Apple has done it again. The iphone, which just came out about a year ago, will come out with their second generation iphone that will be cheaper and faster. This is a great phone and now it should be even better! I just wish I wouldn’t have bought mine two months ago so I could take advantage of the new features at a cheaper price!!!!
You can read more about it HERE!
Well we have been talking about painting our Student Center which includes our Worship Center and Cafe’. Our Creative Arts guy gave us great ideas based on my poor job of describing what we want. I feel like I have led our team in several different ideas, but we just haven’t seemed to hit those two or three colors that resonate with what we are trying to do. However, while my family and I were at Chipolte on Friday i took some pics of their wall. This totally resonates with me and describes the look that I am going for. I would call this an industrial look.
Maybe I am wrong but if you have pics of ideas, PLEASE send them my way. Maybe your pic is the missing color we have been looking for!
Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which means ‘Christ’.
Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “’our name is Simon, son of John—but you will be called Cephas’ (which means ‘Peter’). v.40-42
Jesus begins building a team of men that we know today as the Disciples. He will gather 12 of them who will be with him 24/7. As a read today I am challenged by the attitude and zeal that Andrew and Phillip both had when they found out that Jesus was the Messiah. Both of them waisted no time in telling others. Andrew went and told his brother Simon, who we know as Peter, and Phillip went and told Nathaniel. Both brought others to Jesus just based on the little they knew about Him. These 4 men would begin a journey, joined by 8 others with the living Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Sometimes we are afraid to share with others about Jesus. There are several reasons, fear that we don’t know enough, or that we might mess up, or we don’t want to offend others. When I read this passage I am convinced that these guys didn’t care how much they knew. They didn’t worry about how to tell others and they just wanted people to know about Jesus, they didn’t care if it was politically correct or not. I think sometimes we worry more about messing up than about sharing. We don’t have to know it all, we just have to share what we know and let God do the rest!!!! So today, take some steps toward sharing Jesus with others, the more you get to know Him, the easier this will become!
Well summer is here and it is hot. Our family has found itself at the pool quite a bit lately. Ever since we got Josiah a life jacket his confidence in the water has grown. It has been refreshing just to relax at the neighborhood pool. Now if they would just get the pump to work right everything would be perfect. In spite of the leaves in the pool, we sure are having fun! It is still cleaner than swimming in the lake!!!
“John announced: ‘Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!’” v. 7-8
The prophet Isaiah said that the Messiah would have someone preparing the people for His coming. This someone was who we call John the Baptist. John was calling people to repentance and baptizing them to show outwardly that they had repented from their sin and were turning to God.
John knew his mission: declare the coming of the Messiah! One day as John was baptizing, Jesus comes to be baptized. Jesus didn’t have to be baptized because he hadn’t sinned, and well, He had the whole God things going on. But Jesus was baptized for a couple of reasons.
(1) His Baptism marked the beginning of His earthly Ministry to bring Salvation to all people.
(2) His Baptism showed support of John Ministry.
(3) His Baptism allowed him to identify with us, sinners who needed salvation, forgiveness of sin.
(4) His Baptism gave us an example to follow.
Later, the church would use Baptism as a way to show on the outside what Jesus had done on the inside, changing a persons heart. Baptism is a symbol of Jesus Death, Burial and Resurrection. When someone is baptized they are showing people that:
(1) They Believe they are a sinner in need of a savior.
(2) They Believe Jesus to be the Savior of the world.
(3) They Believe Jesus is the only way to experience this Salvation.
(4) They have put their Faith and Hope in Him and plan to live the rest of their life for Him.
Have you experienced Jesus in this way? Have you followed the example of Christ by being Baptized?
“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” v.52 (NLT)
It’s easy to forget that Jesus had a childhood just like us. That means he experienced some of the same childhood experiences that you and I experience. Even though he was God, He was still fully human and had to continually grow in the four areas mentioned in this verse. He grew in Wisdom (mental growth), Stature (physical growth), Favor with God (spiritual growth), Favor with all people (social growth).
This was a life long process for Him and should be for us! If you were to evaluate yourself in these four areas how are you growing? Maybe a better question is, Are you growing in each of these areas? I am talking about becoming healthier!! If you aren’t what is keeping you from growing in these areas? What are you going to start doing today in order to begin growing healthier and more like Christ?
Yesterday, was a guys day! Stephanie had work, a hair cut, dinner with a friend, and coffee/book review gathering discussing the book they are reading. Thus, it left the boys and I here all alone. It was fun, we went to the pool, ate ramen noodle, watched TV, and then went to sleep.
The pool was awesome, we went right around 4:30ish, so there weren’t a lot of people there. However, I did get hit on by another mother. As I was throwing a football back and forth with Josiah and pushing Jackson in his Crab, a lady with probably a 1 and a half year old came right up to me to talk. She even got in the water, talking about how her daughter wanted to come see the baby (Jackson). As she was talking, she commented on Jackson eyes. I was able to say that He got the blue eyes from his mommy. The lady didn’t stay much longer after that.
Maybe I am blowing it out of proportion, but I have never gotten in cold water, the water in the pool is still pretty cold, went up to a complete stranger and started talking. It made me wish my wife was there with us. When she is gone it’s just not the same!
“After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,’ the angel said. ‘Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’” v. 13
On the move, Joseph, Mary and Jesus move to Egypt to escape Herod’s decree to kill the baby boys 2 years old and younger. Herod was trying to secure his kingdom. He was fearful that Jesus would replace him as king, therefore he tried to eliminate Him (Jesus) by having all baby boys killed. What Herod didn’t realize is that Jesus wasn’t here to take his kingdom but to bring people back to a relationship with God and advance an Eternal Kingdom. Herod was more worried about his earthly kingdom, then the Eternal Kingdom Jesus would establish.
Ouch, how many times are we more concerned about building our own kingdoms than advancing the Eternal Kingdom Jesus came to establish. Sometimes we do this out of our own selfish desires, pride, unconfessed sin, a hardened heart, and/or lack of faith. Everyday we must learn to deny ourselves and pray, “God, today, may it be more about YOUR Kingdom than MY kingdom. May I decrees today so you can increase, in the areas that I am weak, will you be strong.” When we begin to have a heart like this, God is very pleased, and we are more available to be used by Him!
“After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” v.9-11
Jesus was probably 2 or 3 years of age when the wise men visited. They never made it to the manger as many of our Nativity pieces at Christmas time declare. When they arrived in Bethlehem, they worshiped and offered gift to the Christ Child. Gold Frankincense and Myrrh, were all valuable gift. These gifts were symbolic to who Jesus was and what would happen to Him. The gold was a gift of royalty, the frankincense was a gift of deity, and the myrrh was a spice used to anoint the body for burial.
This causes me to think about my personal worship and what kind of gifts I am offering to Jesus? Are my gifts convenient or sacrificial? How far and how long am I willing to travel to be with Jesus? How well to I follow Gods lead, and trust that He is leading me in the right direction with absolute faith? These are just some questions that are stirring in my heart right now!
Dan Gould 