Lukewarm lifestyle
July 30, 2007
Well I took the day off today and I really had a great day just doing nothing really. It felt good to sit and read with nothing pressing down on me to get done. But the Lord wouldn’t let me be comfortable for long. I got to reading a verse that I remember as a teen that really used to strike a fear in me. I used to worry and think about the verse in Revelations 3:15-16. Christ speaking to the church of Laodicea saying:
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukwarm, and neither hot not cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
Wow that verse has me always examining my heart. Christ says He would rather have us be cold than lukewarm?! Why do you think He said that? What is lukewarm for a Christ follower? Is it being content where I am in my spiritual growth? Is it feeling satisfied with what I’m getting out of my “Christian” life? Is it a feeling of I know everything and I don’t need to learn? What is lukewarm????
The part of the verse where Jesus says “I will spit you out of my mouth.”, really gives me a picture of Christ just being totally disgusted with a person who is stagnant, self-satisfied, a Christian in name only, and self centered. Man I used to be this way and I thank God that He changed me. Jesus really uses some strong words here and I think Christ is really serious about His followers and their commitment, zeal, faithfulness and loyalty to Him. This verse sounds like Christ has no time for half hearted people. I need to grow more and never be satisfied with where I am in my walk with Him. The more I get to know Him, and serve Him the more joy I receive. He alone satisfies.
Great is the Lord
July 24, 2007
Today I really wanted to come home and spend some quiet time with the Lord, so I began with prayer asking the Lord to really speak to me. I was reminded that God is not always in the fire and the wind but is in the silence. So I really wanted to meditate on His words so as I love to do, I started in Psalms with 145 and came across this to think about.
Ps. 145:4 “One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”
When I first read this I think, “yeah, a father telling his children about how great God is and all the wonderful things He has done.” This is how I first think of this verse. But it’s so great when it’s the other way around! When the children are telling the parents and grandparents how great God is and how He is doing great things in their lives.
Just last night I get a late call around 10 pm from my son who is in Lebanon, Pa on a missions trip in a spanish speaking community. He and about 14-17 others are there to minister, work and share. He called to just say how great God is and all the wonderful things God is doing in his life. Sweetly broken. Wholly surrendered.
God is doing great things this week with our kids from ODSM and we have to ready when they come back. Are we going to continue to stoke that fire? or are we (am I) going to dampen and smother with the things in life that don’t really matter like materialism, pride, negative attitudes, hypocrisy, mean spiritedness, intolerance, and hostility? What will keep this fire for Christ going in their lives. I think it’s all about being real. They want to see us parents being real for Christ and living the lifestyle of a Christ follower. We have to be transparent and they have to see we go through the same struggles as they do. Doubts, fears, and the emotional rollercoasters of life. Show them that faith in God is the 0nly way to handle it. Drinking deep of Christ everyday and then living it! They need to see us broken before God declaring our need for Him and not for what the world has to offer. Being broken before God is not weakness! It’s strength! Lord help me do just that. Telling of Your greatness.
Thanks to Jeremy and Nicole and Amy for their leadership this week. We need to keep them held up in prayer this week as they minister to our kids. Pray that our kids stay focused on Him and the reason that they are there.
Check out this video of our kids praying together and worshiping our great God! Go to Jeremy Blount’s blog by clicking to the right of the screen on my blogroll. Read some of the comments from the gang and it will encourage you!
720 review
July 21, 2007
Wow what a busy week. After a great week of Vacation Bible School it all came to a close with the 720 Gathering Friday night into this Saturday morning. I thought it was a great experience overall. My family and I made it to midnight and it was still going strong with some great music and worshipful prayer. I would love to hear from anyone that made it through to the morning.
I loved seeing everyone come together as one and unite with the same purpose and goal. And I always enjoy getting together to fellowship with my church family. Overall I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in this local community through His people!
Quality time
July 14, 2007
This morning the Lord really spoke to me through my time with Him. As I finished reading a few verses I was about to pray and along comes my daughter to join me on our bench under our big shady maple tree. We ended up praying together for our friends, family and pets. This was one more of my memories that I will tuck away in my head that will emerge once in a while as she grows up and I see her grow into a beautiful godly woman. Boy I wish sometimes she could stay 10 yrs old forever. But I know God has big plans for both my kids.
Don’t let the busyness of life take away your time and rob your kids of your time with them. Pray with them and show them the great God we serve. They love to hear of the examples of your faith in a God they can’t see. This helps to reveal God so they can see Him and it strengthens their faith. They grow up so fast. Lord, thank you for showing me I need to pray and talk with my kids more about You. And could You let my little girl be 10 yrs old forever?
Christian vs. Christ Follower
July 10, 2007
Lately I have really just been reading through the accounts of Christ’s life and teachings. Sometimes I feel that people today -if He were living amongst us physically- would have such a problem with Him hanging out with the lost and hurting and reaching them where they “live”. I mean would Jesus spend more time at the bar down the street or in our church? Would we have a problem with that? People did back in His day and called Him a friend of sinners! If we go to our parks to reach the lost, would it be o.k. to step into a bar to witness to a stranger? Hmmm.
I think the term “Christian” today may have a negative connotation to the world with all the scandals, and extremists, and preachers that have drug the name of Christ through the mud. Is “Christ follower” a better term to describe a believer now? Yeah I know that the term “Christian” actually translated is something like “a follower of Christ” but I think if you asked 100 random people what a Christian is, I think you may get a lot more definitions and views. Some answers would I’m sure make you sad. Sad that this is what it’s come to.
Jesus many times just walked up to somebody and said “Follow Me” and they dropped what they were doing and did it. Sometimes I wish Jesus would appear to each believer just once in their life, like in John 20:19, just to make sure they were focused on what really matters in life.
It’s a NYGO thing…
July 9, 2007
O.K. this was just one of the most quoted movie scenes from the past week. There were plenty more. Take a minute to lol.
Oh and here’s what it’s like riding the New York Subway system
A changed heart
July 8, 2007
Well it’s Sunday now and it’s back to work come 4:30 a.m. Monday. I’m not looking forward to the hard work but I must say that I am excited to share with everyone what I was a part of in New York City. I’m excited and nervous. The week before I was to leave, I had many asking me where I was going for my week off and what was I going to do. My faith sharing started a week earlier! Man, when I told others that I was going to New York City, the week of July 4th, with a group of teens from church, with the purpose of going to different parks to talk to complete strangers about God and to set up a prayer station for a day, I got some of the most awkward responses. Silence mostly. Or “ohhh really.” Or “huh, neat”.
Well now it’s back to work and time to tell others about how God used teenagers to change lives. How these teens were nervous and apprehensive but soon overcame the fear and “stepped out of the boat and walked on water” through their faith in Christ. How people were coming up to the prayer station eager to know what we were doing there and how they wanted to pray with us and even for us. I have the chance to really be a witness for Christ because there are going to be many to ask me how my week went. I have the power of the Holy Spirit within me to give me courage and the words to say. I will not be ashamed of the gospel… Romans 1:16.
Acts 1:8“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” NASB
I want Christ to be my identity-what defines me. I pray that my life mirrors that of Jesus. I really have such a different view of people now. I’m definitely not perfect but something has changed in me. The Lord has really been working on my heart to change it in the last year. Early in the year I really prayed for compassion for lost people. I remember going on visitation with some of the guys of our church and I could see that they really had a love and passion to see lost people come to know Christ. But I honestly did not have that same fire. But I wanted to have it. So I prayed and prayed. Be ready for what you pray for. He can change a heart. He changed mine. Thank you Lord.
New York Gospel Outreach 2007 pics are up!
July 7, 2007
Originally uploaded by breathedeep247
Here’s a photo to click on to go to the partial collection of pics from NYGO 2007. I wish I had taken more! We were we so busy and always moving that a lot of times I forgot to take some. Please share your pics with everyone if you took some!
Just click on the picture and when it takes you to my Flickr site, then click on the NYGO folder to view as slideshow.
Praise and Worship in NYC with Meeting The Tree
July 7, 2007
We had some great praise and worship time with the band Meeting The Tree. Check out their website by clicking on the link! The ODSM NYGO team made their site! Click on the blog tab on their website and see this pic! They hung out with us at our prayer station and prayed with several people when I was there.
They sang some great songs. Here are just a few! Which one is your favorite?
I Give You My Heart
Mighty To Save and How Great Is Our God
Give Us Clean Hands
Sweetly Broken
From The Inside Out
Sing To The King (couldn’t find video- here’s the lyrics):
Sing to the King Who is coming to reign
Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain
Life and salvation His empire shall bring
And joy to the nations when Jesus is King [REPEAT]
[CHORUS]
Come, let us sing a song
A song declaring that we belong to Jesus
He is all we need
Oh, lift up a heart of praise
Sing now with voices raised to Jesus
Sing to the King
For His returning we watch and we pray
We will be ready the dawn of that day
We’ll join in singing with all the redeemed
‘Cause Satan is vanquished and Jesus is King
It’s good to be home in Chambersburg
July 7, 2007
Wow, what a week in New York City. The New York Gospel Outreach missions/evangelism trip was such a success. I saw my God do great things. The teens were really amazing. I know I couldn’t do what they did when I was their age. It takes a lot to walk up to a stranger in New York City and start a conversation and talk about God, faith, Christ, Heaven, Hell, sin, etc. You never know what kind of response you will get. But each of them did it and I am so proud of them. My prayer for them (myself included) is that being a witness becomes a lifestyle! Declaring what Christ has done for me and what He is doing in my life should be evident to new people that I meet. I pray that their worship and praise to the King will not fizzle out, but that they bring a fire to the ODC that will spread. I think people are going to see a difference in them!
Check future posts for pics!
Many seeds were planted. I have a partial list of names of the people we met and talked to and I am asking that whoever reads these names, please pray for them by name. God knows each one. Pray that they will be blessed and that each will know the Truth.
Joel, Lucas, Arial, Nick, Jose, Steven, Corrine, Rose, Herbert, Al, Rachel, Monique, Jen, Carl, Bob, Drey and many others that I did not get their name. God knows all the ones we talked to this past week. Pray that they will come to know Christ and that He would bless them.
Sing to the King Who is coming to reign
Glory to Jesus, the Lamb that was slain
Life and salvation His empire shall bring
And joy to the nations when Jesus is King [REPEAT]
[CHORUS]
Come, let us sing a song
A song declaring that we belong to Jesus
He is all we need
Oh, lift up a heart of praise
Sing now with voices raised to Jesus
Sing to the King
For His returning we watch and we pray
We will be ready the dawn of that day
We’ll join in singing with all the redeemed
‘Cause Satan is vanquished and Jesus is King!
Check out the video and see one of the techniques we learned to use in New York City! (not really) Get ready to laugh!
Live from New York…
July 4, 2007
Wow, what a week. It’s Wednesday and it feels like we’ve been here a month. What can I say, but I’ve been challenged in my faith in so many ways. I’ve been able to share the gospel with several complete strangers and also pray with them. I don’t have much time to explain in detail right now but I will in upcoming posts. Please if you read this, this week please continue to pray for our team and myself as we all struggle with fears and doubts. God is at work and He is doing great things.
NYGO update
July 2, 2007
Hey I am in New York City with New York Gospel outreach. Check out www.blog.drinkingdeep.com for updates on our trip. Talk to you again Saturday.
