I love to hear what God is speaking to others. Here's a little piece of Pat Maxwell's mind.
It is time for us as Believers, to get REAL! Get real about being the true lights that Jesus told us to be.It is time to get real about religion! It is not religion that saves us it is the price that Jesus paid on the cross. Romans 10:9 tells me that "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." I don't care how many celebrities stand up and say that there are million ways to get to heaven. Jesus did not say that. He said that there is only one way to get to the father through me. It is time to stop being "Church people" Or "Religious Folk!"It's time to get real about the hypocrisy in our churches. The Bible tells to not judge least we be judged (Matt 7:1-5), but we act as though non-believers are the enemy. When the religious powers of the time questioned Jesus about eating and fellowshipping with tax collectors he said, (Matt 9:11-13), When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?" But when Jesus heard this, He said, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.”But go and learn what this means: 'I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,' for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners."It's time to get real about who we worship with. During the work week most of our work environments are very diversified. We possibly work with many different races. On Sunday however, we go to black churches, white churches or whatever ethnic group you are a part of. If we are all brothers in Christ there should not be that big of a separation on Sundays. When we get to heaven there is not going to be a black section, a white section or a Hispanic section. The Rock (Peter) had a vision in Acts 10, "he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!" But Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean." Again a voice came to him a second time, "What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy." If God saved us, there is no difference between us!It's time to get real about tolerance. Tolerance is defined as "a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own." To tolerate something does not mean to subscribe to it. We as believers must learn is to be tolerant, but not to compromise our standards. Approach the person as Jesus did when he saved the woman caught in adultery. (John 8:3-11) The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." Finally it is time to get real about our message. You can change the approach never the message. Our kids are being bombarded with Evolution, the Big Bang Theory, and whatever new religion springs up. Teach our kids Creatism or Intelligent Design. We have a maker; we are not just spontaneously here. We did not start as one species and add time and presto we became human. Teach our kids the truth. Jesus died for our sins. There is a heaven and a hell. You do have choice. We need to change our approach in order to reach today's generation, but tell them the truth about God, Jesus, & and the Holy Spirit. We cannot afford to lose any generation to the enemy.To God Be the Glory!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Cut Me Mick
A lot of people know one of my favorite movies is Rocky. There is this one scene where Rocky is towards the end of his fight with Apollo Creed, and he has taken a beating. His face is bruised and swollen. The world is shocked that this no name is still in the fight. As he sits in his corner with Mick, his trainer, he complains about not being able to see out of his eye, which is swollen shut. Mick wants to throw in the towel but Rocky wont allow it. Instead he orders Mick to cut open the swollen area of his eye. So gross and so cool.
As I write this, I have just begun some cutting of my own. I spent my day off landscaping my front yard. I am ashamed to admit that the weeds had taken over. It was looking pretty shabby. So I set out with some shears, a shovel, and a rake. A day later, 12 bags of mulch, and a bunch of sweat and I think it's looking pretty good.
Both Rocky, and my yard needed some cutting to reach their true potential. You and I are the same. If we are to grow to what God has planned us to be, we need to be pruned. Pruning is vital to reaching our rightful stature.
Sometimes we collect things in our life that weigh is down. Sometimes those things are even good. But I believe that good is the enemy of best. God wants only the best for us. We have to be willing to let go of good to embrace best. So when we are willing God will prune us. He will cut out bitterness, negative attitudes, doubt, and disbelief. When those weights are removed we are free to grow uninhibited.
The Bible says, No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
So yeah, it stings, even hurts. We don't like it. We would rather hang at the altar of the immediate. But if, and this is is a big if, we want to be all that we can possibly be, then bring on the pruning. In other words, cut me Mick.
That's my two cents.
As I write this, I have just begun some cutting of my own. I spent my day off landscaping my front yard. I am ashamed to admit that the weeds had taken over. It was looking pretty shabby. So I set out with some shears, a shovel, and a rake. A day later, 12 bags of mulch, and a bunch of sweat and I think it's looking pretty good.
Both Rocky, and my yard needed some cutting to reach their true potential. You and I are the same. If we are to grow to what God has planned us to be, we need to be pruned. Pruning is vital to reaching our rightful stature.
Sometimes we collect things in our life that weigh is down. Sometimes those things are even good. But I believe that good is the enemy of best. God wants only the best for us. We have to be willing to let go of good to embrace best. So when we are willing God will prune us. He will cut out bitterness, negative attitudes, doubt, and disbelief. When those weights are removed we are free to grow uninhibited.
The Bible says, No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
So yeah, it stings, even hurts. We don't like it. We would rather hang at the altar of the immediate. But if, and this is is a big if, we want to be all that we can possibly be, then bring on the pruning. In other words, cut me Mick.
That's my two cents.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Venti Living
Yumm Starbucks.
For some it has become a daily ritual (and a multiple times a day habit for others). Mochas, lattes, Frappachinos, and my favorite the carmel macchiato. All delicious, all ridiculously overpriced. The only thing better than one of these sweet delights, is a venti version of it.
For those unversed in the world of the Barista, Starbucks coffees come in three sizes. Tall, Grande, and Venti. Sure you could get your fix with a tall (small) cup of Joe. I know there are many who are happy with that little jolt of caff. I'm just happy that they get to experience the pride of Seattle.
As for me, give me the big boy. The Venti (cue the hallelujah chorus). I have always been an extremist. Maybe even to the point it becomes a weakness. If I am going to experience something, I want to experience all of it that I can. Whether it is coffee or life, I have lived by the motto, go big or don't go at all. For the most part, it's just what I do. Just a side note, the Word cautions us to do all things in moderation. Whatever you do, it's smart to temper it with wisdom.
So what am I saying? At best, a big cup of java is going to last 30 minutes. What level of impact does that have on our lives? I would venture to say, not much. But what if we approached life in the same way that we hit the drive through. When it comes time to order up dreams out of that deep well of your heart, don't go small...go Venti.
If I know anything about God, it's that He is BIG. I'm talking an omni-everything, no limits kinda creator. Think of the biggest thing you can fathom and then multiply that by infinity. That's the kind of God that I know exists. Genesis teaches that when He made us, He created us in His own image. That tells me, that we have the potential to be...well I'll just say big.
So dream Venti, live Venti, be Venti.
Here's a bit of truth, you cannot achieve Venti levels in your own abilities. The only way is to allow Jesus to have Venti status in your life. The more of God you have, and the more of you that God has is directly proportional to the size of life you will live.
Order big. Live Venti!
That's my two cents.
For some it has become a daily ritual (and a multiple times a day habit for others). Mochas, lattes, Frappachinos, and my favorite the carmel macchiato. All delicious, all ridiculously overpriced. The only thing better than one of these sweet delights, is a venti version of it.
For those unversed in the world of the Barista, Starbucks coffees come in three sizes. Tall, Grande, and Venti. Sure you could get your fix with a tall (small) cup of Joe. I know there are many who are happy with that little jolt of caff. I'm just happy that they get to experience the pride of Seattle.
As for me, give me the big boy. The Venti (cue the hallelujah chorus). I have always been an extremist. Maybe even to the point it becomes a weakness. If I am going to experience something, I want to experience all of it that I can. Whether it is coffee or life, I have lived by the motto, go big or don't go at all. For the most part, it's just what I do. Just a side note, the Word cautions us to do all things in moderation. Whatever you do, it's smart to temper it with wisdom.
So what am I saying? At best, a big cup of java is going to last 30 minutes. What level of impact does that have on our lives? I would venture to say, not much. But what if we approached life in the same way that we hit the drive through. When it comes time to order up dreams out of that deep well of your heart, don't go small...go Venti.
If I know anything about God, it's that He is BIG. I'm talking an omni-everything, no limits kinda creator. Think of the biggest thing you can fathom and then multiply that by infinity. That's the kind of God that I know exists. Genesis teaches that when He made us, He created us in His own image. That tells me, that we have the potential to be...well I'll just say big.
So dream Venti, live Venti, be Venti.
Here's a bit of truth, you cannot achieve Venti levels in your own abilities. The only way is to allow Jesus to have Venti status in your life. The more of God you have, and the more of you that God has is directly proportional to the size of life you will live.
Order big. Live Venti!
That's my two cents.
Friday, May 2, 2008
The Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria
I feel a little like Christopher Columbus. Over 500 years ago he loaded up in a few borrowed ships and set out in discovery of a new world. What a journey. I feel like I am on a similar pilgrimage. However instead of setting out across a physical sea, I shoving off into a digital ocean. I recently read that if you were born before 1991, then you are referred to as a digital immigrant. This is the first time in history where children are teaching parents about the world we live in. These new digital natives have a natural bent towards this new digital world. They speak its language fluently. They have a passion for all of its in and outs. They are vital to the church.
If we are going to marry this new generation to the church, I feel it is imperative to learn their culture. We've got to speak their language. Lets face it, the world has changed. It's different now. Currently I am somewhat functional in this digital world, but far from fluent. And so I am beginning my journey to the new world in my three borrowed ships, Blogger, Myspace, and Twitter.
Now for my 2 cents. I think the key to this process is to not create an environment of "us and them". I don't want to be some alien in their culture and world. I am striving to emigrate to this new land. I want to be a citizen.
Finally, to you natives who may read this; Be patient with us. Teach us to speak your language. Help us embrace your new world.
I am planning on blogging once a week on any and everything going on in the world of Cornerstone Church. I'd love to hear your feedback and perspective. Give me your two cents.
If we are going to marry this new generation to the church, I feel it is imperative to learn their culture. We've got to speak their language. Lets face it, the world has changed. It's different now. Currently I am somewhat functional in this digital world, but far from fluent. And so I am beginning my journey to the new world in my three borrowed ships, Blogger, Myspace, and Twitter.
Now for my 2 cents. I think the key to this process is to not create an environment of "us and them". I don't want to be some alien in their culture and world. I am striving to emigrate to this new land. I want to be a citizen.
Finally, to you natives who may read this; Be patient with us. Teach us to speak your language. Help us embrace your new world.
I am planning on blogging once a week on any and everything going on in the world of Cornerstone Church. I'd love to hear your feedback and perspective. Give me your two cents.
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