Welcome to my Blog

This is My Blog. The Content Of this Blog Changes, and WILL Change. It is about Everything that is Important to me! So, I hope you enjoy this brief glimpse in to my Brain!

HTML Marquees

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Finding the Hole in Me (session 2 from The Hole in our Gospel)



This Session is called Finding the hole in Me. What are we doing to embrace the Whole Gospel so we dont  leave a Hole in the Gospel? This is all about that. Finding out what our purpose that God created us to be on this Earth, so we are showing the world the WHOLE Gospel, & not just part of it.

Like it our not, we are judged by "walk" not JUST the things we talk about.
My Pastor in his Sermon, posed  a few questions that I am going to keep in front of me all the time because I want to be able to answer Yes to God when I am Asked them. They are :

Did you Live from the Life Christ died to give You?

&

How did you respond to the People God put in your path?

 God Says in Mathew 25 that When you treat the Least of these the way you would treat him, that you are doing them to Him. So, in light of that how ARE we treating the People that God puts in our path? This isnt refering to the Easy people that we like, its the Difficult people that Smell because they are homeless, Dont have a place to live, the Person that is a Prostitute that doesnt know any other life, the Homeless child stealing food because they have nothing to eat.



 So, what exactly am I doing with all that God has blessed me with? Will I at the End of my Life be able to Stand before God and say that I used all that he blessed me with to be a blessing to others? or will I find out that I fell far short of the mark?


WHEW! that's enough to keep you up late at nights if you were a worrier! Thankfully for me, long before i had ever heard about this book, God was Dealing with me on EXACTLY this topic!!

I think its the coolest thing on how God reveals his purpose for our lives, a little bit at a time. Kinda like bread crumbs in the forest. ( or at least that is how its been to me)

Way back in June of 2009 I participated in a Group Blogging Project on a Book called Servolution


That was when I can remember the first time I remember God starting to open my eyes to the purpose he had for my Life. Over the following months I would get bits and pieces of the general idea of the path he was taking me on.

He first used this song that I Blogged about in March of 2010 The song is called "Give me your eyes" By Brandon Heath. It came on the Radio on my way home from Church that Sunday and I was singing along with it, I felt the Holy Spirit tap me on the shoulder ( figuratively, of course) and seem to say " Listen to those words again, do you REALLY hear what it says?

Talk about a Light Bulb Moment!! ( Here's that Blog Post)

I always know that when I see a verse of scripture, referred to over and over in several different places & things I'm watching, things I'm reading, conversations I'm having, that's God saying "listen up! this is something I want you to get" So, when I saw matthew 25 referred to everywhere I went, I had my Listening ears on!!

Sure, you say, I'm so happy that you have realized some of what God wants you to do, but, what does the mean to me?

I'm glad you asked! It means engaging people from the healthiness of Christ, not from our dysfunction, & doing things for the least of these the way we would for Jesus. Figuring out what it is that we CAN do, & doing it, so we can change the world with the little part that everyone can play.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

The Hole in our Gospel Session 1


The Hole in Our Gospel - CoverImage by compulsiveguile via Flickr
The Hole In the WHOLE


This book & study refers to the "Hole" in our Gospel meaning, that maybe somewhere along the way we got sidetracked from sharing the "Whole" Gospel, & figuring out what it is that God expects of us.


The "Hole" Refers to the fact that in our efforts to Evangelize,& spread the Gospel, we seem to have boiled it down to a sort of "fire insurance" that a person can get by saying the Sinners Prayer, but, then they can go back and live their lives as usual, weather they were rich or poor, as long as they have the golden ticket, or check mark on their card, they are set for life. But, this limited way of thinking isnt the "whole gospel" But, a big, gaping hole"

The "WHOLE" Gospel is much more than Personal Salvation of Individuals, it means  considering a total Paradigm shift in how we think of what God actually expects of us.God didnt just save us FROM something, GHe saved us FOR something.


The "WHOLE" Gospel Includes justice, mercy, & faithfulness. Micah 6:8 Says: 

Micah 6:8 MSG - YouVersion.com

8 But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
take God seriously.

So, how does this play  out in our lives? It means that instead of just SAYING we care about others, it means we get out in the community and Serve the poor, & the needy by meeting the needs we CAN meet, because  not everyone can do everything, but, everyone can do SOMETHING.

We were created by God for God to carry out his purpose on earth, & that means that we need to be concerned about the needs of others around us.

The "Whole" Gospel also means that we must not let the government step in and & do what we as the church are called to do.


Psalm 82: 3-4 Says
“Give justice to the poor and the orphan;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.

4 Rescue the poor and helpless;
deliver them from the grasp of evil people.
 The Message Says:

You’re here to defend the defenseless,
to make sure that underdogs get a fair break;4 Your job is to stand up for the powerless,
and prosecute all those who exploit them.”

This is what God is Caling the Church to do. I have for the Past YEAR, to year and a half felt this Tug on my Spirit.

The Study Guide asks for you to figure out a personal mission statment.

That is REAL easy for me since I have already figured that out.

It was Spoken to me loud in clear in a Song by Lincoln Brewster Called the " Power of Your Name"
The very first time I heard the song.. I knew that, I knew that, I knew, THAT was God's Purpose for my life specifically, the chorus. so, that is my Mission Statement.

It goes like this:

I will live to carry your compassion,
To love a world that's broken,
To be your hands and feet,

I will give with the life that I've been given,
and go beyond Religion,
to see the world be changed,
By the Power of your Name.

It is my desire for that to be my Identity, for People to look at me and see that, not Just who I say I want to be!





Enhanced by Zemanta

Friday, February 4, 2011

Yes! I am Still around!!! Where the Heck have I been you ask??( Im Still gonna tell you even if you dont care! HA!)

I have been INSANELY BUSY!! Working 2 part time Jobs Thru  the Holidays is No Small Feat!! That Plus the Fact that my Laptop Died & there is something so much easier about wanting to Blog on a Laptop as opposed to a desktop computer.

But, Woohoo! I have a new Laptop... so YAY!

Anywhoo,

My Totally Awesome Pastor is Preaching a Series  that is TOTALLY up my alley!

( Yeah, he started it 2 and a half weeks ago... So what??)

Its from  Book called "The Hole in our Gospel"

Its Written by Richard Stearns ( who is the CEO of Worldvision BTW!! Cool Tie-in my Second Job huh??)

So, Starting tomorrow, I am going to be sharing my Thoughts on what I feel God is Speaking to me thru this series.

If you have been following my blog for any length of time, ( or just read all of my posts) You'll know that Is this a Area of Ministry that I have a very strong burden for!

I will be Including Links to this Book & The Study Guide I am using.. Plus the DVD that is the 6 week Quest that my Pastor is Basing his Sermons on after each post In case any of Ya'll Want it!!Search Amazon.com for the hole in our gospel by richard stearns