Episodes
Monday Jan 31, 2011
Living A Blessed Life #8: Strong In Faith
Monday Jan 31, 2011
Monday Jan 31, 2011
This is the final part of our series, "Living A Blessed Life." Today, we're exploring the role that active, life-giving faith plays in our walking in God's blessings. Our main text today is Hebrews 10:35-11:6.
Sunday Jan 23, 2011
Living A Blessed Life #7: Building In Margin
Sunday Jan 23, 2011
Sunday Jan 23, 2011
It's often seen as a badge of honor to be able to pack one's schedule to absolute capacity, & to function constantly with a schedule that is 100% full. Today, we're talking about living a different way: with a built in margin where we intentionally 'make room' to put ourselves in a place where God can bless us. Our text for the day is Ephesians 5:1-15.
Sunday Jan 16, 2011
Living A Blessed Life #6: Making Room
Sunday Jan 16, 2011
Sunday Jan 16, 2011
A few weeks ago, my wife got hired at Starbucks - which is good news for us. The bad news is that her morning shifts often start at 5 a.m. In the summer, this probably wouldn't be an issue. In the dead of winter, however, this meant that her car, parked outside in our driveway, not only had to be warmed up, but also had to have all the windows scraped of ice before she could drive it. NO ONE looks forward to doing that at 4:45 a.m. So, we took the plunge & cleared & cleaned our garage of the accumulated Stuff of 21 years of marriage, family & life together... at least enough so she could park her car in the garage. We celebrated! God used this situation as a 'picture' of something I'm learning - if I want to be able to receive His blessings, there are times I will need to 'make room' for them - perhaps something is in the way, needs to be moved, or needs to be gotten rid of. Regardless, just like an unorganized (dirty?) garage kept us from being able to park in it, an unorganized, (dirty? cluttered?) life can keep me from receiving God's blessings. One such area that has a potential for such a blockage is our mouths...today, we're continuing our series, "A Blessed Life" & we're looking at how God can deal with areas that cause blockage in our life, & also how we can prepare or "Make Room" for His blessings. Our text is Matthew 6:19-34, & Matthew 12:33-37.
Sunday Jan 16, 2011
Living A Blessed Life #5: Presence
Sunday Jan 16, 2011
Sunday Jan 16, 2011
As we continue our series "Living A Blessed Life" - today we're talking about the greatest blessing of all that we receive from the LORD: we get HIM! We're exploring a little bit of the life of David, as well as the Hebrew concept of inheritance. The Lord is my chosen portion & my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. Psalm 16:5,6
Monday Dec 27, 2010
Living A Blessed Life #4: Time
Monday Dec 27, 2010
Monday Dec 27, 2010
What is one of our most valuable assets? Something that can never be replaced?
TIME.
Once its gone, its gone, & there's no getting it back.
Part of 'Seeking the Kingdom of God first, & His righteousness," is looking at & evaluating our priorities & values, the way we spend our days, & live our lives. What we'll probably find is that we have 2 sets of each:
The first is known as ascribed (or preferred) priorities & values - these are the things that we think & believe that should be important, (like spending time with God, building & strengthening family/friend relationships, & exercise/physical fitness...) priorities that may not actually be showing up or be measurable in our days, our calendar, & our time/energy/resource investment...
The second set are actual values - the things that we're really giving ourselves to; where we spend our time...
We're talking today about what it could look like to make a CHANGE with how we live & invest our time. It starts with setting aside a good chunk of time to ask God the questions:
- What would You have me give myself & my time to?
- Where & how can I be investing in what really matters, the things that are lasting?
- How can my habits, thought patterns, & behaviors be transformed?
Tuesday Dec 21, 2010
Living A Blessed Life #3
Tuesday Dec 21, 2010
Tuesday Dec 21, 2010
Over the next several weeks, we're exploring what it means to "Live A Blessed Life" - our “home” text for this series is Matthew 6:19-34 - "Seek first the kingdom of God, & His righteousness...”
One of the things that has stood out to me in studying about God’s blessings for His people is what the Apostle Paul calls “Training In Godliness” – which is kinda like planting faithful obedience & perseverance in the ground of our lives… & these seeds grow up in & through our lives, & become an avenue for God’s blessings to be lived in.
For more on this, check out: 2Timothy 3:16,17
Sunday Dec 12, 2010
Living A Blessed Life #2
Sunday Dec 12, 2010
Sunday Dec 12, 2010
Over the next several weeks, we're going to be exploring what it means to "Live A Blessed Life" - our text for this series is Matthew 6:19-34 We'll be talking about what it means & looks like to "seek firs the kingdom of God, & His righteousness...
Monday Dec 06, 2010
Living A Blessed Life #1
Monday Dec 06, 2010
Monday Dec 06, 2010
Last year, our family car was totaled in an accident... because it was a 'no-fault' accident, & no citations were issued, our insurance didn't cover the cost of repairing, let alone replacing the vehicle. In a moment of worry & anxiousness, my wife 'wished' out loud that we had the money for a car. Later that day, she was taking a nap, & felt a 'nudge' from the Holy Spirit. She heard the LORD gently ask her, "Do you want to be rich, or do you want to be blessed?" It was a simple, but very significant moment for Joni (& for our family.) In that question, she understood that the LORD was reminding her that He is our provider. That He is our source. That He gives us favor. That as His people we live in His blessing. And that the temptation to fear, be anxious, & worry was just that - temptation. She tearfully answered, "I want to be blessed; me & my family too." She heard the LORD whisper, "Look for My blessings, & when they come, & when you see them, be thankful!" Two days later, we received an unforeseen gift of $2500, earmarked for a vehicle. I know not every blessing we have is financial or tangible, but this one was - & also was a huge reminder that God is watching out for us.
Over the next several weeks, we're going to be exploring what it means to "Live A Blessed Life" - our text for this series is Matthew 6:19-34. We'll be talking about what it means & looks like to "seek firs the kingdom of God, & His righteousness...