The Prayer of Surrender

I have been excieted about preaching this sermon on surrender all week. It was not as much about what I planned to say as it was what I sensed God wanted to do in people's hearts. What would a revival of our church look like? Perhaps we caught a small glimpse this morning as a small group knelt around the cross praying individual prayers of surrender. Of course this group represented all those standing around the sanctuary praying the same prayer.

I'm convinced God wants to do much more to draw us closer to him. During my prayer week I will be asking him to continue this new beginning he is giving our church. I will be asking for his guidance in fulfilling my role among us and urge you to pray for me as well.

Don't forget to sign up for the congregational prayer retreat, Sat., Sept. 13! What will God do among us when we open our hearts to be filled with his Spirit?

Tactical Training

Based on the comments I received after church today, this sermon was on target with where we are as a congregation. How often I need to be reminded that we are in a spiritual battle. I need to keep the lines of communication open between myself and my Lord; as well as continuing to talk with my fellow laborers in the field. Two things happened after the sermon that were meaningful to me. The first was a dear sister who came during Family Prayer Time to pray over me! I had revealed during the sermon that I have been hearing the voice of the enemy and struggling with a dark cloud of doubt. She came to ask God to help me move through this. What a blessing! The second thing happened after service when I was in conversation with another person. We were talking about some people problems when a comment was made that could have easily taken us down the path of gossip and slander. The person caught what was said and instantly remarked, "We can't let the enemy take us down that road" (or something to that effect). How wonderful it is when we all work together to recognize the tactics of the evil one. "We are not unaware of his schemes" (2 Cor. 2:11).

Get Some Rest

The command to "get some rest" (Mark 6:31) is as old as the 7th day of creation. Taking a sabbath rest is an essential part of being human. We disobey it to our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual peril! We simply were not made to run and run and run. Since this is so; I'm going to keep this post short so that I can get some rest. I'm tired!

Impact Week in Four Words

I like things that are simple. How much simpler could it be than to reduce a BIG idea like Impact Week into four simple words? Seeking, Loving, Serving, and Teaching are easy concepts to grasp. Building an entire worship service around these words was not difficult. There are many songs and scriptures that could have been used. However, as simple as these words are, think of what it cost God to actually do them? All of the Trinity is involved in these activities and God has graciously called us to join him as well. May we shine as brightly as our yellow t-shirts this week to let our neighborhood know that God loves them and wants to be in relationship with them.