Sharing 101

1. Everything you have comes from God.
2. Everything that is given to you is given in trust to you.
3. The blessings you have are not just for your own personal benefit.
4. What is given to you is given to you that you may share with others.
5. Sharing with others blesses them and you.

Speaking Carefully

When I want to speak let me first think:
- Is it true?
- Is it kind?
- Is it helpful?
- Is it ncessary?
If not, let it go unspoken.

Calendar Thought

The best form of spiritual exercise is to touch the floor regularly with your knees.

Missional Living

Missional living is the adoption of the posture, thinking, behaviors, and practices of a missionary in order to engage others with the gospel message.

Listen and Be Reminded

This is my Father's world.
And to my listening ears,
All nature sings and round me rings,
The music of the spheres.
M.D. Babcock

The Pic of Christianity

Shine - Oldie But A Goodie

God's Power In Us

"We must have His life in us by the Spirit if we are to do His work and practice His teaching."
"After all, the power is in the Spirit of Christ. It is not who we are, but Who He is that makes the difference."
Robert Coleman, The Master Plan of Evangelism

Serve

"Great occasions for serving God come seldom, but little ones surround us daily." - From Our Daily Bread, 7-18-13.

Opportunities for being a servant of Jesus Christ "surround us daily". So true. May we understand and practice this thought in our homes, occupation, friendships, neighborhood, church, civic clubs, and in other places we frequent such as the local stores we visit daily or weekly.

Just yesterday I heard two beautiful stories that lived out the above quote and it spurred me on in God's Kingdom. You will never hear of these people and their stories and how their servant hearts and actions boosted the Kingdom of God. Today, others may never hear of or see the servant action you practice towards others, yet it is vital that we live as servants of the powerful God we worship. You never know what God will do with the "little ones that surround us daily."

Tommy Speight - Leadership

Created Words

Over the past several years myself and others in Horizon Community Church have placed together words that express our ethos and beliefs. Below are the words with a brief definition.

Anticipraytion: [an-tis-uh-prey-shuhn]
1. the act of praying with anticipation.

2. realization in advance; foretaste.

3. praying in and with expectation or hope.

4. praying and anticipating the answer.

Creavolution: [cre-a-voe-loo-shuhn]
1. believing in creation(macro) and evolution(micro).
2. God created it all.
3. life changes and morphs.
4. In the beginning... God.

Godcidence: [koh-in-si-duhns] 

1. a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance, but believing and understanding that God is in control.

2. when seeking after God things fall together in a crazy sort of way.

3. a God instance of this.

 

Faithilistic: /ˌriəˈlɪstɪk/ Show Spelled[faith-uh-lis-tik] 

1. interested in, concerned with, or based on a life of faith and how it is fleshed out in the physical and spiritual world. 

2. pertaining to living by fiath. 

3. resembling or simulating life lived in faith.

 

Feartastic: [feer-tas-tik]

1. experiencng a little fear as you move into something great and fantastic. 

2. in spite of being apprehensive one is fanciful or capricious, as persons or their ideas or actions.

3. imaginary and beautiful; not being based on reality; moving forward in life and with God in spite of fear.
4. overcoming fear to live in the faithilistic realm.

Growth

Storms produce growth. - John Owen

The Symbol For Christianity

Yet.. See Verse 21

¹⁹ I remember my affliction and my wandering,
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.

Lamentation 3:19-26

HCC Mission Weekend 2012

Christmas In July - God, the child in a manger.

I know God only through Jesus Christ. The unique grandeur of Christianity is its belief in a poor God, like a wound in the absolute. God, the child in a manger. No man could invent that; it requires revelation. - Jean Sullivan, Morning Light

Dry Bones

Ezekiel 37:1-12

Hope

Lamentation 3:19-24

 

Reading From 7-9-13

Uncommon Life - Daily Challenge, Tony Dungy and Nathan Whitaker

Talents

Use what talents you have; The woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. - Henry Van Dyke

Mission Leads To Fellowship

As I was praying for two men who live in Ghana Africa this morning I began perusing pictures of the Ghana Trip myself and others took in early 2013. This is a great pic of fellow followers of Jesus Christ who were on God's mission in Northeastern Ghana Africa in Jan., 2013.  We had an awesome time of fellowship with one another all because of Mission.  Our Missionary God touched our lives through people who shared Christ with us (Mission) years ago. Over the years someone(s) came alongside each of us and helped us grow in our walk with God (Mission). As we grew we became involved in ministry and service through a local church (Mission). As we served in Ghana (Mission) we all got to know one another - most of us only knew the others by name upon arriving in Ghana,  grew closer to one another, discovered things about one another, helped one another, encouraged one another, laughed and cried with one another and worked alongside one another (Fellowship). The true fellowship happened because of mission. The same is in the local church. When a church begins a ministry for fellowship it will rarely if ever accomplish it's mission, but if a ministry is created for the mission of the church (Mission) it will always lead to fellowship as the people work together for a greater purpose than themselves - the Kingdom of God (Mission).

I must add these people are Difference Makers, World Changers and Kingdom Builders.  It was a pleasure to serve with them in Ghana and it is a pleasure to serve with them in the States.

The Bible In Fifty Words

God Made

Adam Bit

Noah Arked

Abraham Split

Jacob Fooled

Joseph Ruled

Bush Talked

Moses Balked

Pharaoh Plagued

People Walked

Sea Divided

Tablets Guided

Promise Landed

Saul Freaked

David Peeked

Prophets Warned

Jesus Born

God Walked

Love Talked

Anger Crucified

Hope Died

Love Rose

Spirit Flamed

Word Spread

God Remained

Vision - A Statement For The American Church

Our wealth and abundance of human resources have positioned us to accept a paradigm that provision precedes vision. This has been the foundation of building a no-risk faith. This is a tragedy when part of the adventure is the discovery that vision always precedes provision.
Erwin R. McManus, Chasing Daylight

Prayer For The Mission Of The Church

Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you
through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him,
that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope
of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Book of Common Prayer

Miqra - The Calling Of God

 The Hebrew word for Bible is Miqra, a noun formed from the verb "to call," qara. The Bible is not a book to carry around and read for information on God, but a voice to listen to. I like that. This word of God that we name Bible, book, is not at root a word to be read and looked at and discussed. It is a word to be listened to and obeyed, a word that gets us going. Fundamentally, it is a call: God calls us.

Practice Resurrection, Eugene Peterson

This Is The Symbol For Christianity

More Than Nets - Get Invovled

See the links below for more information.

More Than Nets Facebook

More Than Nets

 

Time With God

This is a pic of some children spending time with God early in the morning as they began their day at Centri-Kid. They were given a devotional reading that is geared towards them and the adults helped them work through the devotional reading. They spent time with God and learned how to spend time with God at the same time.  We as adults need to spend time with God on a daily or every other day basis. We need to have some system, reading, devotional book, or prayer guide that helps us spend time with God and seek to hear His calling.  Our prayer time is not just a prayer time it is time with God. Much like we spend time with friends over lunch or a cup of coffee. Much like we spend time on the phone with loved ones who live far away. Much like...
The point is we need to spend time with God.

A Call For Unity

I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters. Some of you are saying, “I am a follower of Paul.” Others are saying, “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Peter,” or “I follow only Christ.” Has Christ been divided into factions? Was I, Paul, crucified for you? Were any of you baptized in the name of Paul? Of course not! I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, for now no one can say they were baptized in my name. (Oh yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas, but I don’t remember baptizing anyone else.)  For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.
I Corinthians 1:4-17

Centri-Kid

I did not post for over a week because I was at Eagle Eyrie Conference Center near Lynchburg, VA attending Centri-Kid with Horizon Community Church and many other churches.  We had a great time. Many decisions  were made by children and adults who desire to follow Jesus Christ. I thank God that years ago someone had a vision for Eagle Eyrie. I am thankful for those who had a dream for Centri-Kid. What visions or dreams do you and I have form God? God, please help us see just how important we are to you and your Kingdom.