March, 2018

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Contentment

Friday, March 9th, 2018

On July 28, 1982, Christian singer Keith Green, and 10 others died in a plan crash while showing the property of Last Day Ministries to friends. Cause of death leaves no doubt: the plane was overloaded. The pilot, a former Marine Corps aviator, had very little experience in the small Cessna 414 and certainly would not have been familiar with the weight load restrictions. Keith and two of his children, Josiah and Bethany, were 3 of the victims.

Have you ever heard of the Plimsoll Line? Neither had I until I began to study for this message. In 1873 Samuel Plimsoll became very concerned about the number of sailors who were dying. An astonishing 411 ships sank, taking hundreds of men to their watery graves, because of the disregard for safety. They overloaded the ships. Eventually, Plimsoll was able to get a law passed (14 years later) establishing the Plimsoll Line.

It’s too bad there is not a Plimsoll Line for people. Covetousness is not limited to non-believers. Greed is not limited to non-believers. Nor are the positives-contentment and character-limited to followers of Christ. There are so many distractions when choosing to be a follower of Christ. A lot of them are tied to “stuff.” When is enough enough? When is too much too much? How much money do we really need? How much public glory do we need to satisfy our ego?

I’ve titled my sermon for Sunday Traveling Light. I think you can see why.  I needed this one. Maybe you do also. If you can’t make it the sermon will be on the church’s website. Thanks for your prayers.

Lies

Tuesday, March 6th, 2018

The past week or so I have been reading a book called Defining Deception by Costi Hinn (Benny’s saved nephew) and Anthony G. Wood. To say it has been an eye-opener would be an understatement. I am reading it as part of my desire to further my study on what is called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) which “stars” Bill Johnson, Bethel Redding and Jesus Culture.   I’ll write more on that later in another post.

One of the most blatant lies of the NAR and what is commonly called the Health/Wealth (Un)gospel and which has been around for years is the guaranteed healing in the Atonement. If healing doesn’t come then it is a sign of a lack of faith. Can I say one word? GARBAGE! Stronger words come to mind but I don’t use those kinds of words.  I introduce this song with that caveat as my song of the week.

Too bad the false teachers (heretics) of the above mentioned garbage haven’t listened to the truth of this song. Then again, it doesn’t fit their lies so they would probably discount it.

Appreciation

Sunday, March 4th, 2018

I am writing this ahead of time….with anticipation of showing appreciation.

For the past 4 or 5 years the staff (Diana, Ryan and I) have shown our appreciation for our volunteers of the past year by having a celebration in their honor. Our modus operandi has been to have a catered meal; an evening of fun and hilarity; I walk around during the meal telling each volunteer how much they are appreciated; give away door prizes; and just have a general evening of fun and relaxation. Our volunteers are honored.

So this year we have decided to mix things up a bit. No catered meal. No church building. The rest will stay the same. We decided to go to our local theater for our appreciation night. We will still have the door prizes and giveaways…with a twist. We will be showing a movie: The Incredibles. Why? Because we think our volunteers are incredible! The best on the planet! Instead of a catered meal we are providing every person a ticket for a free popcorn and soda.  As I mentioned we will still have the door prizes and giveaways, but as they leave they will receive one more thing of appreciation.  I can tell what it is since it is a surprise, but I’m not posting this until the night starts. It is a specially baked cookie of The Incredibles logo. Just one last thing to remember the evening by.

Image result for the incredibles logo

Every organization, especially every church, relies on volunteers to get things done. I guarantee the things which get done around here would not get done if it were not for our volunteers. It is so much bigger than any 3 people co0uld pull off.  So, if you are reading this as part of OVCF, thanks for volunteering. If you are reading this from elsewhere, I thank you for volunteering in your church or organization.

How do you volunteer?

Waterline

Friday, March 2nd, 2018

As in “below the…”

In my office is a book called Building Below the Waterline by Gordon MacDonald. It is a book on leadership with its basic premise illustrated by the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.  The BB is still standing because care was taken to build a solid foundation below the waterline.  I have a driveway that has never been right since the day we moved into the house in 2006. It is made of thick concrete with a stark drop off. Whoever built it failed to taper it so that the entrance was a smooth one. Putting gravel at the end will do no good because gravel just goes to the side eventually. But I also found out just adding to it by tapering an edge would do no good. Whoever rebuilds the edge will need to dig down deep, pull out packed in dirt & gravel and do a new “foundation” for it to be built properly. That is on my “have-someone-to-do” list for this year.  Like the BB, my driveway would be “toast” because it was not properly built below the surface.

Having a proper foundation is absolutely essential.  Staying afloat in life is much like staying afloat in a ship. There needs to be the right amount “below the waterline” to weather storms and rough seas. The Christ-follower’s flotation device is prayer. A failure to have the proper foundation below the waterline of life will lead to ruin. My sermon this week is based on Hebrews 4:14-16 where Jesus is called our High Priest. There is so much there to see and learn! Thanks for your prayers.

And for you from OVCF who read this: remember we go back to two services this Sunday.