Today is St. Patrick's Day, so I though I would give you some old Irish blessings and sayings. Some are serious and some are funny. Enjoy!
May you always have
Walls for the winds,
A roof for the rain,
Tea beside the fire,
Laughter to cheer you,
Those you love near you,
And all your heart might desire!
May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
May the best day of your past
Be the worst day of your future.
May those who love us, love us
And those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts
And if he can't turn their hearts,
May he turn their ankles
So we will know them by their limping!
As you slide down the banister of life,
May the splinters never point in the wrong direction!
May your neighbors respect you,
Troubles neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And Heaven accept you.
May God grant you many years to live,
For sure he must be knowing
The earth has angels all to few
And Heaven is overflowing.
May you live as long as you want,
And never want as long as you live.
Have a great day. Full Turn is tonight. We hope to see you there.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
What is a Swagger Jacker?
I don’t know where I originally heard the term swagger jacker. I don’t think it’s technically a theological designation. But I want to sanctify it for a minute and bring it over into a ministry context.
Have you ever faced any swagger jackers in your attempt to do God’s will?
I’m identifying a swagger jacker as anyone who tries to back you down from doing what you know God has told you to do. There are plenty of swagger jackers exposed in the pages of the Bible. They make a lot of noise. They inflict a lot of pain. But they simply can’t stop the purposes of God-if God’s servants stay focused on God’s will.
The swagger jackers laughed at Noah for building a boat to prepare for a flood before anyone had ever seen rain. They weren’t laughing on day 40 of the storm.
Joseph’s swagger jacker brothers threw him in a pit. But they couldn’t keep him from rising to a position of prominence in the palace-and ultimately saving their lives despite themselves.
Nehemiah faced swagger jackers like Sanballat. They insisted he halt the work of the Lord and come down off the wall. He stayed on the wall and finished the work.
And so on. You see the point.
I’ve seen too many men and women of God stripped of their courage by swagger jacking critics, haters, and generally negative or mediocre people.
Keep building your boat.
Stay faithful in the prison.
Remain on the wall.
Don’t concede your confidence in Christ. No one can take away your swagger if your swagger is rooted in Jesus-powered by grace-activated by faith.
Have you ever faced any swagger jackers in your attempt to do God’s will?
I’m identifying a swagger jacker as anyone who tries to back you down from doing what you know God has told you to do. There are plenty of swagger jackers exposed in the pages of the Bible. They make a lot of noise. They inflict a lot of pain. But they simply can’t stop the purposes of God-if God’s servants stay focused on God’s will.
The swagger jackers laughed at Noah for building a boat to prepare for a flood before anyone had ever seen rain. They weren’t laughing on day 40 of the storm.
Joseph’s swagger jacker brothers threw him in a pit. But they couldn’t keep him from rising to a position of prominence in the palace-and ultimately saving their lives despite themselves.
Nehemiah faced swagger jackers like Sanballat. They insisted he halt the work of the Lord and come down off the wall. He stayed on the wall and finished the work.
And so on. You see the point.
I’ve seen too many men and women of God stripped of their courage by swagger jacking critics, haters, and generally negative or mediocre people.
Keep building your boat.
Stay faithful in the prison.
Remain on the wall.
Don’t concede your confidence in Christ. No one can take away your swagger if your swagger is rooted in Jesus-powered by grace-activated by faith.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The World's Only Hope
The church is the worlds only hope. We should be the example and we should be the light. The Bible says that we have been called kings and priests. Let's think about this for a second.The title king denotes authority. This means that the church is God's authority here on the earth. We should lead the way and make things happen. Then we see that we are not only Kings but we are also priests. A priest is someone who is subject to God. So not only have we been given great authority through Jesus Christ, but we are also people under authority. We take our orders from the King of Kings. A priest is someone that is set a part for the work of the ministry. We have all been called to be God's hands and to be His feet. We are the arm of the Lord extended to this world.
The early church in the book of Acts grew by the thousands daily. How was this accomplished. It was not accomplished by one man, but by many people filled with the Holy Spirit, spreading the message of Jesus Christ. This is why it is so important for us to continue to spread the Word. The church is made up of many people, but we have all been called to operate and carry ourselves as kings and priests, humbly following the voice of the Lord. God desires His church to grow. He desires us to be His ambassadors.
The early church in the book of Acts grew by the thousands daily. How was this accomplished. It was not accomplished by one man, but by many people filled with the Holy Spirit, spreading the message of Jesus Christ. This is why it is so important for us to continue to spread the Word. The church is made up of many people, but we have all been called to operate and carry ourselves as kings and priests, humbly following the voice of the Lord. God desires His church to grow. He desires us to be His ambassadors.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Ephesians 3:20
Ephesians 3:20 is one of my all time favorite verses:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…
That’s a hot one right there. An astonishing promise. God can do so much more than what you’re expecting. His performance isn’t limited to the confines of your imagination. The implications of this statement are hard to believe…but simple to understand. It’s a straightforward fact: The wildest dreams you can conceive don’t even compare to the endless power of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…
That’s a hot one right there. An astonishing promise. God can do so much more than what you’re expecting. His performance isn’t limited to the confines of your imagination. The implications of this statement are hard to believe…but simple to understand. It’s a straightforward fact: The wildest dreams you can conceive don’t even compare to the endless power of God.
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