Listen Up!
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
S-Scripture – Luke 14:35
“He who has ears let him hear.”
O-Observation
Jesus is teaching many things to the crowd who is following Him. In the middle of his teaching he stops and has a HEY, LISTEN UP moment. Jesus says ‘He who has ears let him hear’ Jesus understands the human nature of zoning out in the middle of teachings and so he tries to grab the attention of those who are listening.
A-Application
What a little verse, actually it is not even a verse it is part of a verse. You may have read over it many times as I have and thought ok and continue reading on. This time I stopped to really think about this phrase. Jesus isn’t simple saying listen to me because I need you to pay attention. No, He is saying hear me and be changed by what you hear. Not with your natural ears but with your spiritual ones. How true is that! How many times do we read, hear and recite the Word of God and simple go on with our lives. This verse is say ‘LISTEN UP’ what I say can change you!
P-Prayer
God help me to not just hear your word but Lord help me to put it into practice. God it is so easy to become so busy with life and just go through the motions of reading your Word and spending time with You. Help me to always have ears to hear you when you are speaking. I love you! Amen
Alex
Get Plugged In - Pt.2 - Serving Your Way Out!
Sunday, April 18th, 2010Get Plugged In - Pt.1
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010Are You Ready?
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” …..……………“So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
O- Observation-
Jesus is teaching on his return, explaining to His followers to be ready and watch for the signs.
A- Application
You look back at the story of Noah and you observe how the people lived. Despite the message Noah was preaching of God’s coming wrath, they continued to live without a thought of God. Going about their daily lives, not giving a second thought. Now Jesus explains that it will be the same on the day of His return. Wow, when I stop to think of how often I get so caught up in deadlines, schedules and just the business of life. I begin to realize that Jesus is not just talking to lost people he is talking to His followers and saying, “Will you be ready?”
P-Prayer
Jesus please help me to not be so busy that I forget about actively serving you. I want to be ready for your return, not just having my heart right with you but also doing all I can to help others to find and know you! I love you, Amen
Share your thoughts, your experiences, let us know what your thinking.
Alex
My Five
Friday, March 26th, 2010
To grow and mature in Christ is God’s plan for every person and every Christian that lives. So the question is why are so many of us standing still in our Christian walk, not that we are necessarily doing ‘bad things’ but we are just not excelling in Christ like we should be.
Personally I am a checklist, goal oriented person so here is my growing in Christ personal checklist. (Now, I am not saying that this is a magic list that has the power to save you or get you into heaven. Jesus’ is one and only way to eternal life and true growth!)
Alex’s checklist for growth and maturity in Christ (in no specific order)
1) Accountability – Not a word you hear in everyday life, but the first on my list. This simply means find a friend that shares your desire to live for God and meet or talk once a week about life and what God is doing in your life. How God is challenging you, teaching you or loving you. Take time to pray with each other. This is guaranteed to help you grow in God and in your intimacy with your friend.
2) Read Christian Books & The Bible – I love this quote, ‘In five years, you will be the same person you are today expect for the books you read and the people you meet’. I believe that when you read godly material you begin to focus on godly things and the opposite is true as well. Books I recommend – Uprising, by Erwin McManus, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, The Power of Simple Prayer, by Joyce Meyers, The Total Money Makeover, by Dave Ramsey, Your God is too Safe, by Mark Buchannan and Celebration of Discipline, by Richard Foster. There are a lot more but those are just a couple that I think can help.
3) Serve at Your Local Church – I know, I know your thinking, ‘Ok here we go! The real reason why you’re writing this blog. You want people to help out at your church.’ Yes, I do but that is not why I am writing this. The truth is when you get involve in your church your are serving God and giving back to Him and others. You will find that when you serve at your local church you become blessed by helping other and by being used by God in others lives.
4) Personal Prayer (talking) Time – If you desire to grow any relationship you must spend time with that person. God desires to have a relationship with you so we must spend time (quality time) with Him. It is as simple as taking a walk with him or just having a coffee in the morning and talk to him about life.
5) Listen to Worship Music – Now this is not about trying to brainwash you by putting some music or a message on by simple repetition. Worship is about getting our gaze off our situation or us and focusing on the Creator of heaven and earth. Begin to listen to worship music each day and you will find yourselves sing God’s praises in the grocery store, your workplace and in that great parking lot we call the Gardener Expressway! Here are some Musicians I recommend – Israel Houghton, Hillsongs United, Jeff Deyo, Starfield, Fred Hammond
Growth is not by accident but it must be on purpose. No matter what you look at if you desire to grow you must be intentional. The same is true for your spiritual growth, the question is are you going to be intentional or just hope that one day you will ‘zap’ become the man or women of God you desire. Lets be a people that intentionally seek God and maturity in Him.
Alex
Changing Seasons
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
Today was beautiful! I mean common! Sunny with a high of 17 degrees (Celsius of course!), what more could I ask for? Balmy-like breezes. No jacket required. Finally I can put away my winter coat! Things are starting to look up! It is crazy that only a week ago I was literally loathing the unpredictable-ness of the weather! Have you forgotten so soon? Let me take you back. Crazy hurricane force rain and wind! Trees down in yards! Okay, maybe not that extreme, but it was incredibly cold and wet and I did see branches from trees on the ground.
As I drove by those branches scattered on the ground, the thought occurred to me, seasons are changing. I love the beauty of winter, but I’m not too fussy on the bleakness and how barren it is. Winter tosses fall leaves to the ground and halts growth. Everything goes into survival mode. Animals store up, bears eat up and we stock up! But then there is the beginning of spring, the beginning of a reprieve. Where we see faint glimmers of hope that something greater is coming. I bet you know where I am going.
Life’s seasons are like that. Moments of great victory and promise come like the flowers in springtime. Hard work comes like the hot, humid days of summer. Fruitfulness and promises fulfilled come like the autumn harvest. And then Winter. Winter comes to teach us about rest and restoration, life when everything around you has a resemblance to death. But then the moment comes where everything that the winter months have taught us is tested. It is the lion-like days of March. Days where there seems to be so much chaos that you don’t know if you’re moving ahead or stumbling backwards.
And that is what I thought of when I saw the branches of a tree down on the ground. The seasons are changing and everything that does not belong in this season is not going to make it to the next. When seasons change in the spiritual world, God has this phenomenal process of ‘shaking’. He shakes up your world! He shakes up your world through love, so that everything that is not rooted and established securely in Him will fall off. He helps you to shed off unwanted and un-needed excess so that you can go into the next season ready. Prepared. To go into the next season free!
Alex
Ordinary Me: Part VI
Sunday, March 14th, 2010
Jessica Di Sabatino
The Bible is full of fascinating stories-stories that inspire us and encourage us. But the reality is all the people playing the leading roles in these stories were extremely ordinary, flawed and damaged like we are. Join us as we examine how God will use ordinary you & ORDINARY ME to accomplish the extraordinary.
Ordinary Me: Part V
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
Dave Di Sabatino
The Bible is full of fascinating stories-stories that inspire us and encourage us. But the reality is all the people playing the leading roles in these stories were extremely ordinary, flawed and damaged like we are. Join us as we examine how God will use ordinary you & ORDINARY ME to accomplish the extraordinary.
Ordinary Me - Part IV
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
Dave Di Sabatino
The Bible is full of fascinating stories-stories that inspire us and encourage us. But the reality is all the people playing the leading roles in these stories were extremely ordinary, flawed and damaged like we are. Join us as we examine how God will use ordinary you & ORDINARY ME to accomplish the extraordinary.