Turn on the Lights

I love looking at Christmas lights! I remember driving around for hours when my kids were young one Sunday night each December just to look at lights. I have to admit I get a little frustrated when people have their Christmas lights on the night after Halloween, but I do love the lights!

My prayer this Christmas is that somewhere the light will come on for some about who Jesus really is!

PRAY the Vote

"Rock the Vote" is the catch phrase all over the country as we head into the pre-presidential election year. Voting is a privilege that not every person in the world has and so for those of us who have that privilege we do need to exercise that it. But as Christians there is much to be said for "Praying" the vote. Leaders will come and go, but what they stand for can last for a long time, good or bad. When Christians go to the polls next week they need to pray the vote in several ways. First, pray that God will lead you individually to cast your vote based on the issues at hand and not based on public opinion or party affiliation. Second, pray that all other God-followers will do the same thing. Finally, begin to pray now for all those who will be elected that they will listen to the sovereign leading of God our Creator!

Milligan College

One of my joys is beign able to serve as a trustee at my alma mater Milligan College. We meet twice each year to pray and plan for the growth of the school. Milligan reached a milestone this fall topping the 1000 mark in enrollment for the first time ever. One of the motto's of the school is "Christian Education the Hope of the World".
Jesus Christ is the ultimate hope of the world, but the further we can spread that message, the more we can educate people on how to share that message from every walk of life the more we will be able to fulfill his command of making disciples.
There are several tremendous college opportunities within the Christian church, why not check them out for your further edcuation?

BUMP

Steve Sjogren, the pastor at Vineyard Church in Cincinnati, said it takes between 12 to 20 positive bumps—refreshing encounters with the Christians or churches—before people come to appreciate Christ, or God, or the church. Often times what you do in a simple act of service becomes a very positive bump for somebody, but so often we are too busy.
When an opportunity comes, do we choose to respond?

The family of Shelby Christian Church wants to give some "bumps" to our community on October 27 from 8:00 until 12:00 as we serve at Clear Creek Park, Red Orchard Park and Shelby County Fairgrounds.

What Do You Want Your Legacy to Be?

I just got back from the funeral for one of our original elders. Ed Gaines was one of the elders who drove two hours to meet me for my first interview. Over twenty years later I can only imagine how much that day in Corbin affected my life. Ed was a great leader, he was a great family man, he was a star basketball player, but most importantly he was a man of God. His passing has made me wonder what people would remember most when they leave my funeral. What do you want your legacy to be?

What Do You Need to Give Up?

In Spider-Man 2, Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) dreams of creating a machine to produce renewable nuclear fusion energy for the world. The dream turns to a nightmare when the machine malfunctions, fusing multi-tentacle arms to his body and transforming Octavius into a sinister villain bent on destruction.
Meanwhile, a discouraged Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) has hung up his Spider-Man costume after heroism has left him broke, failing in school, and without Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst), the woman he loves.
In the climactic scene, Doc Ock kidnaps Mary Jane and Peter re-emerges as Spider-Man in order to save her. Spider-Man struggles with Doc Ock in intense hand-to-hand combat, while in the background the nuclear reactor spins out of control. The reactor emits a brilliant light as it sucks in debris, cars, buildings, and jeopardizes Mary Jane.
Over the sound of rushing wind and crushing metal, Spider-Man begs Doc Ock to shut down his deadly invention. Doc grabs Spider-Man by the throat with one of his tentacled arms and says, “No!”
Struggling to speak, the super hero reminds Doc Ock of his original dream. Speaking from experience, Spider-Man pleads, "Sometimes to do what is right, we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most, even our dreams."His words strike a chord, and Doc Ock disconnects the exploding experiment and drags it to a watery grave, giving up his life for what is right.

What do you need to give up to do what is right?

Where were you when you hurt?

Six years ago, our hearts changed foever. Where were you when you heard and how has God changed your life in the last six years.

Roaring Lions

Peter is very careful to warn the Christians scattered in Asia Minor about the devil who would find any way possible to destroy their lives. Many times Satan uses that which was meant for good to deceive people and turn it into something evil. As we start this process of blogging, be very careful where you go from this point. My suggestion is to avoid the "next blog" button. I am hesitant to mention it, lest we become like little children who never want to touch the wet paint until there is a sign that says, "Don't touch". The internet is a valuable tool, but it opens many doors we don't need to open as Christians. We have no control over the "next blog", so my suggestion is to stay away and enjoy the time of interaction available through the "Keep on Reaching" Blog. Until next time, watch out for roaring lions!

Genie in a Bottle

I think that a lot of people want to treat God like a genie in a bottle that immediately pops out every time we hold up the Bible and pray. Their hope seems to be based on God immediately coming to the rescue to answer their every request. While that would be nice, I am learning that God chooses not to respond in that format, because it might allow me to trust me more than I trust him. If all I have to do is pray and everything is immediately taken care of then it is really up to my will and not God's will. What do you do when God doesn't immediately answer your prayers?

BTW- This Sunday is going to be realy cool as we discuss what a church that loves people unconditionally might look like. I hope you come!

Get Connected

Hey guys! Hope you are having a great day. Don't forget to get connected here at SCC. We published the list in the bulletin Sunday of all the opportunities to get connected. Why is it so important to be connected --- check out what Jesus said in John 15.

What's a Disciple?

Many churches use the terminology of becoming a disciple. The mental picture most of us have of disciples are a bunch of guys in robes and sandals, fishing and collecting taxes in Jesus time. How does that coexist with our desire to be disciples today? What would a disciple of Jesus look like in 2007?