Great Sunday

Our services on Sunday were awesome. We continued our latest teaching series - the Road to Recovery. Steve Adkins did a great job preaching on Let Go and Let God.

He presented the great news that Jesus wants to be involved in people lives. Many things stop us or hold us back. Pride, guilt, worry & fear. God will not impose himself on us but all it takes is a decision and we can start on the most amazing relationship we can ever have.

Salvation is a decision followed by a process. We very often try to work everything out before making a decision to do something. We get invested in the process. What if? Are we good enough? What if I can not keep it up? the questions go on. The important thing is that in making the decision we now have God in our lives to help us through all the question.

It was awesome to see 17 people make a decision on Sunday to follow Jesus for the first time at our services. Now the fun begins - working on this brand new relationship with Jesus.

Grace is hard to handle

This last Sunday I had a ball preaching at our church. We have recently started a new series called the "Road to Recovery". It's based on the idea that we all have hurts and hangups, God loves us and we are all on a road to recovery. This journey we are on with Jesus is the most important and challenging thing we face. To become more like Jesus is the most inspiring but difficult thing we face.

We need to realise that none of us could have started this journey without God's grace. None of us deserve to be called His followers. We are all agreed on that. (I think). Us happy huddle of Christians love to bathe in the river of God's grace. I have discovered that the real test of Grace is not when we receive it, its when we have to give it away.

This past Sunday I talked about the fact that God IS love. His grace is available to everyone. All fine until we start to use words like Gays. When we say that the church must be open to all and a place where people can find a safe place to begin their journey with God somehow we don't always mean ALL people.

Don't get me wrong sin is not acceptable to God in any form. But lets remember the old saying, God hates the Sin but loves the sinner. For those of us who have started this incredible journey we must always remember how MUCH we have been forgiven how much we still struggle with some things in our own lives that we wouldn't want many people to know about. God knows, he is cool, and he is there to help us - thats the reason why he sent His son.

Remember we will do things out of love that we will never do out of fear. Don't keep the worlds greatest gift - God's grace - for yourself, give it away. God knows we all need it!

Small things matter

I have picked up a copy of "In a pit with a Lion on a snowy day" by Mark Batterson from Amazon recently. I regularly read a number of Pastors Blogs from the US and it seemed that many of them had read or were reading this book. My interest was aroused.

I started to read it yesterday and just could not put it down. It was a compelling read. Many things spoke to me but one of the most impacting was Mark's take on the story in Second Kings about Elisha's prayer about an axe head lost in a river. One of the guys who had borrowed an axe to help build a new place for the Prophets to meet was hard at work when the axe head flew off and dropped into the river. Instead of doing what most of us would have done, probably laughed(I know I'm sick) Elisha prayed for the axe head to float.

Mark makes the point that God is interested in the small things like wedding receptions (Jesus first miracle) and lost axe heads as much as he is interested in the big things.

"God is not just great because nothing is to big for Him. God is great because nothing is to small for Him either". - Mark Batterson

Old Friends

Last Saturday my wife and I were invited to an old friends 40 birthday bash. (Really my wifes friend) But many years ago a group of us used to hang out together. Most of us met when we were single and gradually got married off. We all sort of went our separate ways.

20 years has seen us all change so much, expanding waist lines and receding hairlines were very much on view. These sort of events are always interesting in that you enter fully into a 20 year old relationship. Though you and the person have not changed in any way. When the truth of the matter is that we have all changed dramatically in the inside as well as the all to obvious outside features.

You have so many expectations growing up as to what you want to accomplish in life. I spent some time thinking of how things have developed.

1. I have a better relationship with my God.
2. I have a fantastic relationship with my wonderful wife.
3. I have 2 great kids.
4. I am fulfilling my dream of pasturing a great church with some great fiends.

I could not have wished for anything better.

It was good to talk to old friends. Even though we don't see each other very often now I pray that their lives will give them the fulfillment that I am having on this great adventure.