Archive for February, 2011
LOVE ADVICE – COLOGNE
Posted: February 28, 2011 in Funny, Life, Ministry, PeopleTags: Funny, Life, Ministry, People, REVOLUTION, Video
LOVING YOUR ENEMIES
Posted: February 23, 2011 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, SpiritualityTags: Faith, Life, Ministry, NORTHchurch, People, Spirituality
This Sunday I had the privilege of speaking in all 3 services at NORTHchurch. If you have an extra 30 minutes, you should check it out. You can listen to more messages, get message notes, and more by CLICKING HERE.
LOVE ADVICE – VALENTINE’S DAY
Posted: February 22, 2011 in Funny, Life, Ministry, PeopleTags: Funny, Life, Ministry, People, REVOLUTION, Videos
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT CHALLENGE
Posted: February 20, 2011 in Culture, Faith, Family, Inspirational, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Sports, The BibleTags: Culture, Faith, Family, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, Sports, Sports Illustrated, The Bible
(This blog post was originally posted on February 18, 2009…)
I have subscribed to Sports Illustrated for years. As a subscriber to Sports Illustrated, the annual Swimsuit Edition (first published in 1964) gets sent to my house every February.
Here’s the cool part…
I have not seen one picture or one article from the Swimsuit Edition in years. Every year my incredible wife gets that particular issue, rolls her eyes at the super models who are not wearing their swimsuits, and immediately throws the issue in the garbage.
My 2011 issue came on Wednesday. It went in the trash on Wednesday and I never knew it came to the house.
I love that she does this for me. The raw, honest truth is that I probably do not have the strength to do it myself. Granted, I might throw it away but not without first taking a peak. (I care here you thinking “but you’re a minister!” Yeah, you are right, I am a honest and real minister.) I cherish the fact that my wife cares about my purity enough to help me succeed. She gets it. She makes me a better person. She makes me a better follower of Jesus.
Some people might think “who cares?” or “what’s the big deal?”
Here the truth…
I know I am not missing anything. My eyes have better things to look at. I have better thoughts to think about. I got a hottie that I am madly in love with and who loves me back. Who needs the Swimsuit Edition? I know I don’t.
________________________
Here’s the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Challenge…
Follow my wife’s lead. If you get the Swimsuit Edition, throw it away. If your husband/son/brother/friend gets the Swimsuit Edition, take the initiative and throw it away for him (like me, he probably doesn’t have the strength to do it himself).
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.” – Jesus in Matthew 5:27-29 (NIV)
MEET VAL COUGAR III
Posted: February 18, 2011 in Funny, Life, Ministry, People, RandomTags: Funny, Life, Ministry, People, Random, Videos
XES
Posted: February 16, 2011 in Faith, Life, Ministry, People, SpiritualityTags: Faith, Life, Ministry, NORTHchurch, People, REVOLUTION, Spirituality
The world is selling us a backwards view of sex (XES). We are constantly bombarded with this backwards view through TV, movies, music, advertising, and the Internet.
During the REVOLUTION February series, XES, you will hear about God’s plan for purity, dating, relationships, sexuality, and God’s view of sex. We will be answering questions like “What’s the Purpose of Sex?” and “Is there a reason to pursue purity or are we just supposed to run from impurity?”
If you are a 6th-12th grade student in the Oklahoma City metro area, check us out.
Wedne
_______________________
Wednesdays, 7:00-8:15pm (Doors open at 6:30pm)
Week 15 of pregnancy. Little BC is now the size of a naval orange.
3 STEPS TO SAVE YOUR MARRIAGE
Posted: February 13, 2011 in Culture, Faith, Family, Life, Ministry, People, SpiritualityTags: Culture, Divorce, Faith, Family, Life, Marriage, Ministry, People, Spirituality
We’ve all heard the statistics…
45-50% of marriages in the United States end in divorce. Also, Christian marriages (statistically) have the same divorce rate.
If you are married, engaged, or dream of getting married on day…those statistics should scare you to death. Seriously, it is crazy to think that every other person’s marriage who reads this blog will (statistically) end in divorce.
What if I told you that I drop that divorce rate to 0.4%? Would you be interested?
During his message yesterday at NORTHchurch, Rodney Fouts shared 3 steps (originally from Zig Ziglar) you can take that will lower divorce rate from 50% to 0.4%…
1. PRAY OUT LOUD EVERY DAY WITH YOUR SPOUSE.
2. READ THE BIBLE OUT LOUD EVERY DAY WITH YOUR SPOUSE.
3. WORSHIP AND SERVE EVERY WEEK AT CHURCH WITH YOUR SPOUSE.
______________________
CLICK HERE to watch this entire message.
The Sun is the star at the center of our solar system. It has the diameter of about 1,392,000 km, about 109 times that of Earth. About three quarters of the Sun’s mass consists of hydrogen, while the rest is mostly helium. Less than 2% consists of heavier elements, including oxygen, carbon, neon, iron, and others.
The Sun is approximately 149.6 million kilometers from the Earth. At this distance, light travels from the Sun to Earth in about 8 minutes and 19 seconds. The energy of this sunlight supports almost all life on Earth, driving Earth’s climate and weather.
Yesterday, I was amazed by the Sun.
A massive cold front blasted Oklahoma leaving 6 inches of snow on the ground and freezing temperatures. After buying my first snow shovel, I was anxious to test it out. I checked the weather before going outside and saw that the temperature was a cool 15 degrees, so I bundled up and went out to brave the cold.
As I was shoveling the snow off my driveway, something caught my eye. Despite the 15 degree weather (well below zero), the Sun was actually melting the snow. As insignificant as that may sound, I was amazed that the Sun was stronger than the surrounding circumstances.
I was reminded of a simple, yet profound truth…
In the same way, Jesus (the Son) is stronger than my surrounding circumstances…even if it seems improbable or impossible. I know it is a bit cheesy and cliche, but truth is truth. And this truth hit me like a ton of bricks yesterday.
If you happen to be reading this and you are going through a difficult season, know that Jesus is stronger than your surrounding circumstances. No matter what you are going through, the Son is stronger.
______________________
***Sun info from Wikipedia.
TWOFIFTYTWO
Posted: February 6, 2011 in Books, Culture, Faith, Life, Ministry, People, Spirituality, The BibleTags: Books, Culture, Faith, Leadership, Life, Ministry, NORTHchurch, People, REVOLUTION, Spirituality, The Bible, TWOFIFTYTWO
In the book Essential Church, best-selling author Tom Rainer writes that some 70% of students between the ages of 18 and 22 dropout of church.
This is a statistic that I and the entire leadership at NORTHchurch want to change. That is why we have intentionality put into place opportunities for students to not disconnect from the church. Our desire is to reverse this troubling trend within our sphere of influence.
That’s where TWOFIFTYTWO comes in.
TWOFIFTYTWO is a part-time student internship for high school and college students (16-22 year olds) at NORTHchurch. This experience will add value to their lives and help them grow in their relationship with God like never before. This 12-week internship is designed to provide students with the greatest and most significant semester of their lives.
The Bible urges us to give our all to advancing the Lord’s work here on earth. However, even Jesus journeyed through a season of preparation before His ministry began. The only verse in the Bible that describes the areas in which Jesus was trained is Luke 2:52. That verse states Jesus-growth process in four areas: wisdom, stature, favor with God, and favor with men. For that reason, we focus specifically on the same four areas.
TWOFIFTYTWO is designed to disciple and help students grow through a variety of fun and exciting adventures, city-changing outreaches, dynamic classroom teaching, worship, prayer, Bible study, and active involvement at NORTHchurch.
Today started the second semester of TWOFIFTYTWO. Last Fall, 9 incredible students completed the inaugural semester of TWOFIFTYTWO. Here is a glimpse of their experience…
I am proud to say that 21 students have stepped up to the plate. These 21 high school and college students will make up the Spring 2011 class of TWOFIFTYTWO. It is going to be an amazing semester. I can’t wait to see them grow in their relationship with God, in their relationship with each other, and use their gifts to serve the local church.
At NORTHchurch, we refuse to let our students between the ages of 16-22 years become another stat.
