family, Ministry

Guest Blogger – Jo Ann Lummer

All of us have circumstances in life that we have to overcome or deal with. My grandfather, Alex Smith lost both of his legs (one just below the knee, one above the knee) when he was a young father, when he fell on the train tracks and the train ran over him. In those days, technology was not very advanced and he was fitted with WOODEN artificial legs. He didn’t let this stop him, as the pictures show. He rode a bicycle, played baseball with his grandson, became a minister of the gospel and taught his granddaughter the ability to endure difficult times. He spent many hours visiting the hospital rooms of people who came home from the war with missing limbs, encouraging them and showing them they still had a valuable life to live.
He was my “PePa” and I looked up to him SO much.

Guest Blogger – Jo Ann Lummer-Hutchinson

Guest Blogger, leadership, Ministry

Monday, Monday… by guest blogger David Crabtree

If you are a pastor, you might really appreciate my guest blogger David Crabtree’s recent gift to our pastoral tribe.

Thanks David

Monday, Monday…

Sunday is, without question, the greatest day of the week for the preacher, at least, this preacher. It is the weekly gathering – a great “coming to the house” – corporate worship – “ecclesia” (called out and together). I love Sunday. I live Sunday. At 9:00 and 10:45 the joy, the art, the quest, the war of preaching is mine again, and for a few moments I move in the pure air of calling. The message delivered is a release – a relief – joy. Changed lives create an ever-new wonder, and even if the changes are not immediately evident, faith carries the hour, and it is well with my soul. I love to preach – it’s blue skies and sunshine for me.

By Sunday afternoon familiar clouds take shape. The first is fatigue, reminding me that I am not so young anymore. Weariness is followed by a cumulous gathering of self doubt – thickening – darkening, until the small irritants of the day begin to take on weight and the rain begins to fall. The man who, only that morning, walked so confidently to the pulpit, so sure, so free, falls into second guessing. Slights are magnified, fears are nourished, evidence of good is washed away as a regretted phrase, a fumbled point, a distraction or two – or five – or ten are suddenly remembered and rehearsed. On Sunday afternoon, about three o’clock, I often feel feel more like Elijah on the bad side of Mt. Carmel than the guy who called down fire and rain.

I fight it – I invoke the “whatsoevers” of Philippians 4:8. I remind myself that it’s not my performance that makes the difference. I do a half-dozen re-boots in my mind and push back hard… but I’m tired and drained… and I called that woman by the wrong name again… and the sound wasn’t quite right… and the guy half-way back kept me in a hostile stare… and in a quiet moment a baby went off… and… and… 3:00 on Sunday afternoon is a vulnerable place and time. It must be a busy time in hell with so many preachers to discourage, so much seed to snatch away before it takes root.

The biographies of the great preachers console me with the knowledge that my peculiar battle is not so peculiar (Spurgeon and Luther come immediately to mind). Monday’s play list is often the blues for preachers. I’ve also been at this long enough to know that it comes to pass – not to stay. After the Monday mess is cleared away and all the meetings have been met, Tuesday finds me at early morning prayer, and there is a stirring… a text… a sunrise over a fresh biblical landscape and a gentle wind whispers, “Sunday’s coming”… my soul smiles and my heart skips a beat.

I’m reminded that you can’t have glorious mountains without a few deep valleys – the most glorious sunshine will turn your life into a desert without a little rain.

David Crabtree is the lead pastor of Calvary Church Greensboro North Carolina

http://www.calvarytriad.com/

Discovery Church, Ministry

We Can Only Carry So Much.

Reaching Out For Help Blows!

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble—James 4:6

So, carrying burdens is something for which we are built . . . and something which we are supposed to do, as men. God designed us, built us, intends us—to lend our strength to others, to those who need it. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). The problem is, most of us read Scripture one way only: that we are to carry burdens for others. Few read it the other way: that we must allow others to carry our burdens too. We don’t really like that reading. That reading causes our pride to rise up.

Like it or not, though, any one of us can carry only so much. Sure, we can “gut it out” with burdens that are too heavy . . . for a while, at least. Before long, however, they begin to grind us down. Anger, anxiety, burnout, depression and despondency, isolation and loneliness, or rebellion and sin emerge . . . simply because we’re neither designed, nor built, nor intended to carry our burdens alone. “One’s pride will bring him low” (Proverbs 29:23).

Okay, so what do we do?
Is there something you’re carrying that’s feeling too heavy? The burden of being a provider? Fears about finances . . . about work? The burden of children living up to expectations, in school, in athletics? A hidden sin? A hidden addiction? Another burden, perhaps?
If so, look around for that person with whom God intends you to share it . . . your friend, your wife. Go to them today. Die to pride. Let them in. Explain the situation and let them respond. Fulfilling the law of Christ also means that we must, sometimes, surrender our pride, surrender the images we have of ourselves, get over ourselves, and ask for help. We are meant to live free and fast and light . . . and together.

Live heavy …Travel light.

Steveo

church family, Ministry

Three Cents And A Dream

In 1910, a baby girl named Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu was born in Albania. As a teenager she felt called to ministry. She did her training in Ireland and India. One day she approached her superiors and said, “I have three pennies and a dream from God to build an orphanage.” Her superiors said, “You can’t build an orphanage with three pennies. With three pennies you can’t do anything.” Agnes smiled and said, “I know. But with God and three pennies I can do anything.” For fifty years, Agnes worked among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India. In 1979, Agnes, known to the rest of the world as Mother Teresa, won the Nobel Peace Prize.

How does such a diminutive woman become one of the most recognizable and most revered women in the world? How does a woman with three pennies end up inspiring people to give billions of dollars to charity?

Never underestimate someone with a God-given dream!

Pastor Steve

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”

“Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.”

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

“I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn’t touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God.

“I want you to be concerned about your next door neighbor. Do you know your next door neighbor?”

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.”

Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (Mother Teresa)

Ministry, outdoors

The soul never thinks without a picture

Reposted from http://restoringeden.org/connect/CreationVoice/2011/june-2011/geography-affects-destiny

Have you ever been asked the question “What does God look like”?

I have been asked that question, and I have asked the question myself many times. I love the story of a first grade teacher who was observing her students while they were drawing pictures. She occasionally walked around the classroom to see each child’s artwork. As she got to one little girl who was working very diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The little girl replied, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” The teacher paused for a second and said, “But no one knows what God looks like.” Without missing a beat or even looking up from her drawing, the little girl replied, “THEY WILL IN A MINUTE.”

When you hear about Jesus’ promise of an abundant life, do you ever think, “I’m a Christian, but I don’t see God moving so abundantly in my life!” Have you ever wondered whether you have misconceptions about faith that could be blocking your view of God?

Could it be that we are our own worst enemy when it comes to realizing God’s abundant life? Maybe it’s time to change your spiritual perspective and experience God’s presence in your life like never before. Maybe God is calling you to get out of your routine and come outside to get a fresh view of just how amazingly creative God is and how amazingly hungry you are for him.

The soul never thinks without a picture

When I look around at many people of faith today, I see people who are satisfied with just wearing a T-shirt for an adventure they’ve missed out on.

For much of our lives we’re missing the journey. We’re stuck in the same dull routine. We’re missing out on the joy, fear, laughter, doubt, mystery and confusion of following the adventurous life with God that would take us out of our synthetic virtual worlds.

Author of Wild Goose Chase, Pastor and Adventurer Mark Batterson reminds us of this very thing when he points us to Genesis 15 where we see an amazing illustration of God’s desire to get us “out there”.

God took Abraham outdoors to look up into the nighttime sky. He told him that his offspring would outnumber the stars in the sky. What God did may be just as significant as what He said. He led Abraham outside for an object lesson that he would never forget. He would never see the stars in the sky the same way again. Every time he looked into the nighttime sky, he “remembered the promises of God.”

Why did God take him outside? Because held up inside the tent, Abraham’s vision of God and God’s amazing future for him was limited. He could not see the potential of God’s promises. God wanted him to get a glimpse of just how big a God He was. Taking him outside was God’s way of telling Abraham not to put limits and ceilings on what He wanted to do through him and for him.

We are so much like Abraham. We assume what God can do and what He can’t. These assumptions become our tent of blindness which seriously blocks our ability to see and fulfill our God-given potential. When we take a moment to get out there, we are actually taking time to hear the future God has for us if we will just listen, look, and learn.

Getting outside gives you a new view of the inside, and Abraham, the father of faith, walked into an amazing new future.

Aristotle said, “The soul never thinks without a picture.” Wow. What are you looking at the gives your soul bigger, grander thoughts?

He determined the exact place where you should live

I believe where you live determines how you live. Yes, geography does effect your destiny, and what you see everyday defines your outlook and outcome.

I have always enjoyed the outdoors, the woods and streams. To this day it seems whenever we are on a trip or going from one place to another and we pass over a river or go through a forest, I have an urge to stop everything and take the time to explore the place.

Any place I have had opportunity to travel, whether it was South America, Mexico, Canada, Alaska, or my own backyard I have been curious about the habitat.

Here is a picture of a place I would spend hours at a time as a boy growing up in eastern Iowa.

I knew it as “the swamp” next to my first job at the Scott County Sportsman Club. Now it is known as Nahant Marsh.

What a great place to grow up as a child. Little did I realize at the time, but that place of adventure and exploring was a set up by God.

I found an amazing passage this morning out of Acts 17:26-27 that explains why we live where we do and why we live when we do.

According to Acts 17, God places us in certain geographical locations at certain times in history for a real specific reason. “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. 27 God did this so that men would seek him.”

Pretty cool stuff! From this perspective, I conclude that where we live has a lot to do with how we live.

Here’s a little post script: About a mile away from Nahant Marsh is a church that was very instrumental in my pursuit and search for a real relationship with the Creator.

When I come to the understanding that God places me in an exact geographical location so that I might seek him and get to know him, I really get in a hurry to get off this computer and get out there and invest some energy and time with an amazing artist and creator God with every hike, bike trio, or view of a glimmering river.

Steve Lummer
Prescott, Arizona

Reposted from

http://restoringeden.org/connect/CreationVoice/2011/june-2011/geography-affects-destiny

Discovery Church, Ministry

A Stress LESS Church

STRESS – LESS PART 3
How To Have A Stress LESS Church

Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox. -Proverbs 14:4

Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, 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. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

PRAY – THINK – LIVE

#1. RIGHT PRAYING
Vs 6. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything but in everything, by prayer
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

#2 . RIGHT THINKING.
-vs. 8 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.

# 3 RIGHT LIVING.
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
2 Timothy 4:5 Do the work of an evangelist,
Phil. 2:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing,
John 9:4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me
John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Discovery Church, Ministry

Growth track 2014

It’s Still not too late to get started reading through the New Testament this year.

Follow this reading chart to read through the New Testament in 2014.

We encourage you to get out in the elements to invest some time in God’s Word.

Whether next to a river, up on a mountain or in your favorite chair in your back yard…..

See if it makes a difference in your devotional and spiritual life.

For a daypack and water proof Bible, contact us at discoveryprescott.com

Also, there are many amazing free apps for your smart phone. I read today’s reading while on a hike in the Prescott National forest just this morning off my Iphone.

Pastor Steve Lummer

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. – Psalm 19:1‑6

Daily Bible Reading Plan – New Testament
1/1 Matthew 1
1/2 Matthew 2
1/3 Matthew 3
1/4 Matthew 4
1/5 Matthew 5:1-26
1/6 Matthew 5:27-48
1/7 Matthew 6:1-18
1/8 Matthew 6:19-34
1/9 Matthew 7
1/10 Matthew 8:1-17
1/11 Matthew 8:18-34
1/12 Matthew 9:1-17
1/13 Matthew 9:18-38
1/14 Matthew 10:1-20
1/15 Matthew 10:21-42
1/16 Matthew 11
1/17 Matthew 12:1-23
1/18 Matthew 12:24-50
1/19 Matthew 13:1-30
1/20 Matthew 13:31-58
1/21 Matthew 14:1-21
1/22 Matthew 14:22-36
1/23 Matthew 15:1-20
1/24 Matthew 15:21-39
1/25 Matthew 16
1/26 Matthew 17
1/27 Matthew 18:1-20
1/28 Matthew 18:21-35
1/29 Matthew 19
1/30 Matthew 20:1-16
1/31 Matthew 20:17-34
2/1 Matthew 21:1-22
2/2 Matthew 21:23-46
2/3 Matthew 22:1-22
2/4 Matthew 22:23-46
2/5 Matthew 23:1-22
2/6 Matthew 23:23-29
2/7 Matthew 24:1-28
2/8 Matthew 24:29-51
2/9 Matthew 25:1-30
2/10 Matthew 25:31-46
2/11 Matthew 26:1-35
2/12 Matthew 26:36-75
2/13 Matthew 27:1-26
2/14 Matthew 27:27-50
2/15 Matthew 27:51-66
Courtesy of http://www.stevelummer.com
2/16 Matthew 28
2/17 Mark 1:1-22
2/18 Mark 1:23-45
2/19 Mark 2

2/20 Mark 3:1-19
2/21 Mark 3:20-35
2/22 Mark 4:1-20
2/23 Mark 4:21-41
2/24 Mark 5:1-20
2/25 Mark 5:21-43
2/26 Mark 6:1-29
2/27 Mark 6:30-56
2/28 Mark 7:1-13
3/1 Mark 7:14-37
3/2 Mark 8:1-21
3/3 Mark 8:22-38
3/4 Mark 9:1-29
3/5 Mark 9:30-50
3/6 Mark 10:1-31
3/7 Mark 10:32-52
3/8 Mark 11:1-18
3/9 Mark 11:19-33
3/10 Mark 12:1-27
3/11 Mark 12:28-44
3/12 Mark 13:1-20
3/13 Mark 13:21-37
3/14 Mark 14:1-26
3/15 Mark 14:27-53
3/16 Mark 14:54-72
3/17 Mark 15:1-25
3/18 Mark 15:26-47
3/19 Mark 16
3/20 Luke 1:1-20
3/21 Luke 1:21-38
3/22 Luke 1:39-56
3/23 Luke 1:57-80
3/24 Luke 2:1-24
3/25 Luke 2:25-52
3/26 Luke 3
3/27 Luke 4:1-30
3/28 Luke 4:31-44
3/29 Luke 5:1-16
3/30 Luke 5:17-39
3/31 Luke 6:1-26
4/1 Luke 6:27-49
4/2 Luke 7:1-30
4/3 Luke 7:31-50
4/4 Luke 8:1-25
4/5 Luke 8:26-56
4/6 Luke 9:1-17

4/7 Luke 9:18-36
4/8 Luke 9:37-62
4/9 Luke 10:1-24
4/10 Luke 10:25-42
4/11 Luke 11:1-28
4/12 Luke 11:29-54
4/13 Luke 12:1-31
4/14 Luke 12:32-59
4/15 Luke 13:1-22
4/16 Luke 13:23-35
4/17 Luke 14:1-24
4/18 Luke 14:25-35
4/19 Luke 15:1-10
4/20 Luke 15:11-32
4/21 Luke 16
4/22 Luke 17:1-19
4/23 Luke 17:20-37
4/24 Luke 18:1-23
4/25 Luke 18:24-43
4/26 Luke 19:1-27
4/27 Luke 19:28-48
4/28 Luke 20:1-26
4/29 Luke 20:27-47
4/30 Luke 21:1-19
5/1 Luke 21:20-38
5/2 Luke 22:1-23
5/3 Luke 22:24-46
5/4 Luke 22:47-71
5/5 Luke 23:1-25
5/6 Luke 23:26-56
5/7 Luke 24:1-35
5/8 Luke 24:36-53
5/9 John 1:1-28
5/10 John 1:29-51
5/11 John 2
5/12 John 3:1-15
5/13 John 3:16-36
5/14 John 4:1-26
5/15 John 4:27-54
5/16 John 5:1-24
5/17 John 5:25-47
5/18 John 6:1-21
5/19 John 6:22-40
5/20 John 6:41-71
5/21 John 7:1-27
5/22 John 7:28-53

5/23 John 8:1-27
5/24 John 8:28-59
5/25 John 9:1-23
5/26 John 9:24-41
5/27 John 10:1-21
5/28 John 10:22-42
5/29 John 11:1-29
5/30 John 11:30-57
5/31 John 12:1-26
6/1 John 12:27-50
6/2 John 13:1-20
6/3 John 13:21-38
6/4 John 14
6/5 John 15
6/6 John 16
6/7 John 17
6/8 John 18:1-18
6/9 John 18:19-40
6/10 John 19:1-22
6/11 John 19:23-42
6/12 John 20
6/13 John 21
6/14 Acts 1
6/15 Acts 2:1-21
6/16 Acts 2:22-47
6/17 Acts 3
6/18 Acts 4:1-22
6/19 Acts 4:23-37
6/20 Acts 5:1-21
6/21 Acts 5:22-42
6/22 Acts 6
6/23 Acts 7:1-21
6/24 Acts 7:22-43
6/25 Acts 7:44-60
6/26 Acts 8:1-25
6/27 Acts 8:26-40
6/28 Acts 9:1-22
6/29 Acts 9:23-43
6/30 Acts 10:1-23
7/1 Acts 10:24-48
7/2 Acts 11
7/3 Acts 12
7/4 Acts 13:1-25
7/5 Acts 13:26-52
7/6 Acts 14
7/7 James 1

7/8 James 2
7/9 James 3
7/10 James 4
7/11 James 5
7/12 Acts 15:1-21
7/13 Acts 15:22-41
7/14 Galatians 1
7/15 Galatians 2
7/16 Galatians 3
7/17 Galatians 4
7/18 Galatians 5
7/19 Galatians 6
7/20 Acts 16:1-21
7/21 Acts 16:22-40
7/22 Philippians 1
7/23 Philippians 2
7/24 Philippians 3
7/25 Philippians 4
7/26 Acts 17:1-15
7/27 Acts 17:16-34
7/28 1Thessalonians 1
7/29 1Thessalonians 2
7/30 1Thessalonians 3
7/31 1Thessalonians 4
8/1 1Thessalonians 5
8/2 2Thessalonians 1
8/3 2Thessalonians 2
8/4 2Thessalonians 3
8/5 Acts 18
8/6 1Corinthians 1
8/7 1Corinthians 2
8/8 1Corinthians 3
8/9 1Corinthians 4
8/10 1Corinthians 5
8/11 1Corinthians 6
8/12 1Corinthians 7:1-19
8/13 1Corinthians 7:20-40
8/14 1Corinthians 8
8/15 1Corinthians 9
8/16 1Corinthians 10:1-18
8/17 1Corinthians 10:19-33
8/18 1Corinthians 11:1-16
8/19 1Corinthians 11:17-34
8/20 1Corinthians 12
8/21 1Corinthians 13
8/22 1Corinthians 14:1-20

8/23 1Corinthians 14:21-40
8/24 1Corinthians 15:1-28
8/25 1Corinthians 15:29-58
8/26 1Corinthians 16
8/27 2Corinthians 1
8/28 2Corinthians 2
8/29 2Corinthians 3
8/30 2Corinthians 4
8/31 2Corinthians 5
9/1 2Corinthians 6
9/2 2Corinthians 7
9/3 2Corinthians 8
9/4 2Corinthians 9
9/5 2Corinthians 10
9/6 2Corinthians 11:1-15
9/7 2Corinthians 11:16-33
9/8 2Corinthians 12
9/9 2Corinthians 13
9/10 Acts 19:1-20
9/11 Acts 19:21-41
9/12 Acts 20:1-16
9/13 Acts 20:17-38
9/14 Ephesians 1
9/15 Ephesians 2
9/16 Ephesians 3
9/17 Ephesians 4
9/18 Ephesians 5:1-16
9/19 Ephesians 5:17-23
9/20 Ephesians 6
9/21 Romans 1
9/22 Romans 2
9/23 Romans 3
9/24 Romans 4
9/25 Romans 5
9/26 Romans 6
9/27 Romans 7
9/28 Romans 8:1-21
9/29 Romans 8:22-39
9/30 Romans 9:1-15
10/1 Romans 9:16-33
10/2 Romans 10
10/3 Romans 11:1-18
10/4 Romans 11:19-36
10/5 Romans 12
10/6 Romans 13
10/7 Romans 14

10/8 Romans 15:1-13
10/9 Romans 15:14-33
10/10 Romans 16
10/11 Acts 21:1-17
10/12 Acts 21:18-40
10/13 Acts 22
10/14 Acts 23:1-15
10/15 Acts 23:16-35
10/16 Acts 24
10/17 Acts 25
10/18 Acts 26
10/19 Acts 27:1-26
10/20 Acts 27:27-44
10/21 Acts 28
10/22 Colossians 1
10/23 Colossians 2
10/24 Colossians 3
10/25 Colossians 4
10/26 Hebrews 1
10/27 Hebrews 2
10/28 Hebrews 3
10/29 Hebrews 4
10/30 Hebrews 5
10/31 Hebrews 6
11/1 Hebrews 7
11/2 Hebrews 8
11/3 Hebrews 9
11/4 Hebrews 10:1-18
11/5 Hebrews 10:19-39
11/6 Hebrews 11:1-19
11/7 Hebrews 11:20-40
11/8 Hebrews 12
11/9 Hebrews 13
11/10 Titus 1
11/11 Titus 2
11/12 Titus 3
11/13 Philemon
11/14 1Timothy 1
11/15 1Timothy 2
11/16 1Timothy 3
11/17 1Timothy 4
11/18 1Timothy 5
11/19 1Timothy 6
11/20 2Timothy 1
11/21 2Timothy 2
11/22 2Timothy 3

11/23 2Timothy 4
11/24 1Peter 1
11/25 1Peter 2
11/26 1Peter 3
11/27 1Peter 4
11/28 1Peter 5
11/29 2Peter 1
11/30 2Peter 2
12/1 2Peter 3
12/2 1John 1
12/3 1John 2
12/4 1John 3
12/5 1John 4
12/6 1John 5
12/7 2John
12/8 3John
12/9 Jude
12/10 Revelation 1
12/11 Revelation 2
12/12 Revelation 3, 4
12/13 Revelation 5
12/14 Revelation 6
12/15 Revelation 7
12/16 Revelation 8
12/17 Revelation 9
12/18 Revelation 10
12/19 Revelation 11
12/20 Matthew 1 Luke 3
12/21 Revelation 12
12/22 Revelation 13
12/23 Revelation 14
12/24 Revelation 15
12/25 Revelation 16
12/26 Revelation 17
12/27 Revelation 18
12/28 Revelation 19
12/29 Revelation 20
12/30 Revelation 21
12/31 Revelation 22

Discovery Church, Ministry

Don’t Frighten Timothy – part one

Here is the outline for part one of the message called Don’t Frighten Timothy.

DON’T FRIGHTEN TIMOTHY

Part 1
Pastor Steve

And if Timothy comes to you, see that he may be with you without fear; – 1 Corinthians 16:2

What could have been …… If only.

How we frighten Timothy.

1. FEAR.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

2. A FEELING OF INADEQUACY .
1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

3. A LACK OF PERSISTENCE.
1 Timothy 6:12 – “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

4. CAVING FROM CRITICISM.
2 Timothy 5:12-19 – and not give critics any foothold for finding fault.

5. LIMITING GOD.
2 Timothy 2:9 – “The Word of God is not chained.”
Psalm 78:41 “They…limited the Holy One of Israel”

Timothy makes it

2 Timothy 3 – 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Marriage Adventures, Ministry

Communication In Marriage

Tomorrow Brenda and I are teaching a couples get away in Sedona.

One of our introductions will be this .

The six interpretations of spoken communication are:

1. What the speaker intended to say.

2. What the speaker actually said.

3. What the speaker thought he or she said.

4. What the hearer needed to hear.

5. What the hearer actually heard.

6. What the hearer thought he or she heard.

Also, here are 13 Bible verses on Communication In Marriage
Peter 3:1-9 ESV /
Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, …

Ephesians 5:22-33 ESV /
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, …

James 1:19 ESV /
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Proverbs 25:11-15 ESV /
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear. Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters. Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of a gift he does not give. With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.

James 1:5 ESV /
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Ephesians 4:15 ESV /
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,

Mark 10:9 ESV /
What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”

Ephesians 5:22-25 ESV /
Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

Ephesians 4:25 ESV /
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

1 John 2:1-29 ESV
My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: …
Matthew 19:3-9 ESV /
And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” …

Mark 10:6-8 ESV /
But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.

Genesis 2:18-25 ESV /
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. .

Looking forward to this couple event.

Pastor Steve

leadership, Ministry, outdoors

Guest blogger Rick Malm

I met Rick Malm in the fall of 2012 in Yosemite National Park. We climbed Half Dome together and then found out we were raise in the same community in the mid west.

I wanted to share his insight through one of his latest writings.

Enjoy.

“I just wrote to one of our dear missionaries, a single woman plowing hard ground in Spain, who is going through some intense trials right now. As I wrote, I thought perhaps others might benefit from what I shared with her. So here it is:
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I know it is a stressful time for the ministry but it is in those stressful times that God produces good fruit in our lives. We have been going through that personally also but finding God faithful through it all.

Something He shared with me. A principle you see in the Word is that life only comes out of death. A seed has to “die” to reproduce. Jesus had to die or He would have remained the only son of God. His death brought many sons and daughters into the kingdom.

In other words, until there is death there can be no multiplication. But, any area of our life that dies is now a candidate for resurrection power. And just like Christ’s resurrected body was so much more glorious than the earthly tent, so, anything, any part of our life or ministry that dies, can now be resurrected far more glorious. It may not look the same but it will be far more fruitful and productive and glorious than it ever could have been if it had not died.

So, we must embrace the death of vision, even of hope. By doing so, we are embracing God and casting all our trust and hope upon Him. I pray that casts some light into a dark night. St John of the Cross spoke of a night that can be brighter than the day. Because, in that night we discover God in more intimate ways and He becomes a brilliant glow in our soul.”

My Goods friends Joel and and his pops Rick Malm

Rick is the president of CTEN is an interdenominational missionary sending agency “Helping Ordinary People Partner With God To Accomplish The Extraordinary.
US Office: www.cten.org
Canadian Office: www.ctenc.ca