The Kindness of Others.
In the past two weeks Sam and I have experienced the most amazing acts of kindness towards us. When God's people really believe and act on what God tells them to do they offer so many amazing blessings to others. Well these past two weeks I have experienced the blessing end. I can't thank any of you enough for what you have done for both Sam and I! You are all amazing followers of Jesus and I just want to affirm that what you have done has indeed helped in advancing God's kingdom. I would really like to thank Pastor Chris for all his help and guidance. I would specifically like to thank Him and Emmy for building our front steps. Chris is an amazing carpenter! And Emmy is right there too! Thank you guys so much for everything.
The point of my sharing this with you in the Friday Post is that I am so thankful that I want to turn around and help others using the gifts God has given me! I can see God's people working through New Life and I get so excited about that! God is so good even in times of despair (seemingly our economy). We must continue to trust in Him and rely on His guidance and Word. When we do follow through we bless others and cause them to want to bless others as well! What a great way to share God's love. My challenge to you this week is to "Pay It Forward" (yes taken from the movie by the same name) When someone does something nice for you, go and do something nice for someone else! Do it though, with the love of God as your driving force. For God gave everything to be with us, let us not forget Him and thus forfeit the most important realitonship of all.
To all of you who take Luke 10:27 seriously...may God richly bless you as you serve Him by serving your neighbor!
Thank you.
Brad
Friday, October 24, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Friday 10.17.08
Well tonight is the last home game for Knoch and it is going to be a bit chilly! Make sure you grab your coats and come out and join us. I have been doing a lot of working on the play at Knoch this week as well as band and it is just a blast! I am really excited for the show in November. (Make sure you come out and see it as it will be a really great show!) Anyway, simple Friday Post today. Nothing to crazy today. I have been so busy that it has certainly been a struggle to keep up with life! But God is still God and I am still a follower of Him! I love Him and I love working as His servant. My prayer is that someday you will all enjoy working as God's servants fully devoted to Him! Have a great day everyone!
Brad
Brad
Friday, October 10, 2008
The Friday Post 10.10.08
Hi Everyone,
I am preaching at New Life this Sunday so I have decided to share with you a part of my message for Sunday. (A sort of preview!!)
My biggest prayer is that we will step up to the microphone (to use the words of the Newsboys) to live out our faith daily! Anyway, here is a snippet.
Matthew 7:24-29
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
Colossians 2:7 states: Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
When we allow Christ’s teaching to become the foundation of our lives we are guaranteed that our faith will grow strong and we will overflow with thankfulness. Today we are going to study what happens when one of those building blocks is missing or somehow was taken away from the foundation.
The verse in Colossians 2:7 is a foundational verse for us to live on when it is partnered especially with Mathew 7:24-27. After studying Jesus best sermon ever for 20 weeks we must not let it fade from who we are. We must make his teaching the very essence of our being. I am not trying to be all mythical and mysterious, not at all. What I am saying is that it is time for God’s church to take seriously the call to live a life that is built and rooted in the bedrock of His word and not the “ideas” of our time. That is what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7:24-27.
When we look at the very nature of the builders in Matthew 7:24-27 we can see many similarities. They both desired to have a beautiful home. They both desired to live in the same area (based on the context of the scripture). They both wanted a place for their families to be protected and safe. There is one key difference though. When we look at the passage we see that the wise man thought through his decision to build his house. He took the time necessary to pray and dream and then plan for his house. The foolish man, on the other hand, did not. The foolish man could only see the end result in his mind. He just wanted to get the house up and worry about the rest later. The wise man must have not only read the Bible but also Andy Stanley’s insightful book 7 Practices of Effective Ministry because he understood what it took to build a lasting home. Stanley’s book deals primarily with ministry but it has real application to our lives as well. In Stanley’s book he talks about clarifying a win and thinking steps to get to that win.
The result for the wise man was joy and thankfulness as he built upon a solid foundation that never moved allowing his house to stand firm against the storm. While the result for the foolish man was hopelessness and despair as he lost everything. I don’t mean to make a teaching of Jesus sound so gloomy and sad but the reality is that if Jesus isn’t the foundation of our lives then we will not stand against the storms of this life. Some may turn to something other than the solid foundation that will only be washed away in the storm causing their lives to be that much more desolate.
But the truth today is that Jesus is the solid foundation. God’s word is our solid foundation. When we do the things that Jesus tells us to do and allow our roots to grow down deep into God then we will have a solid foundation on which to stand against the trials we face in life.
For more and two great illustrations you really don't want to miss, be at New Life this Sunday at 10:00 AM!
See ya,
Brad
I am preaching at New Life this Sunday so I have decided to share with you a part of my message for Sunday. (A sort of preview!!)
My biggest prayer is that we will step up to the microphone (to use the words of the Newsboys) to live out our faith daily! Anyway, here is a snippet.
Matthew 7:24-29
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. 26 But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. 27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” 28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 for he taught with real authority—quite unlike their teachers of religious law.
Colossians 2:7 states: Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.
When we allow Christ’s teaching to become the foundation of our lives we are guaranteed that our faith will grow strong and we will overflow with thankfulness. Today we are going to study what happens when one of those building blocks is missing or somehow was taken away from the foundation.
The verse in Colossians 2:7 is a foundational verse for us to live on when it is partnered especially with Mathew 7:24-27. After studying Jesus best sermon ever for 20 weeks we must not let it fade from who we are. We must make his teaching the very essence of our being. I am not trying to be all mythical and mysterious, not at all. What I am saying is that it is time for God’s church to take seriously the call to live a life that is built and rooted in the bedrock of His word and not the “ideas” of our time. That is what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 7:24-27.
When we look at the very nature of the builders in Matthew 7:24-27 we can see many similarities. They both desired to have a beautiful home. They both desired to live in the same area (based on the context of the scripture). They both wanted a place for their families to be protected and safe. There is one key difference though. When we look at the passage we see that the wise man thought through his decision to build his house. He took the time necessary to pray and dream and then plan for his house. The foolish man, on the other hand, did not. The foolish man could only see the end result in his mind. He just wanted to get the house up and worry about the rest later. The wise man must have not only read the Bible but also Andy Stanley’s insightful book 7 Practices of Effective Ministry because he understood what it took to build a lasting home. Stanley’s book deals primarily with ministry but it has real application to our lives as well. In Stanley’s book he talks about clarifying a win and thinking steps to get to that win.
The result for the wise man was joy and thankfulness as he built upon a solid foundation that never moved allowing his house to stand firm against the storm. While the result for the foolish man was hopelessness and despair as he lost everything. I don’t mean to make a teaching of Jesus sound so gloomy and sad but the reality is that if Jesus isn’t the foundation of our lives then we will not stand against the storms of this life. Some may turn to something other than the solid foundation that will only be washed away in the storm causing their lives to be that much more desolate.
But the truth today is that Jesus is the solid foundation. God’s word is our solid foundation. When we do the things that Jesus tells us to do and allow our roots to grow down deep into God then we will have a solid foundation on which to stand against the trials we face in life.
For more and two great illustrations you really don't want to miss, be at New Life this Sunday at 10:00 AM!
See ya,
Brad
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