Serving one another in the body of Christ

We are not all good at everything. Each of us has been gifted by God to do one thing in the body of Christ better than anyone else. We each have a gift we are to share for the care and building up of others. It's great to see that work. I love to see people in the church caring for, loving, and serving one another. The world is watching to see that too.

Jesus said this is how the world will know that we are Christians. Here's what He said to us,

Joh 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Joh 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

The normal guy on the street knows what a Christian is supposed to do- we are supposed to love one another, we are supposed to care for one another, we are supposed to serve one another.

Who told them what we are supposed to look like? God did.

And it looks like the picture at the beginning of this blog- it's helping others by doing for them what we do best, and what they can't do for themselves. It's loving one another, serving one another. It's described by Paul this way,

Eph 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
Eph 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Eph 4:14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
Eph 4:15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
Eph 4:16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

Get involved. Serve others. Do what you do best, and serve others because you love them and are obedient to Christ's command. Because the world is watching to see if we really are who we say we are- children of the living God.

A new baby has arrived!

Justin and Michelle Russell, a couple in our church, recently had a new baby.

They named him William.

This is a picture from the hospital.

CONGRATULATIONS!

He looks like a very interesting kid!

(Just kidding, this isn't really William.)

God's blessings

I got an e-mail from one of our wonderful ladies at the church with these thoughts. They were so good I thought I would share them with you. She gave me permission, so I'm sharing her thoughts as she wrote them:

Dear Friends,

As I sat outside on my patio this morning after so many mornings of sweltering heat and drought, I became so aware of my garden after yesterday's saturating rain. I hope this will be a blessing to you.


There's nothing like rain from heaven to water the earth below. The plants and flowers seem to swell into fullness; the leaves and flowers are lifted up. There is a life-force that flows from the roots to the tip of each leaf, stem and vine. The flowers are vibrant and touched in a way so very different from the water I give them from my garden hose. While I can keep my garden alive with frequent waterings and an occasional fertilization, there is something remarkably different that occurs in their appearance when the water is sent from God above. Even the wind has a different affect on a rain-nourished stem. It's as if there is greater agility and strength in movement, not a fight to withstand the hot, relentless heat and empty, drying winds.

How we, too, need to be nourished and soaked by our Maker in ways only He can achieve. Man's words and teachings are able to sustain us, but truly, these are only a fair substitute for the life-giving saturation and nourishment which comes directly from God's own hand. Let us not seek to drink solely from the well of others, but pray that God, Himself, would personally rain on us so that we would bring beauty and glory to our Creator...evidence of His life in us.

"...for in Him, we live and move and have our being..." Acts 17:28

Love, Colleen Nunn

Being part of the plan of God

It's early Monday morning here. I am trying to rest and recover from preaching 4 times yesterday. Our senior pastor was out, and I had the joy of filling in for him. I am spending two weeks in a passage in John- John 9. It's the story of a blind man, born blind, who Jesus healed. The part of it that amazes me is that Jesus tells us clearly in verse 3 that this man was born blind by the divine plan and purpose of God so that he would be there for Jesus to heal, and give prophetic evidence to the fact that he was indeed the Messiah. What an amazing insight for this man. If you know the law and the times of the first century this man thought that he was blind because of sin, but Jesus comes and reveals that this was part of God's plan. And then he heals him.

You and I are part of God's plan as well. Our lives, surrendered to him, are his masterpieces in process...he is working in our lives for his own glory. What a treat- to be a poster child for his love, grace and mercy. Sign me up!

The story of John 9 is a wonderful picture of a man growing in faith, and the illumination of seeing both light and the messiah. In verse 38 he meets Jesus for the first time with sight, and worships him. This is the proper response when you meet God in human flesh, but around Jesus were a host of "watchers" who did not bow the knee and worship. They were there, they saw him, but really didn't see him at all. They saw him with their eyes, but were completely blind to who this was.

The most notable line from this chapter is the blind man's own testimony. He said, "One thing I know, once I was blind, but now I see." I love that line. He didn't need to know much, he didn't have all the answers, but he knew one thing- when you see Jesus the one proper response is to worship him.

One day we will all get to do that. Paul writes these words in Phillippians and says,

Phi 2:9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
Phi 2:10 so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Phi 2:11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If you are reading this you have knees, have you bowed them to the messiah yet? Have you worshipped him and invited him to be your savior and Lord? If not, I invite you to consider him. You one day WILL bow before him. Won't it be great to do it because you want to, not because you have to?

God is amazing!

Brandon & Jenny Scott are friends of ours. They are getting ready to go to Guatemala as missionaries. Brandon has been part of our church since he was 3. He has recently finished seminary at Dallas Theological Seminary. His parents are now missionaries in Haiti. It's amazing to me to see how God works. He takes his children, gives them a burden for a ministry, a people, a country and they leap out into the unknown to serve God and preach the gospel.

Pray for Brandon & Jenny. Pray for their funding and their moving expenses. I'm so blessed to have friends like Brandon & Jenny. They, and their new son Deacon, are a wonderful witness to me of God's amazing power to work in lives.

If you want more information about Brandon & Jenny do let me know, or go to their blog site- http://brandonandjenny.blogspot.com/ .

I don't really want to get rid of them, but I do want to help them get on their way to the field.

Won't it be fun to see all that God has done through us as we have allowed Him to work in our lives?

Don't let your fears keep you from the adventure

Fear is a crippling thing. It keeps you from the adventures of life. Yes, I know, life is hard at times, BUT don't let fear keep you from the adventures that God has planned for you. Trust the Lord, and enjoy the ride. It's really a lot of fun when you know God is in charge of your life.

Here's a few verses to help you on your ride-

Psa 37:1 A Psalm of David. Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
Psa 37:2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.
Psa 37:3 Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Psa 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Psa 37:5 Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
Psa 37:6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.
Psa 37:7 Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.
Psa 37:8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.
Psa 37:9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the LORD, they will inherit the land.

The rock of Horeb

I love this picture. It means little to most, but to me it's a promise of God's provision. It's the rock of Horeb. You say, "so what?" It's the rock that Moses hit with his rod. God split it and provided a river of water for 2,000,000 jewish slaves and all their animals in the desert for months.

It's a reminder to me that God can meet my needs no matter what I see around me. It's a reminder that I have a very big God!

Whatever the need God is big enough to meet it.

But don't forget to say "thank you."

I don't like storms

I know storms come into our lives. We can't escape them. It's part of being human. The storms of a family crisis, a death, a sickness, financial problems, relationship issues, etc.

The big problem for me is that often I don't see the storm coming and find I'm in it before I can prepare. Of course that's the way it always is anyway...who sees a storm before it hits? Most of the time we seem to be "flying blind" when we find we are in the middle of a big storm!

But really, who can be ready for a storm? Who can prepare for the crisis of life? Jesus said we can prepare. He told an amazing story in the gospel of Matthew...

Mat 7:24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Mat 7:25 "And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
Mat 7:26 "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Mat 7:27 "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."

It's an amazing story because Jesus said that storm preparation is simply this- hearing HIS words and acting on them. That's all you need to get ready! We try to prepare by stocking food, getting flashlights ready, buying batteries, and a hundred other things. Many of you made these preparations in anticipation of the Y2K "disaster." But Jesus gave a completely different course of action to prepare for a storm. His disaster preparation course is this- listen to him, and do what he says! That's it.

What a bold statement! All I need for life and godliness is to listen to Jesus words and act on them. That reality still amazes me, still challenges me, still inspires me, and still humbles me because I forget it so easily.

Life's short- enjoy your work!

Strange business

I had a very interesting experience today. I had taken my motorcycle in to a vintage BMW dealer to do some repairs. It would cost me about $200.00. They called today and said, "that's the least of my problems....you need...."

When they were done I had a list of about $1,000.00 of repairs that I supposedly "needed right now." I was shocked, because I really take great care of my bike. I told them I couldn't do all of that, and would come get my bike, but with a second thought I called back to ask, "wait a minute, I asked you to do a specific repair, aren't you going to do that??" The owners reply was what got me, he said, "no, that's not what you need most. I won't do that before I do the more important things." So, tomorrow I am going down to pick up my, as he called it, "piece of junk" motorcycle, repairs undone.

Ok, why a blog on this?

I'm so glad the Lord doesn't do that with us. He's so kind to take what broken pieces we bring him and fix those. We have more to work on, but we don't know that yet...we are still growing. God knows there are bigger things to fix, more important things, and yet he gently takes the broken pieces we give him, fixes those, loves us, and knows there are more things we need to fix, but he waits...He waits for us to grow, to see, to know that there are more broken things we need his help with, and he waits for us to come to him with those pieces as well.

I may run down the road of my walk with God with things that need repair- a bad attitude, an unforgiving heart, anger towards another believer. God will convict me, lead me, work with me until I realize I need his help to fix each of those things. And then when I come, he helps me with my problem, fixes my broken life, and helps me grow to see there is still more we need to work on, still more...until we are mature in him, conformed to the image of Christ.

Thanks, Lord, for all you have done and all you are doing in us now. Thank you that you are working in us to make us Christ-like. Continue to work, help us to grow.

It's hot in Texas!

It's been over 100 degrees for more than 32 days this summer. Today was over 105! That's hot! I had to take my motorcycle in for service today, and wouldn't you know that I had it scheduled for the hottest day of the summer. I ride an old antique bmw, and it's air-cooled. It didn't cool off much today, in fact I think the motor was cooler than the air. I know it felt like it.

I know I have already complained about the heat, but summer is hard in Texas, and we have at least 4 more days over 100 ahead of us...it's tiring, and expensive to keep cool.

Ok, I got to fuss a little, so what's with the elephant? It just looked a lot better than my day, and the picture made me smile. Hope you had a cooler day than we did here.

A great picture that doesn't need a comment

Ok, I can't help it. I have to comment...

Does it feel like some days you are in a circus?

Do you have a good title for this picture?

A good article to read

I would like to encourage you to read a blog article on my wife's blog. It deals with how she reads the bible. I think it's an excellent article, and I encourage you to read it. The one thing I find with most Christians is that they don't read the word regularly, and I think it's hurting the church more than we know. I often ask people I meet with, "Are you in the word?" And rarely do I hear them respond, "Yeah, every day!"

Most of the responses are something like this, "Well, no, not as much as I should...I'd like to read more, but....I know I should, but...." Well, you get the idea. If you are struggling with a way to read the word on a daily basis let me invite you to read Joye's blog.

You can read it at Joyefulthings

The End of the World!

I have a confession to make. I know this will sound funny, but bear with me. Ok, are you ready?

Here's my confession- I'm a prophecy expert.

Yes, you heard me right. I'm an expert in bible prophecy!

I know EXACTLY what the prophecies mean.....

.....right after they happen!

I know, I know....you smile and tell me, "that's not an expert," but let me change your view of prophecy a little. Bible prophecy was not intended to tell us exactly when Christ would come back. Prophecy was given for two reasons-

1. To prove that God is God. He's the only God there is who can tell us what will happen before it does. In fact the Old Testament says that prophecy is one of the proofs that He is God...He tells us what is coming before it does. No other god can do that!

and, 2. To give us the signs we need to be ready. Take a moment and read the passage from Matthew below (notice the parts that are warning of what we are to do)-

Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you.

Mat 24:6 "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

Mat 24:33 so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.

Mat 24:42 "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.

Mat 24:44 "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
Mat 24:45 "Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?

Mat 24:46 "Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
Mat 24:47 "Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

Be on the alert...He's right at the door...Be faithful. He says nothing about knowing the exact day, nothing about building timelines.

It's all about being faithful. It's all about being ready. It's all designed to give us the signs of his return so we will be ready, faithful, on the alert, at the door, doing the work, expecting him, awake, with our lights on.

And Jesus also describes these times as birth pangs for those who don't know Christ- so they can prepare. The fear that these times create is intended to draw the lost to Christ and challenge us to get ready.

So what are we to do? It's easy- be ready, be faithful, share your faith, love the lost, trust the Lord, and look up....the Lord is coming!

Book Meme

So many books, so little time. This meme is a way to share books amongst our blogging community. Since we already know that the Bible is The Book with the most impact on our lives, this list should be books other than the Bible. The hard part is just sharing ONE book for each category!

1. One book that changed your life:
The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer (Sorry, Joye, this is too good to not be on the top of the list, so I have to list it too.)

2. One book that you've read more than once:
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
Can I count the Chronicles of Narnia as one book?

4. One book that made you laugh:
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown (It's story line made me laugh and made me mad.)

5. One book that made you cry [or feel really sad]:
Sorry, don't have one.

6. One book that you wish had been written:
The seekers guide to truth

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

8. One book you're currently reading:
Simply Christian by N.T. Wright (A great book, just out, I highly recommend it.)

9. One book you've been meaning to read:
Christ plays in 10,000 places by Eugene Peterson (I'm half way through and can't seem to get it finished.)

10. Now tag five people:
Brent (The McKinney Diner), Brando (Ramble Zone), Lori (A little of this..), Lindsay (Life in a shoe), Zach (The twitch cave)