in their life.
A second thing we learn is not to trust in ourselves but in God who can see us through our difficulties. In verses II Corinthians 1: 8-9 we read that the apostle Paul was "burdened beyond measure, above strength, ... that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead."
It seems that we are often inclined to try to go through life in our strength as long as we can, and often never learn the lesson of dependency on God until we are forced to-until we are taken beyond our ability to cope and learn that we need God's strength. In the midst of trials we learn that we can depend on God as we lean on him and go through the difficult times with His presence and strength.
Third, we can learn to give thanks in all things because of God's mercy and grace. In verse 11 Paul writes, "you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many." The apostle Paul thanked the Corinthian believers for praying for him when he was in such difficulty. In our trials and pain, we learn that we need God and we need others, and can be thankful when we experience how important they all are to our lives.
Taken From Max Anders
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Some Leadership Thoughts
The Lord Is Near
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all...
Psalm 34:18-19
Monday, October 18, 2010
Life And Leadership Adages
If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.
If we keep doing what we have done we will keep getting what we got.
Determine where you want to arrive, chart the course, and go there.
Change can happen.
Leaders create better tomorrows.
Today's choices determine our future and our history.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Financial Ministry Team Meeting
Thursday, October 14, 2010
The Great Sub
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
12th Grade Prayer
Faith
and other guests took flight.
Grief, anxiety, fear and gloom,
Sped out into the night.
The Christian Gospel
The Reason For God, Timothy Keller
Jesus Christ
Monday, October 11, 2010
Help One Another
Jesus
The Faith, Charles Colson and Harold Ficket
Friday, October 08, 2010
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Quotes about The Bible
Voltaire expected that within fifty years of his lifetime there would not be one Bible in the world. His house is now a distribution center for Bibles in many languages. --Corrie Ten Boom
Reading the Bible without meditating on it is like trying to eat without swallowing. --Anonymous
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
The Word Of God
20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
II Pete 1:20-21
You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David...
Acts 4:25
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Calendar Reading
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Joy
JOY
Came across this while preparing the message for the Tailgate Party Worship Experience. This is GOOD STUFF. We are going to have some fun. Keyword JOY in http://www.biblegateway.com/
Put Your Heart Into It
..with all their heart. That is how we should approach our day and our work. It is no easy task, yet it can be done. Put your heart into it. We do not like people to do something for us at work in a half mannered way and we should not do things at work in a half mannered way. Put thought, effort, sweat, and heart into your work.
Philippians 4:4-8 - Read It Everyday This Week
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Spy Rock - Was There On Monday
Spy Rock is a beautiful place in VA. The video above is from Nov. 2008 when I was there with a friend who introduced me to Spy Rock. I was there just this past Monday with some fellow pastors and we had a good time hiking and climbing in the rain. We hiked up a mountain at camp Crossroads on Tuesday and took the Lord's Supper while sitting on top of a bluff. It was awesome. I thank God for opportunities like I had on Monday and Tuesday. I thank God for peers who are good listeners, affirming, and who desire to see people follow Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
In God's Hand
O God, I wish them there;
My life, my friends, my soul,
I leave entirely in thy care.
Open Door
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A Prayer - Ephesians 1:15-20
Grace
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Continue
8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
Worship In The Right Place
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Prayer Thoughts
Monday, September 13, 2010
Very Very Important
Ephesians 3:14-21 The Message
20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Be Strong And Courageous
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
Delightful Thought - God Is Looking For You
Desire
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Identity
Ephesians 3:14-20 NLT
Monday, September 06, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
That You May Know
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Soul Lifting
Monday, August 23, 2010
Beach Baptism Bash - Oh Yeah!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Following God
O let me cheerfully fulfil,
In all my works Thy presence find,
And prove Thy good and perfect will.
Thee may I set at my right hand,
Whose eyes my inmost substance see,
And labour on at Thy command,
And offer all my works to Thee.
Give me to bear Thy easy yoke,
And every moment watch and pray,
And still to things eternal look,
And hasten to Thy glorious day
Charles Wesley
God's Will Stated Clearly
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Prayer For God's Guidance
But I believe that my desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
Thomas Merton
God's Will Quote
Bruce K. Waltke, Finding the Will of God
The Voice Of God
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Act
Monday, August 09, 2010
Back From The Texas Trip
I thank my God every time I remember you. Phillipians 1:3
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Blogging Vacation
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Stay At It
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Emancipation - Emily Dickinson
My soul's at liberty
Behind this mortal bone
There knits a bolder one
You cannot prick with saw,
Nor rend with scymitar.
Two bodies therefore be;
Bind one, and one will flee.
The eagle of his nest
No easier divest
And gain the sky,
Than mayest thou,
Except thyself may be
Thine enemy;
Captivity is consciousness,
So's liberty.
TX - Anticipation - Planning
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Power Of One
A Soilder's Creed
Friday, June 25, 2010
Drive By Praying
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Meet To Motivate
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
The Essential Church
community. But we believe the four-phase essential model applies
to any church. Simplify—the church develops a clear structure
and process for making disciples. Deepen—the church provides
strong biblical teaching and preaching. Expect—the church has
an attitude that communicates to its members that they must be
committed to the local congregation. Multiply—the church has
an outward focus, driving to reach people for Christ and starting
new churches.
Loved In Spite - So True
Monday, June 21, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Morning Prayer
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Monday, June 07, 2010
I Love To Tell The Story
of unseen things above,
of Jesus and his glory,
of Jesus and his love.
I love to tell the story,
because I know 'tis true;
it satisfies my longings
as nothing else can do.
Refrain:
I love to tell the story,
'twill be my theme in glory,
to tell the old, old story
of Jesus and his love.
2. I love to tell the story;
more wonderful it seems
than all the golden fancies
of all our golden dreams.
I love to tell the story,
it did so much for me;
and that is just the reason
I tell it now to thee.
(Refrain)
3. I love to tell the story;
'tis pleasant to repeat
what seems, each time I tell it,
more wonderfully sweet.
I love to tell the story,
for some have never heard
the message of salvation
from God's own holy Word.
(Refrain)
4. I love to tell the story,
for those who know it best
seem hungering and thirsting
to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song,
'twill be the old, old story
that I have loved so long.
(Refrain)
Friday, June 04, 2010
Psalm 23
I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Growth Needs A Process
Hope
the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:19-26
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Nat From GMU
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We finished up our series Just Walk Across The Room this past Sunday. The finishing of the series is really the beginning of the living of ...
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Thursday, May 3, 2007 is National Day of Prayer in the U.S. May we spend time throughout the whole day in prayer for our nation. May we bles...
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Click on the link and begin to pray. 18 Things To Pray For Your Church