Make sure you register and check out this free leadership conference that is going on all day tomorrow…9-9. ?It started last year on ironically enough 9-9-09. ?Check it out and register for some great leadership training all from the comfort of your own computer screen.
Jenny and I are watching Meet the Press tonight on DVR…common place for us on Sunday nights. I didn’t realize that it has been 5 years since Hurricane Katrina. If you have a few minutes, I highly recommend watching the program online here. Brian Williams is actually sitting in for David Gregory for this episode.
Amazing how we time moves so quickly. But as was said on the segment, “That’s tough to look at…it was yesterday…it’s been five years.” ?A lot of great guests and smart discussion…sans Brad Pitt anyway. ?The footage from 5 years ago is powerful. ?Really enjoyed the last segment of roundtable discussion here.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Wow, I really needed to read this post from Kem Meyer this morning. ?I have been pretty discouraged lately for a myriad of reasons. ?I don’t want to simply use this blog to whine to the 3 1/2 people who might read it, but I have been in a particular whiny mood lately.
However, I have been trying to immerse myself in the Word lately to combat the negative thoughts out of my mind. ?Several of the tools I use are on the iPhone…pretty cool…and I have it with me pretty much all of the time.
Bible Reading::I am using YouVersion from the LifeChurch.tv guys to read the “Professor Horner’s Bible Reading Plan.”
It is very similar to the 5 Lane Reading Plan I have used in the past.
Hear the Word::Another cool app that I have on my phone to listen to the Word while I am working is Bible.Is from Faith Comes from Hearing. ?It is really cool. ?There are several versions of audio Bibles that you can listen to through your phone. ?I have found that to be a great way to really immerse my life in the Word rather than immerse my life in sports talk radio. ?(That doesn’t mean I don’t still get my share of talk radio, however.)
Memorize the Word::A fellow pastor friend of mine showed me this app and how it has helped him so much to really live out the Word and it has been a great thing for me as well. ?I am using Bible Verses to memorize Scripture. ?There are several different versions out there, but I like this particular app because I can choose which translation and it is also put together like the old Navigators Bible Memory System with different categories, etc. ?There is also a cool feature that allows you to make the verse all blanks and you can click each blank to reveal the correct word to help you memorize better.
Reading books::I am currently reading The Land Between by Jeff Manion on my Kindle. ?I saw his talk at Leadership Summit a couple of weeks ago and it really resonated with me while I am waiting in this “Land Between.” ?It is based on the story of the Israelites and the Exodus. ?Great stuff!
We also got a “well-timed” letter from some great friends that was a photocopy of a chapter in A Gentle Thunder by Max Lucado. ?One of the key passages in the chapter that really spoke to me was a summary of the Exodus in Deuteronomy 8.
2 Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.?3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
So tell me, how do you deal with discouragement in your life? Feel free to leave a comment.
Dont let discouragement pile up. Guard your heart – Kem Meyer on Less Clutter & Noise.
Just saw this come up on my Google Reader feed. This is an amazing picture of what faith in Christ is all about. Very cool!
Baptism – Gretchen Emch (8/15/10) from North Point Media on Vimeo.
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.
While in seminary in Fort Worth, TX, there was always a running joke about Texas Stadium, the former Dallas Cowboys stadium. ?The joke (even said from pulpits in the area) was “the reason why there is a ‘hole’ in the top of Texas Stadium is so that God can watch his favorite team!” (Insert rim shot here!) ?Seriously?! ?I know it is a joke and all, but does God truly care about sports?
Don’t you think that God is maybe a?little more concerned with the poor, the sick, the disenfranchised in this world? ?I mean, I am just as big of sports fanatic as it comes, but let’s not blame God for the current standings in the NL Central! ?The reason for the standings lies central on the players and managers of those teams!
Interesting article on “faith & sports” on CNN.com. ?It is definitely a good read.
What do you think? ?Does God really care about sports? Have we “trivialized” faith by “blaming God” for wins and loses? ?Is this kind of “evangelism” more of a turn-off than turn-on to people?
“One of the greatest expressions of love is simply to notice people and to pay attention to them. If you really want to know God, go to his people….. Rather than read twenty books on servanthood, get the idea, and then serve people. Some of us have experimented with this little prayer: “Lord, lead me today to someone whom I can serve.” – Richard Foster
Saw this quote as a friend’s FB status. ?Good stuff.
Wonder what would happen if I would “experiment” with that prayer today?
Came across these videos this afternoon. ?YouTube has changed the way marketing happens and this is a perfect example of a whole new set of viral videos. ?Hilarious!
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.