Friday, October 31, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
re: hey
haha ok sweet...and jess seconded that in an e-mail. um...I was thinking either like Monday- wednesday or wednesday-friday or something. I know that at least three out of the five of us have an 8am on Tuesdays and thursdays, so those days might make getting to school a little more tricky, but it would still be possible if those work better. Whatever!
em
em
FREAKIN AWESOME IDEA
Em, I am sooooooo down with this! I am really happy that you stepped up and threw this out there. I have been wanting to get together more as well but I am afraid to ask because we are all so busy. I am down for any morning. What works best for all of y'all? Or a night time would work for me too, but I know that I am not as busy as most of you at night. YAY!! I really want to do this. And I agree with you Em that the last thing that we want is for our time together to end with rushing and feeling like we left ends open. Alright, so what works?
RE: HEY!
Ok so I'm just going to say it... Once a week is just not enough for me! I feel like every time we have small group we're just really rushed and never have enough time to talk, and that's not cool! I think it breeds a little bit of frustration and leaves us without a community that is really lifting us up. That's exactly what the enemy wants. Do you guys think we could start doing two mornings a week? I know everyone is busy at night, but if yall think getting together a night a week and a morning a week would work better, I would be up for that too. I have heard you guys say (and I agree) that we never seem to have enough time only meeting once, and we definitely should not be left feeling rushed or unfulfilled after our times of fellowship. Anywho...let me know what you think about this. If it's too much, that's ok i just thought I'd throw it out there. I LOVE YOU GIRLS!
em
em
Monday, October 6, 2008
Hey...remind me to talk to y'all about this...
ENCOURAGERS ANONYMOUS. It's right up our alley. All we have to do is write encouraging things for the band and the Thursday night crew at FCA. I'll give them to the girl in charge, and...VIOLA! Hearts get happy by the notes you wrote. Simple.
Love you girls!
PS--Linds, I need your number!
Love you girls!
PS--Linds, I need your number!
Friday, October 3, 2008
Prayer Article
I received this article today via email from a really smart woman. She got it from a online devotional. It really hit me hard and reminded me of some important things. Check it out...
"If I Were the Devil" (Daniel Henderson)
Life is war! Our enemy is powerful, cunning, experienced, and supernatural. His
minions are multitudinous. His ways are devious and destructive. He is a ravenous
lion (1 Peter 5:8), appears as an “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14), and is working
24/7 all around the globe to undermine the work of the church and hurt the heart of
Christ.
In recent months, I’ve thought a lot about the tactics of our enemy. In my limited
understanding I will never comprehend the ful
l strategies of the devil. Still, I want to consider one aspect of his work by
postulating what I might do if I were in his shoes.
What I Would KNOW…
While the devil is NOT all-knowing, he is brilliant, supernatural, and shrewd from
thousands of years of experience. There are some things he certainly knows.
The Bible – James 2:19-20 tells us, “You believe that there is one God. You do well.
Even the demons believe — and tremble!” Satan and his demons are well-versed in
biblical information. They seek to twist, undermine, and cast doubt with respect to
the Bible. They also know what the Bible says about them and their work. When it
comes to our battle against evil, they are familiar with our classic instruction
about the war and supernatural weapons we have for the battle. As it says in
Ephesians 6:18, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the
saints.”
Church History – For millennia the devil has been engaged in spiritual warfare. He
is fully aware that his greatest defeats have come during seasons of spiritual
awakening and revival. It is during those times that the church has advanced in
supernatural power; converting lost souls, transforming society in countless ways,
and counteracting evil in its many forms. He is also aware that every one of these
seasons of exponential Christian advanc
ements has been rooted in movements of united, biblical prayer – which fueled
repentance, powerful preaching, and massive ministry expansion.
Human Nature – The devil cannot read our minds but is an expert in observing human
behavior. He knows our tendency to live independently of God’s supernatural
provision for our lives. He was active in Laodicea, for example, as he assisted
that church in living by their own riches, efforts, and sufficiency rather than
pursuing intimacy with their Savior. He likes things this way.
What I Would DO…
So, if I were the devil I would use my best deceptive tools to keep Christians from
praying together. I would keep them busy and isolated from one another. I would do
everything possible to keep them distracted and disinterested in biblical,
balanced, revival-style prayer gatherings.
To accomplish this, I would do the following:
Fuel the Spirit of Rugged Individualism – By keeping Christians independent of each
other, I would keep them independent from God. I would do everything possible to
make sure they believed that the only way to pray was at home in a “closet” – even
though the New Testament evidence is overwhelming about the priority of praying
together. I would keep them frustrated in their personal prayer lives by preventing
them from learning to pray through praying with others.
Dig Ruts of Boring Prayer – When they did try to pray together, I would make sure th
e prayer meetings were based on old, traditional approaches that focused more on
human needs than on God’s power. I would do everything possible to encourage
boredom and gossip in these gatherings so that most people would stay away from
these sleepy, passionless “prayer” times.
Delight in Theological Orthodoxy Without Spiritual Passion – I would know how
effective it is to get Bible-loving Christians to delight in theological correctness
without spiritual intimacy. It worked very well for me in Ephesus (see Revelation
2:1-7), a once-great church that fell out of love with Jesus, even though they had
great theology and teaching. I would let them be content with good sermons and
grand theological ideas, as long as they stayed off their knees in trying to make it
real in their hearts.
Encourage “Idle” Preaching on Prayer – I would know that sermons on prayer
frequently fall on deaf ears, especially when the leaders do not model prayer. I
would keep pastors content to just talk about inspiring prayer ideas as long as they
did not actually lead their people into extraordinary gatherings of prayer. I would
know that prayer information without prayer action just anesthetizes Christians from
spiritual reality. This would be a “win” for my team.
Promote “Success” in the Ministry – Crazy as it sounds, I might even promote church
growth as a replacement for real revival. I would encourage an interest in numb
ers, activities, strategies, and events. This would keep them away from brokenness,
repentance, and passion for God’s transforming presence, and it would distract them
from a real pursuit of the awakenings that have undermined my malevolent work.
Knowing that I could not keep people from eternal life because of the power of the
Gospel, I would at least try to keep them from eternal reward by getting them to
rely on their own flesh rather than the Spirit of God in their ministry efforts.
Yes, if I were the devil, this strategy would be one of my most important. I would
amass all of my most subtle and deceptive troops and tools to prevent spiritual
awakening at all costs. As long as Christians were sincere but isolated; active but
powerless; entertained but shallow – I would win. And I would love it that way.
"If I Were the Devil" (Daniel Henderson)
Life is war! Our enemy is powerful, cunning, experienced, and supernatural. His
minions are multitudinous. His ways are devious and destructive. He is a ravenous
lion (1 Peter 5:8), appears as an “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14), and is working
24/7 all around the globe to undermine the work of the church and hurt the heart of
Christ.
In recent months, I’ve thought a lot about the tactics of our enemy. In my limited
understanding I will never comprehend the ful
l strategies of the devil. Still, I want to consider one aspect of his work by
postulating what I might do if I were in his shoes.
What I Would KNOW…
While the devil is NOT all-knowing, he is brilliant, supernatural, and shrewd from
thousands of years of experience. There are some things he certainly knows.
The Bible – James 2:19-20 tells us, “You believe that there is one God. You do well.
Even the demons believe — and tremble!” Satan and his demons are well-versed in
biblical information. They seek to twist, undermine, and cast doubt with respect to
the Bible. They also know what the Bible says about them and their work. When it
comes to our battle against evil, they are familiar with our classic instruction
about the war and supernatural weapons we have for the battle. As it says in
Ephesians 6:18, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the
saints.”
Church History – For millennia the devil has been engaged in spiritual warfare. He
is fully aware that his greatest defeats have come during seasons of spiritual
awakening and revival. It is during those times that the church has advanced in
supernatural power; converting lost souls, transforming society in countless ways,
and counteracting evil in its many forms. He is also aware that every one of these
seasons of exponential Christian advanc
ements has been rooted in movements of united, biblical prayer – which fueled
repentance, powerful preaching, and massive ministry expansion.
Human Nature – The devil cannot read our minds but is an expert in observing human
behavior. He knows our tendency to live independently of God’s supernatural
provision for our lives. He was active in Laodicea, for example, as he assisted
that church in living by their own riches, efforts, and sufficiency rather than
pursuing intimacy with their Savior. He likes things this way.
What I Would DO…
So, if I were the devil I would use my best deceptive tools to keep Christians from
praying together. I would keep them busy and isolated from one another. I would do
everything possible to keep them distracted and disinterested in biblical,
balanced, revival-style prayer gatherings.
To accomplish this, I would do the following:
Fuel the Spirit of Rugged Individualism – By keeping Christians independent of each
other, I would keep them independent from God. I would do everything possible to
make sure they believed that the only way to pray was at home in a “closet” – even
though the New Testament evidence is overwhelming about the priority of praying
together. I would keep them frustrated in their personal prayer lives by preventing
them from learning to pray through praying with others.
Dig Ruts of Boring Prayer – When they did try to pray together, I would make sure th
e prayer meetings were based on old, traditional approaches that focused more on
human needs than on God’s power. I would do everything possible to encourage
boredom and gossip in these gatherings so that most people would stay away from
these sleepy, passionless “prayer” times.
Delight in Theological Orthodoxy Without Spiritual Passion – I would know how
effective it is to get Bible-loving Christians to delight in theological correctness
without spiritual intimacy. It worked very well for me in Ephesus (see Revelation
2:1-7), a once-great church that fell out of love with Jesus, even though they had
great theology and teaching. I would let them be content with good sermons and
grand theological ideas, as long as they stayed off their knees in trying to make it
real in their hearts.
Encourage “Idle” Preaching on Prayer – I would know that sermons on prayer
frequently fall on deaf ears, especially when the leaders do not model prayer. I
would keep pastors content to just talk about inspiring prayer ideas as long as they
did not actually lead their people into extraordinary gatherings of prayer. I would
know that prayer information without prayer action just anesthetizes Christians from
spiritual reality. This would be a “win” for my team.
Promote “Success” in the Ministry – Crazy as it sounds, I might even promote church
growth as a replacement for real revival. I would encourage an interest in numb
ers, activities, strategies, and events. This would keep them away from brokenness,
repentance, and passion for God’s transforming presence, and it would distract them
from a real pursuit of the awakenings that have undermined my malevolent work.
Knowing that I could not keep people from eternal life because of the power of the
Gospel, I would at least try to keep them from eternal reward by getting them to
rely on their own flesh rather than the Spirit of God in their ministry efforts.
Yes, if I were the devil, this strategy would be one of my most important. I would
amass all of my most subtle and deceptive troops and tools to prevent spiritual
awakening at all costs. As long as Christians were sincere but isolated; active but
powerless; entertained but shallow – I would win. And I would love it that way.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Prayer Please!
Hi friends,
I really have two huge specific requests for this week. Tomorrow my parents have a hearing to see if they can get more medical help for my dad's back. If I haven't told you, my dad was injured very badly at work 4 years ago and has had 2 surgeries since. He really needs to win this hearing tomorrow to get assistance from his work for more pain management because it is only getting worse. PLEASE he is desperate for this help, please pray for the lawyer tomorrow and the judge and just everyone involved.
Also, my mom is having surgery early Friday morning. I am praying that her arm be healed and that the doctor be well-rested and precise in his work. Will you pray for her as well?
I know that these may not seem very personal to y'all because you don't know them well, but maybe that was a reason that you all were able to see them on Saturday: to put a face to the prayer. It would mean so much to me. I love y'all!!!
I really have two huge specific requests for this week. Tomorrow my parents have a hearing to see if they can get more medical help for my dad's back. If I haven't told you, my dad was injured very badly at work 4 years ago and has had 2 surgeries since. He really needs to win this hearing tomorrow to get assistance from his work for more pain management because it is only getting worse. PLEASE he is desperate for this help, please pray for the lawyer tomorrow and the judge and just everyone involved.
Also, my mom is having surgery early Friday morning. I am praying that her arm be healed and that the doctor be well-rested and precise in his work. Will you pray for her as well?
I know that these may not seem very personal to y'all because you don't know them well, but maybe that was a reason that you all were able to see them on Saturday: to put a face to the prayer. It would mean so much to me. I love y'all!!!
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