A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook a quote from a book he read, and with this post came the instructions of grabbing the book nearest you, opening it to page 56 and posting the 5th sentence as your “status.” I just happened to have in my hands a book that I had planned to revisit – Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley.
The sentence said, “Failure is a part of success.” Read the rest of this entry »
Genesis 3:8-15.
Living right is full of distracting temptations. Last week we looked at Ezekiel as he witnessed the valley of dry bones coming together, with muscle forming and tissue developing, and the four winds of God’s Spirit entering the bodies to produce a mighty army – that’s us!
So as we move forward and prepare to think forward as a church, allow me to offer a word of warning. Read the rest of this entry »
Ezekiel 37:1-14.
Ezekiel’s name means “God Strengthens”, or “Strengthened by God.” He was a priest who became a prophet and acted out his bizarre visions instead of just telling them. His messages to the people of God came in three phases: 1) Warning of the Fall of Israel, 2) God’s deliverance was going to be slow, and 3) There is hope for God’s people. Get ready!
How can any church experience revival today? Read the rest of this entry »
Acts 1:15-26
Transitions indicate change, something that some people embrace and others detest. How should God’s people deal with transitions? After all, transitions are important and usually necessary. Diane recently bought new glasses with transition lenses. The purpose of these lenses is to protect the eye from harm while providing the best atmosphere for vision. I believe that we can find a word for the church in this. Read the rest of this entry »
Acts 10:1-11:18 (10:44-48 focal).
One of my favorite memories of grade school was what happened on our way home on the last day of school. Our bus would always stop at The Golden Bear, a local ice cream stand typical in small communities where I grew up in Ohio. I’d ask Mom for money or save pennies or whatever it took to have enough to get an ice cream cone – what a special treat. I also remember my last day of school in 2nd grade. Whether I forgot my money or we didn’t have any is not what I recall, but I do know that I did not have any money and I sat in the back of the bus crying while watching all of the other kids get off the bus to go get their treat, laughing and playing and not paying any attention to the one kid being left out.
I know what it means to be left out of something of which I really wanted to be part. Read the rest of this entry »
