I'll Do Whatever You Ask

Ridley Barron is pastor of Ridgeview Community Church in Tennessee. I read his blog, and I wanted to share one of his recent posts.

Here is the link to I'll Do Whatever You Ask.

Am I (are you) willing to do whatever God asks? I hope this question will be turned into a statement: I am (you are) willing to do whatever God ask!

Something to think about!

Expelled

Last Friday our family went to see Expelled. It was a very interesting movie. I want to encourage you to go and see it. It is worth your time and money. Little children would not enjoy it, but it is perfect for adults and teens. Topic: Darwinism and Intelligent Design.

Seize Your Divine Moment

This is a video that is used in connection with the NAMB's Annie Armstrong Easter Offering.

Do you believe in Jesus? If you need to know about Jesus, contact me at mrmbdawson@gmail.com. If you are a believer, are you being God's messenger? God has a Divine Purpose for you. Live your life for God with urgency and purpose! Seize your Divine Moment!

He Is Risen!

What is the point of Easter? If Easter is not a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, then what is it about? The centerpiece of Easter is Resurrection not pretty new clothes, sweet candies and other goodies. He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Praise the Lord!!

Created

Just wanted to share with something with you. (For those of you who were in church a few weeks ago, this will seem familiar.) Ever since we got a bird I have become more aware of birds of the wild. I really enjoy watching them. As I drive along the road I notice them sitting on the power line. A silly thought crosses through my mind. What if a bird was afraid of heights? This would be a predicament wouldn't it? Birds were created to fly.

This line of thinking makes me ask, "What was I created for?" What were you created for? I shared with the church what I believe we were created for. (This is not a fully expanded list, but it is a starting place.)

1. Love the Lord your God through worship, prayer, testifying about His goodness, spending time in Word and obedience.


2. Love your neighbor as yourself through prayer, providing physical needs, and providing spiritual support and guidance.


3. Be fruitful and multiply (spiritually) through teaching others what we know and encouraging people where they are gifted.

What happens if we do not fulfill the purposes of our creation? May I suggest like the bird afraid of heights, we become prey. Yes, we are hunted down and consumed by the predator, Satan. Just as the bird does not come out of the egg flying we do not start out as Christians knowing how to do the things we were created to do. We must learn and develop these attributes. Where are you in your development of these attributes?

I believe birds glorifies God through flight. I believe we glorify God by living the life we were created to live.

NEVER BE AFRAID TO BE WHO GOD CREATED YOU TO BE!!

You Know You Are In The South When...

Last week I did the funeral for my maternal grandmother in Georgia. We drove down to Georgia on Wednesday for the Thursday 14:00 funeral.

Thursday morning, we went down for the continental breakfast offered by our hotel. Laura noticed that everyone was greeting us. She told me that they must have really trained their staff well. I told her it was not the training, instead it was that we were in the deep South. That is the way things are done there.

We also went out to eat and experienced another Southern thing. I was ordering my drink, and I asked if they served tea. "Yes!" I asked the waitress what I would get if I ordered tea. "Swwweeeet Teeaa!" That is just the way things are done in the South.

You know you are in the South when...

1. Everyone says hello, even though they do not know you.
2. You order tea and you automatically get sweet tea

It has been too long since we have been back to our old stomping grounds, the deep South.

Days of Anguish, Days of Hope - Quotes

I recently finished reading Days of Anguish, Days of Hope by Billy Keith. The book is about the life and ministry of Chaplain Robert Preston Taylor. Chaplain Taylor, fellow Chaplains and brothers in arms were POW's during World War II. Wow, what a wonderful book, especially for those ministering in the military. I just wanted to share a few quotes from the book that stood out to me. Enjoy!

"Men, I want to pray and thank God for the confidence he has placed in us by letting us be in this place at this time." "Lord, we cannot see tomorrow, but you hold all our tomorrows in your hand. We dare not question why you've led us here; only help us give a good account of all we've learned of you. And if...and if you should ask us to pay the supreme sacrifice, as you were once called upon to do, let it be with confidence that you will meet us at the river and lead us across the troubled waters. We claim this same support for all our men here, some even now at the point of departure, In Jesus' name, amen."

"That faith prepares a man not only to live but also to die."

"Men, I've learned never to doubt in the darkness what I believed in the light."

"When a person believes in something in his head, it greatly influences what he does and the way he reacts to given situations, including death. But when a person commits himself to that way, above every other way, it changes him and the way he acts."

"We don't know what tomorrow holds, but we know the one who holds tomorrow."

"I've been wrong about you Christians. You really are different. You haven't preached to me, only tried to love me, and I've decided to follow your advice and receive Christ into my heart."

"Love is of people, by people and for people, Taylor reminded himself. Things are to be used; people are to be loved. It is immoral when people are used and things are loved."

Great book of hope and inspiration.

Financial Hope

I was talking to someone recently and we were discussing my last post My Black Friday Is there hope for those of us who are in the deep red hole (debt)? Yes, there is hope!

My sister-in-law was doing Financial Peace University through her church. She and her children were visiting and she had to do some homework. Part of her homework was to watch one of the video lessons for her class. I happened to be sitting on the couch as she was watching and it peaked my interest. I saw how this course was helping her and I wanted help too. So I bought the course and Laura and I started going through it in April. May was our first month "on the plan".

So what is Dave's plan? The centerpiece is a written budget. Yes, I know the "B" word. I have to confess that I did not like the idea of a budget and was not certain about this zero based budget Dave Ramsey was promoting. Now, I LOVE IT! Basically the written budget is just the plan of action. With the zero based budget you spend every dollar on paper before you ever get it. You make the plan and then work the plan.

For a full explanation of Dave's "plan" you can pickup his books Financial Peace Revisited or The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan For Financial Fitness Both resources will help you no matter what your financial situation may be. For a wealth of resources and helps you can also go to Dave Ramsey's web site

God has blessed Laura and me through Dave's Financial Peace University. I believe God is using him, his life story and his ministry to give hope to all who will listen. Dave gives good sound financial advice based on Biblical understanding.

Can you have hope in the midst of debt? Yes! How? Make a plan and then work it. We personally have about $17,000 more dollars in debt to pay off, but we have a plan and we are working it every day, every week, and every month. You may think that you have too much debt and not enough income. Read Joel Maxwell's Story and you will be encouraged on your journey! There is HOPE!

I Bless Your Name

Laura sang this song yesterday at church. WOW! These words really struck me.

In prisoners' chains
With bleeding stripes
Paul and Silas prayed that night
And in their pain began to sing
Their chains were loosed
And they were free
I bless Your name
I bless Your name
I give You honor, give You praise
You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
I bless Your name
I bless Your name

Some midnight hour
If you should find
You're in a prison in your mind
Reach out and praise
Defy those chains
And they will fall
In Jesus' Name

We bless Your Name
We bless Your Name
We give You honor, give You praise
You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
We bless Your Name
We bless Your Name

You are the Life, the Truth, the Way
We bless Your Name
We bless Your Name

I think it is safe to say that we have all felt bound by the situations of daily living. What chains are binding you? Do you long for freedom? I do! Recently I have felt so bound. How can I/we have freedom? Reach out and praise God through prayer and singing; remember He is the Life, the Truth and the Way; defy the chains in Jesus' Name.

Note to self: Bless the Name of the Lord! Focus on the God , the key to loosing the chains, not the chains themselves.

Great Quotes

I wanted to share some great quotes that I have come across recently. I hope you enjoy!

"I do not understand everything about Christ and Christianity. I also do not understand everything about electricity, but I do not intend to sit in the dark until I do."~Unknown

"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape." ~Michael McGriff

"Ordinary people with commitment can make an extraordinary impact on their world." ~John C. Maxwell

"Most of us plateau when we lose the tension between where we are and where we ought to be." ~John Gardiner

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Relationships help us to define who we are and what we can become. Most of us can trace our successes to pivotal relationships." ~Donald O. Clifton and Paula Nelson

"Perfection is what you're striving for, but perfection is an impossibility. However, striving for perfection is not am impossibility. Do the best you can under the conditions that exist. That is what counts." ~John Wooden

"Don't find fault, find a remedy." ~Henry Ford

“In humility we acknowledge God’s majesty, in contentment His grace, and in thankfulness His goodness. Thankfulness to God is a recognition that God in His goodness and faithfulness has provided for us and cared for us, both physically and spiritually. It is a recognition that we are totally dependent upon Him; that all that we are and have comes from God.” ~Unknown

Expectations

These videos are wonderfully outrageous. While they are a little over the top they raise a good question. What expectations do you bring to church?

Me Church


Drive Through Church


How different would worship be if we all came with the sole expectation of communing with God with a disregard for the style of music, the children's programs, the length of the sermon, the speaker, etc.? Good question to ponder.

Do you expect to go to "ME CHURCH" where it is all about you? What expectations do you bring to church?

Cartoon Perspective

Great cartoons with a little perspective. I hope you enjoy them.

WORRY


Matthew 6:26-27 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

CARRY YOUR BOOKS?


1 Peter 5:7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

DYNAMITE


Mark 11:22-23 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

All cartoons created by Mike Waters http://www.joyfultoons.com/