I was planning on publishing some goofy thing on Conversatio Morum for Christmas. Similar to what happened on Thanksgiving. However, as I started reading the Christmas account from Matthew 2 this year, any goofy post I had thought of fell by the wayside. I was taken into the story in a new way. There was a part that I had simply accepted and never meditated on, or ignored. Until yesterday. Continue reading “Newtown, the Christmas story, and Bethlehem’s Sons”
Don’t Complain To Me
Hey folks, I was going to post something on Technology and Theology, but I’m taking a break for this week from the web strategy series to address something more specific to mission and theology. We’ll, hopefully, jump back to the series with web strategy next week.
Every church has them, they’re noisy, loud, make a mess, and generally just have to be watched all the time. No, I’m not talking about babies although these things are true for them too. (I mean, have you seen what a 6 month old can do while left alone? It’s amazing the amount of destructive energy they have. Now if only we could harness that for good…….ok that’s a rabbit trail for another day.) What I’m actually talking about is Continue reading “Don’t Complain To Me”
Thanksgiving (or Turkey Bacon?)
At Conversatio Morum we normally talk about church, missiology, theology, and technology. However, there’s this rule that since it’s thanksgiving, and this is a “christian” blog, that you’re now supposed to tell everyone what you’re thankful for in social media and on your blog. Yeah I know, cause thanksgiving was a holiday started by Jesus and not Pilgrims 🙂 .
(Relax, I agree that we ought to be thankful as Christians, since we have the most to be thankful for…seesh. Now that I’ve said that, stop with the emails already.)
OK, so here’s the top 5 Continue reading “Thanksgiving (or Turkey Bacon?)”
Max Lucado – Grace
Younger Generation
- This is the finishing generation
- This is the answer to our prayers
- We’ve been asking for them for decades, and they’re here
- I’m more convinced then ever that it’s gonna happen
Jimmy Seibert – God is on the Move
Matthew 13:16-17
- We are getting closer and closer to Jesus return
- God is on the move.
The kind of people God uses to change the world:
- Have decided Jesus is worthy of their lives no matter what
- Revelation 5:1-5, 9-10
- There is no one else like Jesus
- No one other than Jesus is worthy
- Because Jesus is worthy, He is worth our lives
- When Jesus is central all things are possible.
- When the glory of God is central, all things become secondary.
- We have the answer to the world’s problems because we have Jesus.
- The foreign aid workers who stay longer than 6 months to a year are Christians. When we have Jesus there is a compassion outside of ourselves to draw from that compels us.
- Moravians sent missionaries and inspired movements because of the presence and working of Jesus.
- Heaven is their home.
- We have to quit treating this life as if it were our home.
- Heaven is my objective.
- They understand that the church is God’s plan A.
- The church is God’s plan A to show His glory.
- 1 Peter 2:9-10
Story of Middle East team’s Church Planting Movement. -> Genesis 3:6 Released the shame that was over the muslim women and they exclaimed “It’s no just our fault.”
Who wants to waste their lives watching other people live theirs on TV?
Colossians 1:27; Psalms 2:8
Paul Richardson – Jesus is Worth Everything
Think back to the hardest thing you’ve ever gone through where you got more Jesus afterwards, because of it.
Would you do it again?
The iPhone has a specific design for a specific purpose.
We as people are designed to:
-Be filled with the Holy Spirit
-Hear the voice of God
-Take challenges from His leading
-Bring hope to the hopeless
-Live courageously
-Rescue the lost and dying
What makes you feel most alive?
American society has 2 core values:
1. Comfort
2. Safety
^God calls us to something radically different than these.
Matthew 11:1-12
John was 1 day preaching to 1000’s, then the next day he was in prison. Jesus response to him was one that said, “John, I am worth it.”
Is Jesus worth everything to you?
Will you trust Him?
Rod Plummer – When the Earthquake Comes
Matthew 27:54; Acts 16:25-34
1. You gotta learn how to sing before the earthquake arrives.
A. Earthquakes happen
B. We are to respond differently in tough situations.
C. Church is rehearsal for the rest of the week.
D. Enter courts with thanksgiving and. One with something to bless others. Psalm 100:4
2. Get ready. When the earthquake comes the prison doors are going to fly open.
3. Everyone’s chains will fall off.
A. Our presence creates an atmosphere for other’s chains to fall off.
4. This is not a time for running, but a time for staying.
I feel exactly the same there as I do here, filled with the spirit of God.”
-Rod
5. Salvation is promised to come to households.
6. All filled with joy that they could see the testimony of God.
World Mandate 2012
It’s here!!!
Catalyst Dallas: Perry Noble – Healthy Leaders Needed in Order to Lead Right Now
- For some of us are in the middle of a situation that we’ve never planned
- Ministry isn’t going quite how we planned it.
- We’re a little overwhelmed.
- Sometimes things don’t go the way we plan.
- 4 questions to ask if things aren’t going quite the way you planned them.
- What am I asking God for?
- We really can ask God for big things.
- Some of us are in troublesome situations, not because we’re stupid, but because God told us to go there.
- Is it all about he numbers?
- Yes. It’s about the numbers of people who aren’t going to hell but are going to Heaven.
- “One of the problems is that we’re afraid to ask God for something big, because it might bother Him. God is not bothered by our big request. I think God is actually bothered more, many times, by our small faith.” -Perry Noble
- What am I willing to go through?
- God is asking some of you, do you want mild or wild?
- “The size of the vision that God is going to give us is directly in proportion to the pain that you and I are willing to endure and there are too many church leaders today going God I want to follow you but I want to take up my matress, I don’t want to take up my cross.” -Perry Noble
- Alot of church leaders want to pray, but not many want to perspire and do anything significant, but if you’re going to follow Jesus it’s going to get wild and unpredictable.
- Am I seeing Him clearly?
- God sometimes allows us to go through harder things so that we can see him more clearly.
- Shadrack, Meshak, and Abednego didn’t see Jesus until they were in the middle of the furnace.
- What am I willing to believe?
- Close youre eyes, face forward, and run
- If you stop looking at the problem, and run toward it, it’s not as bad as you thought.
- In the middle of one of your biggest problems in ministry, God will still call you to take a step of faith.
- “Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?'” -John 11:40
- We spend to much time trying to get people to listen to God’s word when some of us need to just step out and take God at his word.
- God used their pain for progress
- Everything here is temporary
- You are a temporary container and eternity is worth it.
Catalyst Dallas: Bob Goff – Love Does. Fear Not. The Power of Whimsy
- Be not afraid.
- Jeremiah 1:8
- Joshua 1:9
- Creativity makes people not afraid
- Acts 1:1
- Look for many convincing proofs that Jesus is alive
- We spend so much time memorizing Jesus, rather than meeting Jesus.
- That’s what stalkers do. They memorize and never meet
- Stop creeping Jesus out by stalking him.
- Quit Thursdays
- Thursdays are for quitting things.
- If we never offload anything, then we’re hoarders.