Author Archives: Lummer Steve

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FAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

FAIRWAY TO HEAVEN
me-and-paul
If there is a golf course in heaven, my friend Paul is on it today.
As I was in the tall grass trying to find my sliced little white ball, Paul was already on the green.
It was that way in almost every sport except fishing and mushroom hunting. – Paul was excellent at tennis, basketball, golf and everything that had to do with a ball agility and speed.
And the gift of comic relief and his infectious laugh!
That is why I asked him to go on the first date I had with Brenda. I needed a wingman, and he came through with flying Callaway colors. Our double date was a success and 40 years later my wife Brenda and I say good bye to our good friend Paul Callaway.
Thank you for everything you gave all of us Paul.
The memories are too many to mention in a post like this.
Have a great day on those fairways in heaven my friend.
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We love you buddy and will miss you BIG TIME.
Until that day.
Steve and Brenda Lummer
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Ministry

Guest Blogger Jeff Peterson

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My favorite devotional bible resembles a worn ball glove. Its front and back once-blank pages are lled with notes and thoughts compiled over the past couple of decades. I don’t carry it outside the house, due to its fragility and the treasures that reside in those pages.

While most of my reading today is in my Logos software, to return to the familiarity of those leather-bound pages brings a sense of anchoring unlike anything else. I can’t count the number of times I opened it in distress or weariness of ministry, and closed it with a renewed sense of God’s presence and power for the next step ahead. And those notes…

ose notes have coupled with God’s Word to be of great encouragement to me! All of us can identify with the Psalmist David, as he wonders to himself over his own discouragement. All too often, the greatest source of encouragement in ministry has to come from within. is is an awesome grace that God provides, through His Holy Spirit residing within us. We have to choose to receive it in those moments.

Be encouraged today. If you’re feeling low, go for it— encourage yourself like David did!

Stay healthy in ministry!

Ways to encourage yourself:

• Talk to yourself about why you are discouraged. King David did it, so can you.
• Remain in His Word. Review personal notes. Re ect upon God’s past faithfulness in tough times; and realize God will do the same for you in this present di cult season.
• Save personal notes for future encouragement. If they encourage you now, they will again one day.

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Ministry, outdoors

FORGE 2017

FORGE 2017 ON THE BANKS OF THE BUFFALO RIVER ARKANSAS

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I know that you are pleased with me,  for my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 Because of my integrity you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.

– Psalm 41:11-12 NIV

           What a great time with the men of Journey Church.

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America’s First National River

Established in 1972, Buffalo National River flows freely for 135 miles and is one of the few remaining undammed rivers in the lower 48 states. Once you arrive, prepare to journey from running rapids to quiet pools while surrounded by massive bluffs as you cruise through the Ozark Mountains down to the White River.

 

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Thanks for getting us there Jesse Quiroz.

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http://www.journeychurchmo.com

 

 

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Discovery Church, outdoors

Nate and Sarah Moore

This couple are U.S. appointed missionaries to the rock climbing community. They also work in Hollywood for the TV show American Ninja Warrior. http://www.anwexperience.com

The symbiotic relationship these two fields have, has created so much opportunity for Nate and Sarah to reach people who would never otherwise enter the doors of a church. Nate and Sarah have been married for 8 years and have lived off and on out of a vehicle for the last 6 years. For the first time in their marriage they have a home base in Golden, Colorado.
Join us Friday night through Sunday with this fun amazing couple.
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Discovery Church, Discovery Prescott

JUICE IT – Part 3 VISION

In this series we will looking at how to squeeze the most out of:
PRAYER – (Apples Perspective, Possibility and Prevention)
MARRIAGE – (Mangos fertility and drive to keep your marriage alive)
VISION – (Carrots)
CHURCH – (Pomegranate )
PARENTING – (Bannans  – Parent panel
FINANCES – (Grapes – Abundance)
The purposes of JUICING:
1. It’s the best way to get your DAILY SERVINGS of Fruits/Veggies.
2. It allows you to absorb nutrients BETTER with less digestion.
3. It strengthens your immune system
it allows you to MAKE SURE you are getting ALL your body needs to live in health and wellness.
“They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.
When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”
24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into the village.” – Mark 8:24 (NIV)
 
“he saw everything clearly“
 
Man I wish that was me…..TO BE ABLE TO SEE EVERYTHING CLEARLY.
I wish I could see why, what and when.
 
“Vision is the art of seeing the invisible.” — Jonathan Swift
“The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” – Helen Keller
 
“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” – Napoleon Hill
 
JOKE
A woman walks into an optician to return a pair of spectacles that she purchased for her husband a week before.

The assistant asks, “What seems to be the problem, Madam?”
The woman replies, “I’m returning these spectacles I bought for my husband. He’s still not seeing things my way.”
Most of us don’t have clarity toward our future because of clutter in our today.
 
In other words, we’re so busy today that we can’t even see our tomorrow.
 
In part three of our JUICE IT series we use the power of the carrot to relate the spiritual fruit that God has to your spiritual vision.
 
Macular Degeneration: This is a common eye disease of the elderly that impairs the function of the macula. Research has found that people who ate the most amount of beta-carotene had a forty percent lower risk of macular degeneration compared with those who consumed the least. Beta-carotene can also split itself via an enzymatic reaction to form provitamin A, which is often associated with antioxidant capacity in relation to vision. Therefore, carrots are an all-around vision booster.
Improves Eyesight: Deficiency of vitamin A can cause some difficulty in eyesight.
Where do you SEE yourself in 5 years
 
We need to to be clear about our future because we are going to spend the rest of your life there!
Provers 29:18 “where there is no vision the people perish
WHAT IS VISION?
 
It is the ability to see…..
 
SPIRITUAL VISION IS THE ABILITY TO SEE WHAT OTHERS CANNOT SEE. 
If your vision is limited your life is limited … limited vision is limited life.
7 times in scripture we see God say’s “what do you see?”
It is God’s design for us to have clarity !
THE PROBLEM
 
But, many people don’t have CLARITY because of the CLUTTER.
We don’t have CLARITY ABOUT OUR FUTURE  because we have too much CLUTTER TODAY.
WORK – BILLS – SCHEDULES – FAMILY – CHURCH
ILLUS – DRIVING A CAR IN HEAVEY SNOW.
THE SOLUTION
WE CAN HAVE GOOD VISION IF?
1. WRITE IT DOWN.
 
All God originated visions ARE SHARED VISIONS.
 
AN EFFECTIVE  VISION WILL HAVE FOUR COMPONENTS:
1.  a problem.
2.  a solution.
3.  a reason something must be done.
4.  a reason something must be done now.
 
“Write the vision

And make it plain on tablets,
That he may run who reads it.
3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry. –

Habakkuk 2:1-4 (NKJV)
2. CLEAN IT UP.
The Ministry Of Margin
ESSENTIALS IN CREATING MARGIN RESERVES.
INVEST TIME   with those who charge your battery
“…a sweet friendship refreshes the soul.” Pro. 27.9 (The Message)
Leave room for margin –
Reserve some down Time –
Plan for lead Time –
Seek solitude –
Find a sacred Space –
  “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31  (niv)
A cleaned calendar is like a carrot for your eyes.
“I see people like trees walking”

 They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. 23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus sent him home, saying, “Don’t even go into[a] the village.” – Mark 8:24 (NIV)
3. PRIORITIZE PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION.
 
Jesus went back a second time and then the man could see clearly – 
Don’t give up on the process just because things are not perfect right now.
 
 
4. TAKE THE SCENIC ROUTE.
“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV)

Exit the Freeway
In their book, Finding the Open Road, the founders of Roadtrip Nation talk about their RV journey crisscrossing the United States interviewing all kinds of different people. In one of the chapters they talk about exiting the freeway. They were driving through western Montana and they decided to exit I-90 and check out the Clark Fork River. When they got to the river they ran into a trucker and they were somewhat surprised to see him skipping stones. Truckers are notorious for getting as far as they can as fast as they can. That’s how they make a living. They asked him what he was doing and he told them that his wife passed away from cancer the day before and he realized how impermanent life is. He said, “For thirty-five years I’ve driven by this exit a million times, and I’ve never stopped.” They said the look on his face was part regret and part enlightenment.

I think I was so busy getting where I wanted to go during my twenties that I didn’t enjoy the journey as much as I could have and should have. Too many of us suffer from destination disease. We’re so focused on tomorrow that we fail to enjoy today. When we’re in high school we can’t wait for college. When we’re in college we can’t wait to graduate. When we’re single we can’t wait to get married. We can’t wait for kids. We can’t wait to climb the corporate ladder. We can’t wait to make money. We can’t wait for retirement. And when we finally retire we wish we were young again!
“Nothing slows us down like trying to get ahead of God.”
 
“The Scenic Route”) questions whether we’re the most impatient people in the history of mankind.  He adds that “we wear busyness like a badge, like an honor roll bumper sticker.”
If you are dependent on whatever is next to make you happy, you are suffering from destination disease.  You are trying to get ahead of God.  But, by God’s grace, the journey needs to be enjoyed too.  The journey is the destination.

Mark asks when the last time was that you exited the freeway and took the scenic route.  While the freeway shortcut is the path of least resistance and well-traveled, the scenic route is less traveled, takes longer, and is “an uphill climb both ways.”  However, the scenic route creates a spectacular view from the top!

Goals must be accomplished step-by-step.  You can’t rush and get ahead of yourself- or get ahead of God.  Although you need to establish God-sized goals it is important to remember that the goal you set really isn’t the goal.
the goal you set is the habit that helps you get there.
Your responsibility is not to figure out where to go or what to do- that is God’s job.  Your only job is to keep in lockstep with the Holy Spirit.
Here is a little maxim for anyone who seems anxious about missing the will of God:

“God wants you to get where God wants you to go more than you want to get where God wants you to go.”

juice-it

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Discovery Church, Discovery Prescott

JUICE IT – Part two – MARRIAGE

Here are the notes from this message.
“Marriage should be honored by all.”  Hebrews 13:4
 Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church—a love marked by giving, not getting. Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness. And that is how husbands ought to love their wives. They’re really doing themselves a favor—since they’re already “one” in marriage. Ephesians 5:25-28 The message
Health Benefits Of The Mango

1.  Prevents Cancer: 
Research has shown antioxidant compounds in mango fruit have been found to protect against colon, breast, leukemia and prostate cancers. These compounds include quercetin, isoquercitrin, astragalin, fisetin, gallic acid and methylgallat, as well as the abundant enzymes.

2.  Lowers Cholesterol: 
The high levels of fiber, pectin and vitamin C help to lower serum cholesterol levels, specifically Low-Density Lipoprotein (the bad stuff).

3.  Clears the Skin: 
Can be used both internally and externally for the skin. Mangos help clear clogged pores and eliminate pimples.

4.  Improves Eye Health: 
One cup of sliced mangoes supplies 25 percent of the needed daily value of vitamin A, which promotes good eyesight and prevents night blindness and dry eyes.

5.  Alkalizes the Whole Body:

The tartaric acid, malic acid, and a trace of citric acid found in the fruit help to maintain the alkali reserve of the body.

6. May Help with Diabetes: 
Mango leaves help normalize insulin levels in the blood. The traditional home remedyinvolves boiling leaves in water, soaking through the night and then consuming the filtered decoction in the morning. Mango fruit also has a relatively low glycemic index (41-60) so moderate quantities will not spike your sugar levels.

7. Promotes Healthy Sex: 

Mangos are a great source of vitamin E. Even though the popular connection between sex drive and vitamin E was originally created by a mistaken generalization on rat studies, further research has shown balanced proper amounts (from whole foods) does help.

8. Improves Digestion: 
Papayas are not the only fruit that contain enzymes for breaking down protein. There are several fruits, including mangoes, which have this healthful quality. The fiber in mangos also helps digestion and elimination.

9. Helps Fight Heat Stroke:
Juicing the fruit from green mango and mixing with water and a sweetener helps to cool down the body and prevent harm from overheating. From an ayurvedic viewpoint, the reason people often get diuretic and exhausted when visiting equatorial climates is because the strong “sun energy” is burning up your body, particularly the muscles. The kidneys then become overloaded with the toxins from this process.

10. Boosts the Immune System:

The generous amounts of vitamin C and vitamin A in mangos, plus 25 different kinds of carotenoids keep your immune system healthy and strong.
 
Just as the mango injects the needed nutrients in our bodies there are some amazing ingredients in God’s words that will give life to your marriage.
Like three super foods we are going to look into three amazing ways to energize your marriage so we can squeeze the most out of it!
Here are three super foods for you marriage: – Thoughts/Words/Time
 
 
Cherish your spouse with your thoughts.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”Philippians 4:8
 
* Choose thoughts that recognize your spouse’s high value.

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

“So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh,
but nourish- es and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church…”(Ephesians 5:28-29 NASB)
 
* Remain grateful by maintaining a mindset that it’s a privilege to be married to your spouse.
“Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in your wife all your life.” – Proverbs 5:18
 
 
Cherish your spouse with your words.
 
“Many couples have never learned the tremendous power of verbally affirming each other.”
“A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting,
for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.”Ecclesiastes 7:1-2
 
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21
 
“Our spouse will usually interpret our message based on our tone of voice, not the words we use.”
“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart,
and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person;
but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”Matthew 15:17-20
Here are 4 practical ways you can honor your spouse with your words.
 
* First, offer regular, sincere compliments throughout the day.
“I liken you, my darling, to a mare harnessed to one of the chariots of Pharaoh. Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.
We will make you earrings of gold, studded with silver.”Song of Solomon 1:9-11
 
* Second, speak a blessing over your spouse with an CHERISH list.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves…” Philippians 2:3

* Third, read your CHERISH list out loud in front of family and friends.
“Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love.” Song of Solomon 2:4
 
* Fourth, practice an CHERISH bombardment.
“…outdo one another in showing honor.” Romans 12:10
 
Cherish your spouse with your time.
 
“Empathetic listening is an awesome medication for the hurting heart.” Dr. Gary Chapman
Expand the time you just listen. 
Recent research has indicated that the average individual listens for only seventeen seconds before interrupting and interjecting his own ideas.
* First, a daily delay prioritizes 15-20 minutes to keep short accounts.
15 to 20 minutes a day to just focus on each other.
“My lover is to me a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi.” – Song of Solomon 1:14
 
* Second, a weekly withdrawal prioritizes date night.
“Listen! My lover! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills. My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag.
Look! There he stands be- hind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. My lover spoke and said to me,“
Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.”Song of Solomon 2:8-10
* Third, the annual abandon is a retreat out of town to refresh and recali-brate.
“Come, my lover, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded,
if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom—there I will give you my love.”Song of Solomon 7:11-12
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Discovery Church, Discovery Prescott

JUICE IT – PART 1- PRAYER

Our newest series of messages JUICE IT – February 5 -March 7
Squeezing the most out of your life and faith.

In this series we will looking at how to squeeze the most out of:
PRAYER – (Apples Perspective, Possibility and Prevention)
MARRIAGE – (Mangos fertility and drive to keep your marriage alive)
TIME – (Blueberries superfood)
CHURCH – (Carrots (vision) Pomegranate )
PARENTING – (Bannans – Parent panel)
FINANCES – (Grapes – Abundance)

The purposes of JUICING:
1. It’s the best way to get your DAILY SERVINGS of Fruits/Veggies.
2. It allows you to absorb nutrients BETTER with less digestion.
3. It strengthens your immune system
it allows you to MAKE SURE you are getting ALL your body needs to live in health and wellness.

Vitamines in an apple.
A/B/C

Right from childhood everyone has learned the saying “An apple a day keeps doctor away”.
Expectant mothers are given apples in large quantities so as to improve digesting of mother and health of their yet to be born child.
It is believed that a child would have least skin defects if the mother eats apples before the birth of child.

Today we are juicing Apples.

THE 15 PREVENTATIVE HEALTH BENEFITS OF THE APPLE
1. Get whiter, healthier teeth
2. Avoid Alzheimer’s
3. Protect against Parkinson’s

4. Curb all sorts of cancers
5. Decrease your risk of diabetes
6. Reduce cholesterol
7. Get a healthier heart
8. Prevent gallstones
9. Beat diarrhea and constipation
10. Neutralize irritable bowel syndrome
11. Avert hemorrhoids
12. Control your weight
13. Detoxify your liver
14. Boost your immune system
15. Prevent cataracts

JUICE HERE

Prayer like the apple is full of nutrients – B vitamins
Apples are rich source of vitamin B. It contains most of water soluble forms of vitamin B (vitamin B1, B2, B3, B5 and B9).

Vitamines to
Vitamine B-elieve.
Vitamine B-have.
Vitamine B-more.

I want to take us to a prayer squeezed way back in the obscurity of an old testament book called 1 Chronicles.
Just like a big juicy apple hidden way back in the tree…behind all the leaves and branches

There is this prayer that is like a SUPER FOOD FOR YOUR LIFE.

ARE YOU READY?

Turn then with me to 1 Chronicles 4

THE PRAYER JABEZ JUICED

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (NIV)

Yeah, Jabez juiced his prayer life …he sqeezed everything out of it.

Jabez wanted to be more and do more for God
 
vs. 9 “Jabez was more.”
vs. 9 “His mother had named him Jabez,  saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.”
In Hebrew, the word Jabez means “pain.” A literal rendering could read, “He causes (or will cause) pain.”
He grew up with a name any boy would love to hate.
IT WAS THE LABEL THAT KEEPS ON GIVING!
1. PRAYER GIVES YOU  A TOTALLY DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE:
 
– (juice this)
 
vs. 10 “Jabez called on the God of Israel.”
 
Not happy thoughts…..positive vibes!
 
Prayer is a powerful tool to connect you the creator of the universe and the designer of you.
 
Prayer postures us to begin to see things from a higher vantage point!
Prayer helps you to see your situation from God’s perspective! 
Prayer helps you see  the challenge you are facing from God’s eyes.
 
2. PRAYER OPENS UP NEW POSSIBILITIES:
vs. 10 “bless me and enlarge my territory”
– (juice this)
He looked at his circumstances and concluded, “Surely I was born for more than this!”
God’s Math
For most of us, our reluctance comes from getting our numbers right, but our arithmetic completely wrong.
For example, when we’re deciding what size territory God has in mind for us, we keep an equation in our heart that adds up something like this:
My abilities + experience + training + my personality and appearance + my past + the expectations of others = my assigned territory.
“Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).
That means God’s math would look more like this:
 
My willingness and weakness + God’s will and supernatural power = my expanding territory.
It’s in GOD’S NATURE IS TO BLESS
PRAYER OPENS UP GREATER POSSIBILITIES!
You can count the seeds in an apple, but you cannot count the apples in a seed!
That is what prayer does for you!
“with God nothing shall be impossible.” – Luke 1:37
 
O God and King, please expand my opportunities and my impact in such a way that I touch more lives for Your glory. Let me do more for You! When you pray like this, things get pretty exciting.
 
You can count the seeds in an apple but you cannot count the apples in a seed .
Prayer is the seed for more!
JABEZ WAS MORE!
3. PRAYER IS A PREVENTATIVE:
 
vs. 10 “Let your hand be with me, keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.”
 
Prayer is not your spare tire for after you ran over the nail in the road…..its your stirring wheel to help you drive around the nail so it doesn’t flat your tire in the first place.
 
 
– (juice this)
THE TOUCH OF GREATNESS – “let your hand be with me”  Changes everything!
 
My birth caused PAIN …..LET YOU HAND KEEP ME FROM PAIN!
 
You have heard, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”
Prayer is like that! – It will give you insight
Prayer has the ability to have HINDSIGHT and FORESIGHT  that naturally cannot be seen.
HINDSIGHT + FORESIGHT = INSIGHT
Like the apple, prayer opens up a whole new world of possibilities and perspective that normally would not be there.
It also helps in the PREVENTION OF SITUATIONS YOU WOULD RATHER NOT BE IN.
 

10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request. 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (NIV)
 
JUICE your prayer life AND GOD WILL GRANT YOUR REQUEST!
THE JUICE IN THIS PRAYER
1.  PRAYER GIVES A NEW PERSPECTIVE!.
2. PRAYER GIVES NEW POSSIBILITIES.
3. PRAYER IS A PREVENTATIVE POWER.
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Discovery Church, Discovery Prescott

RHYTHMS OF MY TRIBE – PART 1

We were made for rhythm.
The rhythm is in us.
All of creation is filled with rhythm
Night and day
Beginnings and Endings
Seasons of winter/spring/summer and fall
 
 
Rhythm and pace and cadence are essential for a healthy balanced life.
 
 
GO TO THE RHYTHM MAKER
 
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Matthew 11:28-29 (MSG)

 

THE PROBLEM
We are in “A Constant state of partial attention” –  Huffington post
The song is written on your heart already ….may you live in tune with it.
How do I get in rhythm with your creator?
How can I mentor myself to have a heart that beats with the rhythm of His heart?
Jesus knew we would need help keeping in rhythm with God’s heart do he gives us a pattern of prayer that will help us keep in step with the heart of Father God.
Matthew 6:9-13 (NKJV)  9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10  Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11  Give us this day our daily bread. 12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
 
The is a rhythm a symmetry to the Lord’s prayer to will help us get in sync with the heart of Father God.
 
 
#1.  THE UPWARD RHYTHM.
 
Vs. 9 –  Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
prayer is the most powerful, intimate and wonderful activity in which a believer can engage. Jesus taught His disciples to begin their prayers by first seeking God’s face before looking for His hand.
Seeking HIM before seeking His blessings
A.B. SIMPSON [lyrics from his hymn, HIMSELF.]
Once it was the blessing,
Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling,
Now it is His Word;
Once His gift I wanted,
Now, the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing,
Now Himself alone.
 
#2. THE DOWNWARD RHYTHM.
Vs. 9 – Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Teach me to value the things you value. I surrender my will to you. I say ‘yes’ to you and your plan for me before I even know the outcome because I trust that you know what’s best for me. Just as you are on the throne in heaven, I place you on the throne of my life…”
Pray something like – “God I’m tired of my kingdom. I’m tired of my economy that only values the strong, the rich, the influential, the good looking, those that have it put together, the powerful. I want to see your kingdom values in place. God, I want your pattern of values to be the pattern of values in my heart, in my home, in my workplace, in my school, in my neighborhood, in my church, in my family, in my city, in my world”
 
 
 
#3. THE INWARD RHYTHM.
Vs. 11, 12 – Give us this day our daily bread….And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
 
We can trust God to meet not just our physical needs, but also the needs of our souls.
Pray something like – “God, you gave the Israelites manna in the desert and provided for them in the most unlikely of places. I ask You to provide for me in such a way that brings you eternal glory, just as you did with manna. Forgive me for where I have grumbled even though you have provided. I ask for you to provide for me these needs that I have today:”
#4. THE OUTWARD RHYTHM
Vs. 13 – And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
This is where we ask Jesus to lead us – mentor us and teach us how to do life.
This is the part of the Lord’s Prayer where we ask God to protect us and use us as he leads us. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.”
 
 
Conclusion: Back to Matthew 11:28-29 
 
THE UNFORCED RHYTHMS OF GRACE
Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” – Matthew 11:28-29 (MSG)
 
“My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
 
Jesus was speaking to people who understood “YOKES”
The yoke is understood as a “staff on the shoulders” (see Isaiah 9:4) in order to harness their power for pulling loads such as a wagon or plow. Hence, the two pictographs can also represent “the ox in the yoke”. Often two oxen were yoked together. An older, more experienced ox would be teamed up (yoked) with a younger, less experienced ox. The older ox in the yoke is the “strong authority” who, through the yoke, teaches the younger ox.
God is calling you do a field – a task – a purpose…but he is not calling you to do it all by yourself.
He is calling you to be yoked with him – the stronger, wiser, older one who will carry the weight and show you how to do life at his PACE, His CADENCE and His RHYTYM.
Rhythm (from Greek ῥυθμός, rhythmos, “any regular recurring motion, symmetry”
That is a picture of our life in America -We are in “A Constant state of partial attention”
But Hebrews 13:8 tells us “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Walk with me   –  work with me —watch how I do it.
KEEP HIS PACE AND RECEIVE HIS PEACE.
UPWARDLY – DOWNWARDLY – INWARDLY – OUTWARDLY
LET US PRAY
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

 

 

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