Toxic pt.3: Play Now | Download

Need to learn how to control your words? In this series we’ll examine how your words

determine your destiny.  You’ll gain new insight and pick up

a few new tools in helping you control your tongue.

Special Guest: Mark Collins

 

 Awaken Life: Play Now | Download

Listen as Pastor Mark speaks on awakening your life and purpose for God.

Today’s Reading 1 Timothy 1-3

Day 71

Scripture:

1 Timothy 3:2 & 3:7

“Now the overseer must be above reproach”

“He must also have a good reputation with outsiders”

Observation:

Paul is writing to Timothy instructing him on how to lead a Church. One of the most important choices a Pastor must make is who will serve as leaders in that Church. John Maxwell is quoted saying ‘everything rises and falls on leadership’. I believe God show us the importance of leadership by dedicating all of chapter 3 to how to pick the leaders of the Church. I believe there are not only lessons to be learned for the leaders of the Church but for all of us, who call ourselves Believers.

Application:

I believe we need to be taking this message and applying to our lives regardless if we are in leadership of the church or a Christian. Many of us could read over this chapter and miss what God is teaching us, He is primarily speaking to leaders of the Church. Here is the catch many may say ‘well I’m not a leader at my church so this does not apply to me’. Untrue! Everyone is a leader to someone. Maybe you’re not leading in your church but if you carry the name of Jesus in your life you are a leader to everyone who doesn’t know Him.

Now read over these verses, God is calling us to live a life not that is perfect but that is above reproach (does not dishonour or defame the name of Jesus) and is of good reputation with outsiders. Wow, imagine if we as Christian took this to heart and put our focus and desire to live a life that is above critique and that people who do not consider Jesus as Lord, look at and respect. Many people look down on the Christian world today because they see us as judgmental, hypocritical and sheltered. It is time to change that image of Jesus that outsiders see, not by becoming more like them in actions, attitudes and words. But to live a life that is above criticism.

Prayer:

God help us to live a life that honors you one that is attractive to outsider. A life that brings people to know you and that brings glory to your Name. God we need you to lead us in our daily lives. Holy Spirit guides us throughout our day. We long to be leaders for you! We love you and need you. Amen

Alex

S- Scripture – Mark 12:28-30

‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?

The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ NIV

O – Observation – In the middle of being challenged by the teachers of the law. One of them asks an honest and in the words of Mark a ‘wise’ (vs.34) question. With that honest question Jesus gives a clear and powerful answer. With all the commandments that he could have picked he went with what was truly most important. He focused on God, not on religion or rules but on God himself and the desire in our life for Him. He also summed up the first four commandments which all have to do with loving and honouring God. (Deut. 5). In the second part of this verse He summed up the last six commandments, which all have to do with loving and honouring your neighbour.

A - Application – The command Jesus picks as most important is to love God with all your HEART and with all your SOUL and with all your MIND and with all your STRENGTH. He is saying love God with ALL OF YOU. Many times it is easy to love God with our mind but not our heart or love him with our heart but not with all our strength. Jesus challenges us that the most important thing we can do for God is to LOVE HIM WITH ALL WE HAVE! Sometime I wish he would have picked a rule to follow, it would have been easier. Thank God, that He loves us enough to pick relationship with him as more important then rules.

P – Prayer – God help me to love you with all of me not just pieces of me but with everything I have. My desire is to follow your command but my selfishness stands in the way, help me die to my fleshly wants and desires so that I may love you more. In Jesus name, Amen

Alex

I’m not sure about you but for me, I have always desired to be a world changer and not just a small world changer I mean someone who makes a difference in the world. Growing up I admired men like Alexander the Great, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill. I looked up to them as true world changers, not only doing great things but also impacting the world for all time; being remembered in the history books. It would blow me away and I would long to do something of that magnitude. As I began to grow up I realized two things about this desire of being a world changer. First of all, the desire is for everyone and God placed it in all our hearts. Secondly, this world desires that change.

As with most things in life, we tend to focus on the wrong things. We look for that ‘great moment’ to change things and it is true those moments will arise. I believe a greater truth is to say that there are small moments throughout our lives that we miss, because we’re waiting and watching for that BIG moment.

Jesus gave us the perfect example of how to be a world changer. He transformed lives through love and changed the course of history. It’s never quite as picturesque as we may envision it. Crazy, but Jesus didn’t get quite the ‘perfect’ scene either. He took twelve nobodies and built the church with them. He preformed numerous miracles and wasn’t even thanked for them! In some cases, He was sought out to be killed! How’s that for a Hallmark thank you card? Still, His life was all about love. He took in the ‘little’ moments and used them to result in life changing events.

It makes me think about how busy we all are and how quickly we dismiss people when we are doing something we feel is of world changing magnitude and importance. What if we slowed down and realized that to be a people changer is to be a world changer. Let’s take time this week to slow down and value people for who they are, PEOPLE! Just like you and me. If we do that I think we begin to become world changes

W. Alex

 

 Ordinary Me - Pt. II: Play Now | Download

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.

As I look back over the year of 2009, I recall it being a time of extreme busyness.  For out team at Liberty it seemed as though we moved from one season of being busy right into another one; whether it was moving to new location, travelling with the Rumble KIDZ, participating at World Vision’s FreeForm Seminar, or taking 200 kids to camp this summer.  I’m sure there were moments of calm and quiet but for the most part I recall it being a busy year!

In the middle of being busy God knows that we all need rest & even if we don’t find the time for ourselves He will provide exactly what we need, so I’m just sharing this story as a reminder of that.

Earlier this year my husbands best friend told us that he planned to get married on the beautiful island of Turks & Caicos!  We were very excited for him and both wanted to attend the wedding but recognizing our financial position we decided that we could only afford for my husband to attend.  So we went ahead and booked his package in the spring and he was set to leave on November 29.  Even though I was a little disappointed, I knew that he needed to be there for his best friend.

Just a few week before his departure date I was feeling very weak, got sick, and ended up in the hospital for a day.  The doctor recommended that it would be best to take time off and rest.  I found it hard to follow the doctors orders because I’m so passionate about our ministry, the work we do, and the people we serve - so “resting” didn’t come easy.

Well, on November 27 I found out that I would be traveling to Turks & Caicos in my husbands place because of an error at the time of booking.  With the sudden change I intended to check my emails & stay connected to work even while I was away.  When I arrived at the Beaches Resort & Spa I was quite surprised that I got no service on my cell phone, nor was there an internet lounge near my room - so all I could do was REST!  To make it an even better experience my husband ended up joining me in time for the wedding.

God really worked out every last detail so that we could be together, get rest, and have memories that will last a lifetime.

Nina C

A friend of mine recently introduced me to the site GodTube and I was pleasantly surprised to find such a community of believers online?  I felt as though I might be the only one in the world that had never heard of Godtube (now known as Tangle) before - so I’m glad to share the information with you in case there is someone else out there that hasn’t heard of it either!

The site really is comparable to most other online social networks - but with a strong Christian foundation; without being cheesy!  There are a variety of videos, songs, blogs, posts, pictures, and more all in an effort to share the the goodness of God with the world (while providing a few laughs along the way too!)  What I found most innovative was the “Prayer Wall”.  People from anywhere in the world can post their prayers on this wall so that others can be praying for them.

I would be enthused if my child came home everyday wanting to see what was new on GodTube!  I wonder what the world would look like if everyone put God first?

Check out Godtube & share your thoughts.

Nina

The Abbreviated Version

I don’t know what else to call it except for what the title says, “Prayer Birthing.”  This experience has left me exhausted and yet overwhelmed by the answer that I received in intensive prayer.  I guess prayer birthing is a statement that can explain what has just occurred in my life over the past 12 months.

The word prayer has a whole bunch of ideas associated with it, but most of us understand what prayer is all about.  It’s a means of communication to God whether you’re looking for an answer or just trying to convey your thoughts to Him on a daily basis.

The though of birthing for those of us who don’t give birth (all men included) comes with a whole new set of understanding and possibly a weak stomach for others.  My definition for this purpose is simply the delivery of a promise.

Now for what I’m attempting to explain here prayer birthing is simply a need that has been presented to God which has gone through a period of time then finally a delivered promise comes forth.

So let me explain to you my most recent prayer birthing experience.  It has been over a year now since we have been searching and praying and seeking God to provide us with some direction and answers in regards to church strategy.  Part of the answer for our growth strategy is that God would provide some new staff members to help us strengthen our efforts in the community.

This may sound like a simple task- go and find someone that will fill the current need, there, done!  Problem is, there is no one qualified in my opinion to help us accomplish what needs to be done in our unique setting in the city of Toronto.  We looked high and low, (and sometimes felt very low), we looked north and south, and finally went east and west, then that’s where it happened, east.

So for a number of months now we have been in contact with a young couple with a passion to reach people with the message of Christ in the city of Toronto.  This couple does not live in the immediate area, in fact they are currently residing in Hong Kong (far East).  This task to be honest seemed kind of daunting and a bit challenging to take on- however, we have found the right fit!

After meeting with our new friends Junn & Tet for three weeks in the summer of 2008 we knew and they knew this was a God appointment.  The fun part occurred in acquiring the visa paperwork that is required.  After doing everything the officials told us we must do in order to process their paperwork we applied and then were rejected- my heart dropped!

What in the world is going on?  Didn’t you approve this God?  What about all the time spent in prayer, did it not mean anything?  These are just some of the thoughts that I had when this happened.  After catching my breath and seeking legal counsel, we recognized this sort of thing was to be expected as we realize that what we are doing is bigger than any one of us, but this is God’s deal and He’s going to make it come to pass.  Anyway, sometimes easier said than done.

So after spending some time in prayer, I really felt God speaking that this process was going to be similar to a birthing process (oh great I get to give birth, thought that was just for women).  The answer to our prayers was given, we just needed to wait until the mature time to see His answer come to fruition.

It’s been 12 months since our first discussion with Junn & Tet, and they have finally been approved to come to Canada!!!! Hooraaaaay!!!  We are anticipating their arrival very soon and look forward to what God has in store for us as a revolutionary group of people trying to impact the world we live in with God’s transformational power.  (that’s a mouthful!)

Please continue to keep the DeLeon family in your prayers as they seek to serve Him and humbly do what God has called them to do in the city of Toronto.

Prayer Birthing, not an easy task but then again who said it would be easy?

Do you have a prayer birthing story to share?  Go ahead and post a comment.

Dave

Read Dr. David Yonggi Cho’s book: The Fourth Dimension on this concept of prayer birthing.

 I’d like to thank my producer, the director, the songwriters, the craft service department (that’s the caterer)….a bunch of really important people- but most of all I’d like to thank God.  

It went something like that as I watched the American Music Awards last night and it got me thinking.  

First of all what does this mean to most people?  Who is God, why are you thanking Him and what does He mean to you?  Maybe I’m reading too much into it- but I know why I’d thank Him so let me share with you my top 8 reasons (in no particular order). 

I’d like to thank God because of:

1. A million second chances

2. A beautiful family

3. Amazing wife & best friend

4. Incredible church family

5. Health & Safety

6. Opportunities to use my gifts

7. Opportunities to Share my life story with others

8. My new haircut

(who knew that a simple “test post” on Facebook by Jess about my upcoming haircut would create such a stir).

There you go, that’s my short list.  What are your thoughts? Send me a comment, send me a video.

Dave