Ok so as I have mentioned quite a few times during my blogs, a lot has been going on with me and messages have kind of been flowing to me from all sorts of weird avenues! This one happens to be from the movie Elf, which is one of my favorite Christmas movies! There is soooooo so much you can learn from Buddy the Elf.
First there is the innocence (like a child) of how much excitement Buddy shows over the fact that Santa is coming to the "North Pole" @ Gimbles. It is amazing how Buddy is going nuts because Santa will be there shortly! Man, wouldn't it be awesome if we acted like this every time we knew we were going to experience or witness Jesus at work? I mean I for one love going to church on Sunday's but I cannot remember there ever being a time when I screamed "Jeeeeeeesus!!!!!!!!" I get to go worship "Jeeeeeeeeeeesus!!!!!" Watch this clip and see Buddy's excitement and gauge yourself to this standard and see if you are in the same spot that I am on this topic? I want to be this excited for Christ!
Then next part of the movie that spoke to me is how Buddy is not embarrassed by the fact that he full believes he is an Elf so much to the extent that he offends others by it! Buddy tells everyone where he is from, why he is in NY and who his father. He is not scared one bit by what others may think of him or how they may treat him. He expresses his belief freely and does not look back or regret ever doing it or saying anything. Take a look at this clip.
Much later in the movie Santa crashes in Central Park and needs help fixing his sleigh! Who else but Buddy can come to the rescue. In the process of Buddy helping Santa, Buddy's father Walter runs into Santa and even after meeting him face to face still has difficulty showing Christmas cheer when Santa needs it to make his sleigh fly again.
How many times have you or I experienced Jesus face to face and within minutes or hours have simply found ourselves having difficulty praising Him or even acknowledging Him in anyway! I know I have. We have to do better as a Church of remembering at all times that He is worthy of all of our praise. Not just when we want to, but when He deserves it. Which is every single minute of every single day! I mean isn't the fact that we are still breathing reason enough to offer praises up to Him? Jesus is the King of King and the Lord of Lords, and I want to be Buddy the Elf excited for Him on a daily basis!!!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The Hokey Pokey is what it is all about because the Bible tells us so!
Ok so in my last blog I hinted that there would be a blog about the "Hokey Pokey", and here it comes!
Listen to the song and get it fresh in your head. I am sure everyone has heard this more in their life than they want to, but one more time will not hurt! But I bet most of you have not heard one quite like this one I am using only for the humor portion of it!
Sorry about the title of the video! Trust me it was better than most of the very funny ones!
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
“ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Unfortunately far too many of us do not put our whole self in. We either put ourselves in half way or sometimes we just do not even put our arm or our foot in, we are too afraid of what that might mean. Mostly afraid of what we may have to give up to do what God wants of us or what we feel we should be doing for His kingdom!
How is it that we can accept a Savior who gave His everything for our sins, THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, but we ourselves make it so different to give up little things in our life that has tremendous impact on others.
An example: Many of you know that I am an Ohio State Football fanatic, probably a huge understatement. Nonetheless, a couple of years ago Axiom was putting together a Live Nativity to begin of all days the day of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. To me missing that game is a HUUUUUUUUUUUGE sacrifice, but in comparison to what God has done for me, it is VERY petty! God put Himself into human form (Jesus) to come to earth be born into a life of persecution and ridicule to save people who rejected Him and to be honest hated Him and blatantly cursed His very existence.
Ok so my sacrifice for me was pathetic. A lot of people would look at it and say WOW Scott gave up the Buckeye game man how could he do that. I am telling you that pales in comparison to what sacrifices I am willing to make to do what God instructs me to do. I believe that God is telling me to put off getting a degree in Business Management to get an education to serve Him. I am willing to do it because even though I may not know what His plans are currently, I believe with all of my heart that whatever God has for me is far better than anything that I could ever imagine.
The Hokey Pokey talks about putting our arm in and the shaking some things up, then our leg and the shaking it up some more, then our head, our booty, and eventually our whole self! What a concept. Can you put your whole self into anything? How about anything that God is leading? God is doing magnificent things in His people on a daily basis and if you are not enjoying His blessing you are truly missing out.
A couple of years ago I started putting myself IN! The problem was that I only put a part of myself in! Maybe a tip toe it an ankle at best, then Satan started filling my head will all kinds of garbage and insecurities that I normally do not have! It cause serious problems with not only me, but the body I was involved in!
In 1 Corinthians 12 it says:
Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
This verse is referring to the Church as a body. A body that has to be in ONE UNITY with each other. So if my friend and brother Dan Simpson is the foot and he is putting himself all in or if Jared Taylor is the hand and he is putting himself all in and if someone else was the head and they were putting themselves all in and if I were the elbow and I decide that I can only put myself in when it is convenient for me........how is it going to work unless the WHOLE BODY is in it together. Far too often there are people putting themselves on the sidelines because of fear, and because they let the Devil convince them they are not fit to serve or are not worthy in God's eyes to serve and that my friends is absolute hogwash!!!! God loves you exactly the way you are, faults and all and you know what He knows each and every one of them, but that is why He sent Jesus to Earth....to cover us with His never ending love and most importantly his abundant grace! See it all makes sense now, the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about! Eventually you will have to put your WHOLE self in!
Listen to the song and get it fresh in your head. I am sure everyone has heard this more in their life than they want to, but one more time will not hurt! But I bet most of you have not heard one quite like this one I am using only for the humor portion of it!
Sorry about the title of the video! Trust me it was better than most of the very funny ones!
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
“ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Unfortunately far too many of us do not put our whole self in. We either put ourselves in half way or sometimes we just do not even put our arm or our foot in, we are too afraid of what that might mean. Mostly afraid of what we may have to give up to do what God wants of us or what we feel we should be doing for His kingdom!
How is it that we can accept a Savior who gave His everything for our sins, THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE, but we ourselves make it so different to give up little things in our life that has tremendous impact on others.
An example: Many of you know that I am an Ohio State Football fanatic, probably a huge understatement. Nonetheless, a couple of years ago Axiom was putting together a Live Nativity to begin of all days the day of the Ohio State vs. Michigan game. To me missing that game is a HUUUUUUUUUUUGE sacrifice, but in comparison to what God has done for me, it is VERY petty! God put Himself into human form (Jesus) to come to earth be born into a life of persecution and ridicule to save people who rejected Him and to be honest hated Him and blatantly cursed His very existence.
Ok so my sacrifice for me was pathetic. A lot of people would look at it and say WOW Scott gave up the Buckeye game man how could he do that. I am telling you that pales in comparison to what sacrifices I am willing to make to do what God instructs me to do. I believe that God is telling me to put off getting a degree in Business Management to get an education to serve Him. I am willing to do it because even though I may not know what His plans are currently, I believe with all of my heart that whatever God has for me is far better than anything that I could ever imagine.
The Hokey Pokey talks about putting our arm in and the shaking some things up, then our leg and the shaking it up some more, then our head, our booty, and eventually our whole self! What a concept. Can you put your whole self into anything? How about anything that God is leading? God is doing magnificent things in His people on a daily basis and if you are not enjoying His blessing you are truly missing out.
A couple of years ago I started putting myself IN! The problem was that I only put a part of myself in! Maybe a tip toe it an ankle at best, then Satan started filling my head will all kinds of garbage and insecurities that I normally do not have! It cause serious problems with not only me, but the body I was involved in!
In 1 Corinthians 12 it says:
Unity and Diversity in the Body
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
This verse is referring to the Church as a body. A body that has to be in ONE UNITY with each other. So if my friend and brother Dan Simpson is the foot and he is putting himself all in or if Jared Taylor is the hand and he is putting himself all in and if someone else was the head and they were putting themselves all in and if I were the elbow and I decide that I can only put myself in when it is convenient for me........how is it going to work unless the WHOLE BODY is in it together. Far too often there are people putting themselves on the sidelines because of fear, and because they let the Devil convince them they are not fit to serve or are not worthy in God's eyes to serve and that my friends is absolute hogwash!!!! God loves you exactly the way you are, faults and all and you know what He knows each and every one of them, but that is why He sent Jesus to Earth....to cover us with His never ending love and most importantly his abundant grace! See it all makes sense now, the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about! Eventually you will have to put your WHOLE self in!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Hearing God call you is a scary thing, but it's ok!
A few months ago I was scrolling down through the pages of Facebook like and other traditional day and came across a comment from someone who had left the status "What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?". I dwelled on that saying for a little while and not really sure why but the Lord began to speak to me on how to use that as a way to deliver His word (that topic is coming on a later Blog) as I feel the topic I am posting on today is a little more of a pressing matter than the logistics of the Hokey Pokey, but the do kind of go together! As you will see at a later time.
So after a few weeks started going by I kept getting more and more and even more of these topical (sermon/ministry opportunity) ideas and was not sure what I was to do with them or where I was to share them. Right before all of this had begun I had started looking into furthering my education. I had enrolled in Colorado Technical University and was planning on attending with the idea of getting a Bachelor's degree in Business Management. That was the plan anyways. A few weeks of setting things up went by and one day at soccer practice I was talking to one of the soccer mom's about my education plans and discovered she was going to Indiana Wesleyan University (A Christian College) and I was intrigued and she said they offer the same programs but were a little cheaper. So I went home that night and checked it out and discovered that they offered degrees in Christian Ministries. Now I love serving the Lord, but I had never even thought of doing it full time or as a career, but God in His infinite wisdom may have other plans for me. I started dwelling on that and praying and seeking Him and everything in me kept drawing me toward withdrawing from CTU and enrolling at IWU. I felt God telling me that this is where I want you and this is where I need you and that I have brought you through everything in your life to get to this point so that you can use your experiences to teach others what not to do and what My will is for them.
So I listened. I have applied for IWU and still have a few more loose ends to tie up before Feb 8th when my classes will begin, but I can honestly say I have never been more excited about school!!!! BUT......I have not always felt that way and what I am going to share with you today is a glimpse of how hearing God and wanting to follow His plan for us can be totally different than what we want to do! Think of it like you have a teenager and you ask them to do the dishes for you or take out the trash? Do they ever do it the first time you ask? Do they do it without mumbling or complaining? Most of the time the answer to this question will be NO! Not always but most of the time. I have a 15 year old who tries to negotiate ALL THE TIME, which gets annoying. Just do what I ask when I ask you to, I say. I can just hear God saying that to me as I was fighting Him on this one! LOL.
I used to listen to this old Bill Cosby vinyl (yes I said vinyl) album all the time when I was a kid. It was one my Dad owned and I absolutely loved it. It probably has a lot to do with why I love stand up comedy so much now in my adult life.
Please take the time to listen to this, it will all make sense when I am done!
How often do we respond to God the way Bill portrays Noah to in this clip?! I know I respond this way far more often than I should! Now I know that this probably is not how Noah really responded to the Lord, but it is very similar to the way the Bible describes on how Jonah responds to the Lord. He tried to run and hide from the Lord, see here in Jonah 1:1-3:
Jonah Flees From the LORD
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
Jonah's punishment for running: he spent 3 days in the belly of a fish/whale depending on where you read it lol. 3 days! that had to of been the nastiest 3 days of his life! Guess what on the 3rd day when the fish coughed him up on shore. He did what the Lord had asked of him this time! He learned his lesson, I tell ya!
Fact is most people especially Christians do not even act upon God's will for them due to fear! Do not let this be you! In Romans 8 it says if God is for us then who can be against us?
In the Cosby track it shares a point of view from Noah about his neighbors and what they might think of him for doing what God wants (I say who cares what they think), but this is what the Bible says about it!
Isaiah 41:10,
10'Do not (A)fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God
I will strengthen you, surely (B)I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous (C)right hand.'
I was kind of battling with the topic of is this what I am supposed to do? I was letting doubt and the devil get in my head and immeadiately dove into the word to find the answers and this is one I came up with.
In Ephesians 1:11it says: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
Isn't it pretty cool that God says we were predestined for His purpose. Not for our own or our spouses, friends, parents, or neighbors, but for HIS PURPOSE! WOW! I am made to serve God and to do His will on this earth not anything else! Don't get me wrong you can do His will from an job, but the better question would be....are you?
If you're not, it isn't the end of the world! Have you ever heard someone say "God doesn't make junk!" It is true.
Ephesians 2:10
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
There are a couple of keys to success when setting for to doing what God has told you to do!
1. Remember that Christians have each other's backs! If you go off course or are being attacked by Satan (because he WILL attack you) remember that you have brothers and sisters in Christ that will pray for you, fellowship with you, and just generally be there for you!
Acts 18:10
10For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.
2. Most of the time we lose sight of the fact that this is God who is calling us to do these things! It is the same God that we believe created every grain of sand piece by piece, that knows the number of every hair on our head. That made every star in the sky and makes the sun rise every morning and fall every night! C'mon people it is God!!!!! He can do whatever he wants to do in you, to you, through you, or your family, your church, to every single detail that you cannot even begin to fathom! It is God!
2 Corinthians 5:7 " We walk by faith, and not by sight"
Would it really be called faith if we could see what God was going to do through us?
So after a few weeks started going by I kept getting more and more and even more of these topical (sermon/ministry opportunity) ideas and was not sure what I was to do with them or where I was to share them. Right before all of this had begun I had started looking into furthering my education. I had enrolled in Colorado Technical University and was planning on attending with the idea of getting a Bachelor's degree in Business Management. That was the plan anyways. A few weeks of setting things up went by and one day at soccer practice I was talking to one of the soccer mom's about my education plans and discovered she was going to Indiana Wesleyan University (A Christian College) and I was intrigued and she said they offer the same programs but were a little cheaper. So I went home that night and checked it out and discovered that they offered degrees in Christian Ministries. Now I love serving the Lord, but I had never even thought of doing it full time or as a career, but God in His infinite wisdom may have other plans for me. I started dwelling on that and praying and seeking Him and everything in me kept drawing me toward withdrawing from CTU and enrolling at IWU. I felt God telling me that this is where I want you and this is where I need you and that I have brought you through everything in your life to get to this point so that you can use your experiences to teach others what not to do and what My will is for them.
So I listened. I have applied for IWU and still have a few more loose ends to tie up before Feb 8th when my classes will begin, but I can honestly say I have never been more excited about school!!!! BUT......I have not always felt that way and what I am going to share with you today is a glimpse of how hearing God and wanting to follow His plan for us can be totally different than what we want to do! Think of it like you have a teenager and you ask them to do the dishes for you or take out the trash? Do they ever do it the first time you ask? Do they do it without mumbling or complaining? Most of the time the answer to this question will be NO! Not always but most of the time. I have a 15 year old who tries to negotiate ALL THE TIME, which gets annoying. Just do what I ask when I ask you to, I say. I can just hear God saying that to me as I was fighting Him on this one! LOL.
I used to listen to this old Bill Cosby vinyl (yes I said vinyl) album all the time when I was a kid. It was one my Dad owned and I absolutely loved it. It probably has a lot to do with why I love stand up comedy so much now in my adult life.
Please take the time to listen to this, it will all make sense when I am done!
How often do we respond to God the way Bill portrays Noah to in this clip?! I know I respond this way far more often than I should! Now I know that this probably is not how Noah really responded to the Lord, but it is very similar to the way the Bible describes on how Jonah responds to the Lord. He tried to run and hide from the Lord, see here in Jonah 1:1-3:
Jonah Flees From the LORD
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
Jonah's punishment for running: he spent 3 days in the belly of a fish/whale depending on where you read it lol. 3 days! that had to of been the nastiest 3 days of his life! Guess what on the 3rd day when the fish coughed him up on shore. He did what the Lord had asked of him this time! He learned his lesson, I tell ya!
Fact is most people especially Christians do not even act upon God's will for them due to fear! Do not let this be you! In Romans 8 it says if God is for us then who can be against us?
In the Cosby track it shares a point of view from Noah about his neighbors and what they might think of him for doing what God wants (I say who cares what they think), but this is what the Bible says about it!
Isaiah 41:10,
10'Do not (A)fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God
I will strengthen you, surely (B)I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous (C)right hand.'
I was kind of battling with the topic of is this what I am supposed to do? I was letting doubt and the devil get in my head and immeadiately dove into the word to find the answers and this is one I came up with.
In Ephesians 1:11it says: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.
Isn't it pretty cool that God says we were predestined for His purpose. Not for our own or our spouses, friends, parents, or neighbors, but for HIS PURPOSE! WOW! I am made to serve God and to do His will on this earth not anything else! Don't get me wrong you can do His will from an job, but the better question would be....are you?
If you're not, it isn't the end of the world! Have you ever heard someone say "God doesn't make junk!" It is true.
Ephesians 2:10
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
There are a couple of keys to success when setting for to doing what God has told you to do!
1. Remember that Christians have each other's backs! If you go off course or are being attacked by Satan (because he WILL attack you) remember that you have brothers and sisters in Christ that will pray for you, fellowship with you, and just generally be there for you!
Acts 18:10
10For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.
2. Most of the time we lose sight of the fact that this is God who is calling us to do these things! It is the same God that we believe created every grain of sand piece by piece, that knows the number of every hair on our head. That made every star in the sky and makes the sun rise every morning and fall every night! C'mon people it is God!!!!! He can do whatever he wants to do in you, to you, through you, or your family, your church, to every single detail that you cannot even begin to fathom! It is God!
2 Corinthians 5:7 " We walk by faith, and not by sight"
Would it really be called faith if we could see what God was going to do through us?
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