Just saw this cool opportunity that came across my Google reader this morning. I absolutely love the idea that ANYONE can be used to advance the Gospel all around the world–no matter your gifts, passions, or occupation! I just talked with my students and adults last night in the Rock about the Disciple’s Mission from Matthew 9:35-10:4. Read more
Check out this video about how much we spend each year on Christmas alone…staggering. ?Because of our reduction in income this year, we have decided to make our presents this year for people, which I hope will help our boys (and us) realize that Christmas is much more about giving than getting. ?Wow, what we could do if we leveraged what we had to help others instead of spend all of what we have on ourselves!
Enjoy…And then maybe do something about the contradiction. ?Learn more here at Advent Conspiracy.
You can also give to a great missions organization’s Christmas Offering?here that churches all around the world participate in each year. (By the way, 100% of this goes directly to the field…no administrative costs are taken out of this offering). ?You can drill wells. ?You can serve at your local homeless shelter. ?Give new toys to children who won’t have a Christmas this year. ?There is so much to do. You know the drill.
Thanks John for the gentle nudging, I had this post in my “drafts” for a month or so now–it needed to come out in the open! ?I needed to preach to myself here for a little bit, too!!
I am slowly getting around to reading some of my friends blog posts in my Google Reader. ?I came across this post from my high school friend Matt Wilkie. ?It is a powerful post on what he is thankful for . . . based on his travels “around the world with Jesus” to spread the Gospel.
Numbers 1 & 2 really hit me hard this morning as I sit inside in the warm typing on a computer with wireless internet. ?My how we take for granted what we have and how God has blessed us–why us, I will never understand!
1. I?m thankful I don?t have sores on my legs because of arsenic in my water supply.
2. I?m thankful we have enough food on our table so we don?t have to consider whether or not to sell a family member to those who might hurt them in order to pay for food for others in the family.
Arsenic in water can cause sores
Check out the entire list on his blog. ?Amazing.
I saw this post on The Buckhead Church Blog…very cool post!? The Church needs to embrace the fact that these little guys are going to be leading us sooner than later!? We need to help them follow hard after God!
Check out this “live” picture of the advance of the Gospel around the world!? Pretty amazing stuff!
I just spent several minutes praying for each person that popped up on the map; whether it be a believer logging on to see the progress or a report of a new believer in Christ.? What a powerful way to leverage technology for the cause of the Great Commission!
Global Media Outreach is a global ministry formed to present the good news of Jesus Christ over the Internet. Our staff of 60 is located in Silicon Valley (San Jose) California, Orlando, Florida and Houston, Texas. We have more than 5,000 online missionaries who respond to emails coming in from gospel and discipleship websites.
Our goal is to stay on the cutting edge of emerging technologies and use these technologies to reach the world for Christ. People need Christ all over the world. For many people, it is difficult to find a church, or they may not feel comfortable connecting in person. Each day, millions of searches are done on the Internet for spiritual terms. ?I need God???Who is Jesus? ??prayer?? people are searching around the world. Every day, thousands of people come to one of our websites. Many are searching for God; some have specific questions; others just want to know more. We present the gospel in over 100 languages. In many languages, we have online missionaries available to respond to those who e-mail us. Our goal is to help those who contact us find Christ and then to help them grow in their Christian faith and perhaps become connected to a local church. For more information, visit us at http://www.globalmediaoutreach.com.
Check out this video from The Austin Stone Community Church. They have a goal of helping 100 people start the process of being sent out in 2010 to the unreached people groups in the world for 2 years terms. ?Very cool. ?Check out the website at 100peoplenetwork.com. ?Something that really resonated with me as I looked at the website was the fact that they have done an excellent job in breaking down missions to three distinct roles…Goers, Senders, and Mobilizers. Many times we say “I’m just not called, wired, gifted, etc. to do missions.” ?But what I love what Matt Carter says in this video is that, in?essence, yes, we are all wired differently, but we ALL need to be a part of the Great Commission.
For more information about Forest Park’s missions opportunities and how you can be a part of the Great Commission, simply check us out on the web at carthage.fpbc.net/serve.
100 People from The Austin Stone on Vimeo.
I am slowly working through the book “Radical” by David Platt and it is kicking me around.? This caught my eye.? Check out this video excerpt from a recent message.? Powerful.
FB_David Platt from Ronnie Floyd on Vimeo.
Wow, what an awesome day at FP Carthage on Mother’s Day 2010!? We had two great services with two baptisms and four baby/child dedications.? Very cool stuff, indeed.? One of the baptisms was unplanned…the second in about a month.? We had another spur of the moment baptism on Easter Sunday and another yesterday! I think it is really cool to see God moving in the hearts of people so strongly that they disregard their own personal plans for the day, “what will people think of me,” etc., and simply respond to the moving of the Spirit of God.? Reminds me of a group of men that Jesus called out to be his first disciples early on in his ministry. The Bible talks of their reckless abandonment in Matthew 4:18-22
The Calling of the First Disciples
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20At once they left their nets and followed him.
21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Monday is for Missions. . .
I have talked previously about my friend from high school, Matt, that is works for Convoy of Hope in Springfield, MO.? He is currently in Haiti on a exploratory trip for his Convoy of Hope interns going to serve later this summer in July.? Check out this video of him talking about the “capital C” Church “getting it done” in Haiti after the devastating earthquake this spring.
Forest Park is also going to Haiti this summer. Check out more info. here on our website. You can also email our missions pastor, Brock Cummins-[email protected] for more information about our missions trips this year.
Reading Radical:Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by David Platt.? It is really good.? But as Russell Moore, Dean, Southern Baptist Seminary writes in his endorsement…I have wanted to set it down several times–ouch!!
Sometimes people will commend a book by saying, ?You won?t want to put it down.? I can?t say that about this book. You?ll want to put it down, many times. If you?re like me, as you read David Platt?s Radical, you?ll find yourself uncomfortably targeted by the Holy Spirit. You?ll see just how acclimated you are to the American dream. But you?ll find here another Way, one you know to be true, because you?ve heard it before in the words of the Lord Jesus, perhaps most forcefully in the simple call ?Follow me.? Read this book. Put it away for a time, if you need to, while your conscience is invaded by the Spirit driving you to repentance. And then pick it up again. After you?re done reading, I think you?ll know better how to pick up your cross and follow Christ for the advancement of the kingdom and the destruction of false dreams. ?Russell D. Moore, dean, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
David Platt sets up the book to explain the vast difference between what the modern church in America holds dear and what the Jesus of the Bible taught and held dear.? There is a huge difference.? Here is a great example of his wonderful writing style (emphasis mine):
Whenever the crowd got big, he?d say something such as, ?Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.?[John 6:53] Not exactly the sharpest church-growth tactic. I can almost picture the looks on the disciples? faces. ?No, not the drink-my-blood speech! We?ll never get on the list of the fastest-growing movements if you keep asking them to eat you.? By the end of that speech, all the crowds had left, and only twelve men remained.[John 6:66-67] Jesus apparently wasn?t interested in marketing himself to the masses. His invitations to potential followers were clearly more costly than the crowds were ready to accept, and he seemed to be okay with that. He focused instead on the few who believed him when he said radical things. And through their radical obedience to him, he turned the course of history in a new direction.
Soon I realized I was on a collision course with an American church culture where success is defined by bigger crowds, bigger budgets, and bigger buildings. I was now confronted with a startling reality: Jesus actually spurned the things that my church culture said were most important. So what was I to do? I found myself faced with two big questions.
The first was simple. Was I going to believe Jesus? Was I going to embrace Jesus even though he said radical things that drove the crowds away? The second question was more challenging. Was I going to obey Jesus? My biggest fear, even now, is that I will hear Jesus? words and walk away, content to settle for less than radical obedience to him. In other words, my biggest fear is that I will do exactly what most people did when they encountered Jesus in the first century.
That’s why I’ve written this book.
Check out the book’s promotional website here.? You can go and download the first chapter there as well as view promotional videos.? Also, each chapter has several of Platt’s sermons that you can listen to along with the reading of the chapter.? There is also information on the “Radical Experiment” that his church, The Church at Brook Hills is carrying out to practically apply these teachings.
Great video from the folks at Granger Community Church used during a 1st Wednesday Communion service. ?Four different videos that break down four different words in two passages in Matthew…
Matthew 14:18-21 – ?Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He?took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed,broke, and?gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.
Matthew 26:26-28 ?- ?During the meal, Jesus took and?blessed the bread,?broke it, andgave it to his disciples:?Take, eat.?This is my body.?Taking the cup and thanking God, he gave it to them:?Drink this, all of you.?This is my blood,?God’s new covenant poured out for many people?for the forgiveness of sins.
Four Words from Granger Community on Vimeo.