Drunk Driver Fails Sobriety Test Before The Test

What I’m Learning from Joshua (ch. 7)

Achan took some devoted things as plunder rather than destroying everything like it was commanded.  This is an example of how one man’s sin affects the community…with delayed consequences.

Joshua is then upset at their first defeat.  Lost 36 men.  Big deal!  And he’s crying like a baby.  Then God tells him about the sin.  God will not go before them in battle until the devoted things are destroyed.

What “devoted things” still linger in your life that God has explicitly asked you to get rid of?  Could that be why you haven’t had a victory in your life lately?

I Need a Trunk Monkey!

The best one is at the 1:50 mark!

What I’m Learning from Joshua (ch. 6)

The Fall of Jericho.

God prepares the people for battle by marching around the city 6 days.  They are spiritually depending on God, but it also gives them a chance to see weaknesses and do some psychological warfare.  They marched with trumpets but no war cries until the 7th day.

The whole city except for Rahab’s family is utterly and finally destroyed.  Her family is assimilated…a remnant.

BY THE WAY: The latest message from our MAKE LOVE…a verb series in now online HERE.

The World is Changing Fast: R U ready for the long-term consequences?

I have no clue what those consequences will be, but I can guarantee you that the world my grandchildren live in will be A LOT different than mine.  What do you see?

Sunday Setlist #20

Here’s today’s set list of music at the Awakening Service at FCC.  This will be linked to Fred McKinnon’s blog where other worship bloggers post their setlists.  

Here’s what we did:

Overflow (we still love doing this Geoff Moore song from 2001)

Another Hallelujah (Brought this oldie back because our people really love it)

Our God Reigns

Message Week 3 of our make love a verb series on marriage.   (www.makeloveaverb.com)

(during communion) How He Loves

As Long As I Have You

My Future Decided (Closing)

Sunday Morning Thought

The main goal of the Christian is to reflect the life of Christ in our own life.  That’s how we give him glory.

Philippians 2:3-5, Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

Thoughts from 2 Corinthians 9

Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!  If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.  What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.  Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.  To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.  To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.  1 Corinthians 9:16-23

What this is saying is that we need to preach and “be church” in different contexts and that might look different from one place to another.  Why?  “To win as many as possible.”  How did I get to that conclusion?  “I have become all things to all people.”  Paul wasn’t a “pleaser.”  He just wanted to reach people with the unchangeable gospel.  Read through Acts and see the different and varying methods that he (and the rest of the early church) tried to do that.  How can our (your) church change (without compromising the message) in order to reach people for Christ in your community?

Song Inspiration: “Asleep in the Light” Keith Green

I was trying to remember what was the first song that made a real impact on me.  And it didn’t take long to remember this classic Keith Green.  I can even remember hearing it for the first time as a 12 year old and just crying, asking God for this not to be true about me.  Boy, do I need to hear this message everyday because it’s so easy to fall asleep in the light.

And for Kim, who commented about Mark Schult’s He Is…here’s the story behind that song…and even though he doesn’t have the actual song on youtube there are some other covering it for him.

What I’m Learning from Joshua (Ch. 5)

Enemy kings capitulate when they hear about what God has done.  When we share how God changed our lives that spreads and others respond.

Every male circumcised (OUCH!).  “Hill of foreskins.”  GROSS!  This Old Testament sign is like baptism…outward sign on inward commitment.

Now in Canaan they eat the fruit of the land, not manna anymore.  I wondered how they responded to this change?  Manna for all those years…no cooking, no hard work.  Now they get variety and real fruit but they have to “get it.”

Angels appear to tell Joshua to take his sandals off for he is standing on Holy Ground (which is what happened to Moses at the burning bush).