I watched the Inauguration coverage. I agree with what my friend Danny Dodd said: "Now President Obama will begin to find out what it is really all about. My guess is- that once he is completely immersed into all things president, he will start to see that W was not quite the arrogant idiot he was made out to be. I think he will discover that it is one thing to be on the outside calling for change and be on the inside realizing that is ain’t that easy. But I wish him well. I do hope he can be the agent to turn our economy around. A lot of hopes are riding on him."
Last month I read a blog post by Perry Noble and I immediately knew I wanted to develop it into a lesson for the Men of the Word (a group of guys from Cedar Creek that meets each month for a prayer breakfast and Bible lesson). In Deuteronomy 23:12-14 God tells the Israelites to bury their crap outside the camp. I have been digesting Perry's thoughts, and I have come up with something to share with the guys. A good lesson to start the new year:
A.I. returned tonight. The kids love it, but I'm growing tired of it. The funniest parts are the auditions during the first few epsiodes. The people are different, but the train wrecks are all-too-familiar.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Hunkered down under a bunch of blankets on Saturday night, but woke up to 48 degrees in the house. Brrr! Spent the day with some friends. Came home to check the house, then the juice came back on. Kudos to those guys working round-the-clock to restore power.
We got a nasty ice storm this morning. When the weatherman predicted a half-inch of ice, I thought he was exaggerating, but it turns out he was right. Ice everywhere. The tree limbs are groaning with the weight. We lost some very big branches. Limbs and power lines are down all over town. We lost power about 9am and the house is getting COLD. They say power might not be restored until Sunday. Wow. We are getting warm at Starbucks now.
I got home from a meeting last night and the Barbara Walters “Most Interesting People of 2008″ special was on t.v. Tina Fey and Rush Limbaugh made the list. Surely I’m not the only one who noticed this: Babs was very chummy with Tina, joining in the mocking of Sarah Palin, laughing when Tina called George Bush an idiot, celebrating Tina’s success, etc. The Rush interview came next. She was hostile & accusatory, chastizing Rush for his big salary and essentially calling him an intolerant bigot. The double-standard was obvious.
A lukewarm pastor:
Prays as much, or more, publicly than privately.
Is almost exclusively dependent on others’ sermons to preach than directly hearing from God.
Cares more about his church than The Church.
Preaches about evangelism but doesn’t practice evangelism privately.
Tolerates and rationalizes unconfessed sin.
Preaches for the approval of people rather than the approval of God.
Is overly sensitive to criticism.
Harbors bitterness and unforgiveness.
Reads the Bible to prepare sermons but not for personal devotion to God.
Is jealous or critical of someone else that God is blessing.
I had a rare Sunday off today. It's really weird to be on "vacation" but still at home. I enjoyed sleeping in and waking up to enjoy some coffee and the morning paper. We worshipped at Christ's Church at Georgetown today. I enjoyed hearing my friend Chris Steele preach.
Hey Christians, how 'bout we do something different this year and not freak out about merchants saying "Happy Holidays" instead "Merry Christmas"? I started thinking about it while preparing to teach a Bible School class tomorrow. We've been talking about issues over which Christians disagree (alcohol, role of women in the church, tattoos and other cultural things, etc). My topic is holidays. You know, that whole pagan origins thing. A couple of key Scriptures that I will use are Romans 14:1-8 and Colossians 2:16-3:4.
If you don't know what is causing your momentum, you are only one
stupid decision away from killing it.
I said, "God, do something in our church. And God, 'that's why you're there.' I mean, who built the ark?" (God worked through a person).
Do anything short of sin to connect people to Christ.Mark Waltz put some great notes on his blog (scroll down past his anniversary post).
Jon over at Stuff Christians Like had a post about re-claiming 80's songs for Christ. It reminded me of some stuff we did at church camp. We re-worked some songs that were popular at the time (it seems so cheesy now, but back then we were amazed at our own awesomeness):Going to the One Day Catalyst at Granger on Thursday. Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel, with Steve Fee leading worship. It's going to be great.
I'm excited about the message I'm going to preach on Sunday. I'm in a series called Down to the Core (based on Acts 2:42). I'll be preaching about fellowship this week. I learned some new things about this important topic. I can't wait to share it at The Creek.Fellowship -- Why is It Important?
Phil Johnson wrote: "That’s why preachers ought to preach the Word instead of telling stories and doing comedy. That’s where the power for ministry resides: in the Word. It’s not in our cleverness or our oratorical skills. The power is in the Word of God. And our task is simple: all we have to do is make the Bible’s meaning plain, proclaim it with accuracy and clarity. And the Spirit of God uses His Word to transform lives. The power is in the Word, not in any technique or program."
Sometimes I'm tempted to trust my own cleverness, wit or skill and I need to be reminded to keep the Word central. I sure I'm not alone in this regard. Maybe you need this reminder too.
This morning I prayed for President-elect Obama and for our country. I was disappointed in the outcome of the election, but I am encouraged that these things are still true:
I’m studying for some leadership teaching that I’m going to do for the next three Thursdays at a sister congregation in Ohio (about an hour from here). My father-in-law has put together this training. About two hours each week for a couple of years. He brings in a lot of guest speakers. Kind of a “Joshua’s Men” type of discipleship and leadership development thing. It's called "King's Servants." I did this last year and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to it.
About six years ago, our family went to get a dog from the SPCA. We looked at several candidates. We nearly got a German Shepherd puppy, but another dog had caught our eye. A Border Collie who was older, about six years old. She had been passed over many times and they weren't going to keep her much longer. We chose to take "Midnight" home. She was a great dog. She loved the kids and they loved her. She was house-broken and she didn't run away when we let her outside.
This past Wednesday night I did a lesson on the Lord's Supper. I'm teaching the series: The New Testament Church -- Then & Now. We had a good discussion. Tomorrow I will be teaching on the same subject in the Homebuilders Bible School Class. Our class has been studying controversial or disputable matters. I think some of the class members are going to be stunned to learn that some people have very strong convictions about this (frequency, day, participants, etc.). Isn't it just like Satan to take the very things that are to unite us and point us towards Christ, and use them to create such sharp division within the Body of Christ? Worship, Communion, and Baptism -- those topics never fail to generate a spirited discussion. 
Another year older. Forty-three! How did THAT happen? I still feel like I'm in my twenties, but the mirror tells a different story. It has been a great day so far. I've received several phone calls from family and friends. Mrs. Soren and I are going to a quiet, romantic dinner tonight. Life is good.
It was a great Sunday. A good day at The Creek. I took a nap this afternoon, then went for a ride on my motorcycle, stopping by the local children’s home and playing a little dodge ball. Attended a Revival meeting at a sister church tonight. Now I am watching baseball.
David Foster had a great blog post today:
My friend Art Bush sang at Cedar Creek today. He was in town to sing at the Annual Meeting for the Wooburn Christian Children's Home. I have known Art since I was a teenager when he did a concert at my home church in Three Oaks, MI. I have had him come to all the churches I have served. I always appreciate his humble spirit and his servant's heart.
I watched the debate last night and thought is was rather boring. Although Obama did much better than expected when he had to speak off the top of his head, without a teleprompter. Both candidates were clearly well-prepared. McCain seems like he has to force a smile when he probably would rather blow his stack. I was waiting for him to go-off on Obama, like Jack Nicholson at the end of A Few Good Men.
