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My Spiritual Guardrails

My Pastor preaching on what he must do to keep his spiritual life on track.

Radical byDavid Platt

I recently read a new book by author and pastor David Platt, from The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. Few books would I recomend on a broad scale basis, but this is certainly one of them. I challenge you to pick it up, read and comment back with your thoughts. Check out this video for a glimpse of the things he addresses. Be careful... this will be a read that hurts.

Sunday's Coming

Every Monday morning our church staff join together for staff meeting. We discuss anything and everything related to the working of our church. Much can be accomplished in such a small amount of time. Few things happen at Calvary outside of the discussion in that meeting. Even still... you can talk something into the ground and never accomplish anything. With that in mind, our pastor regularly reels us back in with this statement, "Sunday's Coming." In those two words, he reminds us that if Sunday morning is the "first touch" for 95% of guests that come through our doors, if Sunday morning is when more people are on campus than any other time of the week, if Sunday morning is when the main focus of a church (worship, discipleship and fellowship) occurs, if Sunday morning is the ideal time for life change to be seen, if Sunday morning is the first thing we would point any and every person to as an entry point into our church, and if Sunday morning can only happen with an exponential amount of volunteers from within our church family... then we need to spend a large portion of our energy in making it the best it can be.

That being said, below is a video produced by North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia. Call it a behind the scenes look into what is really happening in a worship service. (though not completely accurate) Some of it is all too true, some of it is a stretch... but it's all hilarious. I hope you enjoy...

The Bible

The message below was given to me on a book mark. It's choice words have inspired me and I hope they do the same for you.

The Bible reveals the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the
doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrines are holy, its
precepts binding, its histories are true, its decisions are immutable. Read it
to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practice it to be holy. It contains light
to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the
traveler's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilots compass, the soldier’s sword,
and the Christian's charter. Here, Heaven is opened and the gates of hell
disclosed. Christ is its grand subject, our good is its design, the glory of God
its end. It should fill your memory, rule your heart, and guide the feet. Read
it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is given in life, will be opened in
the judgment, and will be remembered forever. It involves the highest
responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and will condemn all those who
trifle with its sacred contents. Owned, it is riches; studied, it is wisdom;
trusted, it is salvation; loved, it is character; and obeyed, it is power.
Author Unknown

This reminds me of scriptural texts like 1 Timothy 3:16 that says, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. or Hebrew 4:12 that reads, For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. or Psalm 19:7-8 that says, The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. or John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...

I love the Word of the Lord. Have a wonderful week!

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Hosanna!

As we enter the Easter season and approach Palm Sunday... I can't help but think of what the people in Jesus' day were thinking as they saw Jesus enter Jerusalem for the final time before his crucifixion. Were they amazed, were they in wonder, were questions beginning to form. A grave difference is seen in them from the time of Jesus' triumphal entry as in John 12 and his sentence to be crucified in John 19. One moment they are praising their Lord and Creator and the next they are spitting at him. I think of how often I do this and it makes me sick. Thankfully, the story does not end with the triumphant entry or even the crucifixion... but rather the story begins again with his resurrection on Easter morning. Below is a song that I think is very appropriate for Easter 2010!

Because of God's love

Last night my family was watching Prince Caspian, the second movie in the classic series by C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia. I had seen it before, but if you've ever seen a movie more than once, you catch new things most every time. Well this was certainly one of those times. There is a scene near the end when Aslan (the Lion who represents/is the God figure in the story) is speaking to a group of characters in the movie.

One of the characters (who happens to be a mouse) asks Aslan to heal his body by giving him a new tail as his tail had been cut off in the recent battle. He asks Aslan to do this to restore his dignity. (we all know mice have no dignity without a tail) Aslan's response to him is what I find absolutely amazing and representative of how God operates in our lives. He responds to the mouse by saying:

"not for the sake of your dignity, but because of my love for you... I will do what you ask."

Throughout Scripture, we find these words:
- "It is because the Lord loved you..." (Deuteronomy 7:8)
- "Because of the Lord's great love..." (Lamentations 3:22)
- "For God so loved..." (John 3:16)
- "Because of his great love for us..." (Ephesians 2:4)
- "We love because he first loved us." (i John 4:19)

These are but samplings of the numerous passages throughout Scripture that depict God's love being the reason for his interaction and influence with mankind. I was enamoured that Hollywood would get something like this so right, a thing that believers so often forget. We may forget this truth and think God loves us because of our value, or because we are deserving, or for our sake, or he needs us... or, you name the reason.

I am thankful that my dignity, worth, value, or right-doing does not make me worthy of God's interaction in my life. I am thankful that I serve a loving God who first loved me. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life."

Thank you Jesus for your love.

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What thrills your soul?

Came into the office today thinking about the joys of life... I am humbled at how much I have to be thankful for and how the Lord has blessed my family. In doing so, my mind wondered back to an old hymn I have not heard in years... All that thrills my soul is Jesus. The words go something like this... for your sake I will not sing it...

Who can cheer the heart like Jesus?
By His presence all divine?
True and tender, pure and precious,
O how blessed to call him mine!

All that thrills my soul is Jesus;
He is more than life to me;
And the fairest of then thousand
In my blessed Lord I see.

I am reading a new book by Mark Batterson entitled Primal. In it he describes a time when he traveled to Rome and toured ancient catacombs where early believers risked their lives to worship the one and only true creator God. About his experience, he says this,

...when you're standing in an ancient catacomb, the comforts you enjoy
make you uncomfortable. The things you complain about are convicting. And some
of the sacrifices you've made for the cause of Christ might not even qualify
under a second century definition.

You can't help but realize that these early believers who gave their lives in these places knew they served a God greater than any comfort, pleasure, or "blessing" in this world. The hymn writer understood this too.

Lord Jesus, help myself and others who read this to find the thrill of their soul in you and you alone. May you be our sufficiency and supreme joy. Guard us from valuing worldly joys, whether material or relational, above the joy and thrill that only you can give. Help us to live in such a way that you are always on our heart and in our mind. May we discern and always remember what matters most, and that is You. Amen.

Everything

So I normally would not post two videos in a row, but this one grabbed my heart once again. I had seen it several years ago... it is a interpretive skit to the song Everything by Lifehouse.

We serve a God who is passionate about his people. In the Old Testament it speaks of a God who is jealous for his people. (Exodus 34:14) Oprah misunderstood this jealousy and took it as man's sinful and selfish jealousy... a jealousy that you or I have when we want something we do not or cannot have... she ended up abandoning Christianity.

However, properly understood, the Bible speaks of this jealousy, not in terms of man's sinful jealous attitude, but as a passionate zeal for the affection of his people that rises when something threatens the coventant relationship between God and man. It is likened to the jealousy of a husband or a wife when something (sin) threatens their marriage relationship (whether it be work, things, time, people, or unfaithfulness).

I am glad I serve a jealous God who pursues me when when pain seems stronger and more powerful than the comfort of God, when trials seem more numerous than blessings, when temptations seem more fulfilling than God's goodness, and even when I choose the world over Him. Thank you Jesus for your love!

Hilarious

Below is a clip that I found absolutely hilarious... seems to be a group of American soldiers training a group of international soldiers overseas. I am not sure what country is represented by these soldiers, so I can post this with a clear conscious and you can know that I mean no disrespect to these men or their nationality. :) Enjoy!

The Power of Doing Good

Some quotes that summarize much of what this week's lesson address... don't miss out on the last week of Living Beyond Myself in Sunday School and Worship!

"Use power to help people. For we are given power not to advance our own purposes nor to make a great show in the world, not a name. There is but one just use of power and it is to serve people." ~ US President George Bush

"People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care." ~ John C. Maxwell

"Jesus Christ is not valued at all until He is valued above all." ~ Augustine

"No indulgence of passion destroys the spiritual nature so much as respectable selfishness." ~ George MacDonald

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible." ~ Francis of Assisi

"If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life." ~ Jesus Christ

Blessings...

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Just Jump In!

Just Jump In!
This week we are continuing to study Living Beyond Myself, and Sunday we learn the best method to begin such a lifestyle it to "Just jump in!" Different opportunities in life require and function best when we contemplate, test, and discuss options. I'm speaking of things like, purchasing a new car, considering schools/universities/careers, changing jobs, or even deciding where to go eat. Each of these tasks are best performed when significant thought and planning is given to the opportunities before action is taken. (especially the place to eat... :))

"Just jump in" addresses the issue that very often in the Christian life we can wish, think, and plan that one day we will begin serving or one day we will go and do "x." One of our ministers on staff is known for saying, "if you wait for perfect timing, nothing will ever get done." How true in regards to following Christ. God calls us to follow Him regardless if we think we are ready or prepared or have it all in line... how often in Scripture does he call those who are seemingly ill-equiped, not ready, too young, etc to do the work he desires to be done. God's call is to act, not just think, plan and prepare.

Sign-up this week at the Expo for a great opportunity to volunteer at Calvary or simply think of a way you can serve others in the community and go do it. Our goal as a church is not that you would simply fill a need here (though there are plenty) but that we would each have a shift in perspective and begin to think and act in ways that cause us to live beyond ourselves.

See you Sunday!

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When God makes a promise...

Recently, I read 1 Kings 8:24 which says, You spoke with your mouth and with your hand have fulfilled it this day. The context of this verse shows us that Solomon was praying a prayer of dedication over the newly built temple in Jerusalem. It was the same one that the Lord had promised to Solomon's father David years before.

We find here just one evidence of a great attribute of our God. When God makes a promise, he delivers! Other times throughout Scripture, God promises to accomplish what he sets out to do; Isaiah 55:11 is just one of those passages. When you look through Hebrews 11, person after person is commended for their belief and truth in a faithful God.

Solomon's father, David expressed his faith in God in 2 Samuel 7:28 (just after God promised to build the temple during the reign of his son Solomon where he said, And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. Here David is saying at least two things. 1. God is the ONLY God, and there is no one like Him. He is supreme. 2. God's word is truth and what He says He will do.

May you and I have this kind of faith in the Lord. May we believe his Word and trust in his promises, for He is a faithful God, a trustworthy God; He is my Savior and Lord! Praise him for his faithfulness!

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Living Beyond Myself

Tiger Woods... three months ago, when that name was spoken, what came to mind? Success, money, fame, life at its best? How many people in the world would say Tiger has life at its best! Today, we all know he is in just as deep need of a Savior as you and I. Jesus calls us to abundant living, to la life greater than you or I can imagine! John 10:10 tells us this is why he came, so that we may have life and have it abundantly.

We often qualify abundant living by quantifying its presence. (If that statement made no sense, now you understand how my mind works... confusing statements over and over again... hang with me for a moment! :) ) In other words, we might recognize someone as living abundantly if they have an abundance of "x"(money, fame, cars, houses, pension, etc). Just ask yourself, do I view myself as living abundantly when I have much or have little? The day his story broke, Tiger most likely did not wake up that day thinking his life would change so quickly. Jesus calls us to something far greater than what can be destroyed, stolen, or lost in an instant.

Jesus' view of abundance comes not in quantity, but in quality. At Calvary over the following 4 weeks, we will be studying a series entitled, Living Beyond Myself. We will be looking at this paradox found in Scripture: To find real life, you must first lose it. We will have the opportunity to examine Jesus' life and teaching and test his claim that true fulfillment--genuine soul satisfaction--is found by offering up our gifts, talents, time and abilities to meet the needs of people all around us.

The world teaches that for one to find complete satisfaction in life you have to take care of #1. (yourself) But Christ teaches something very different... to find life in this world you must lose your life in Him. While so much more could be said, I would not want to spoil each lesson you will be learning in Sunday School and the worship services. I challenge you to make the next 4 weeks a priority and not miss what God has in store for you and I at Calvary.

See you Sunday!

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Malfunctioning Tweeter

My apologies if you read my blog and noticed some inappropriate comments on my Tweet column to the right... Apparently my account was "hacked" or malfunctioned in some way... I just noticed it and have since removed the entire Twitter Column until futher notice... I still Twitter under the username sethcarnes. Thanks!

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Christmas lights

The season of Christmas has officially begun! This is truly my favorite time of year... everything from the music, the lights, the trees, you name it about Christmas, chances are I love it! Our family just drove around town to look at the lights, sipping our hot coffee and chocolate along the way... such a fun time! I encourage you to do the same with your family or friends! Here is a little video of someone going all out for their Christmas decorations on their house.... Amazing Grace, with a little twist... enjoy! Merry Christmas!

The Hall of Faith

Most every week, because of my occupation, I have the privilege of having conversations with individuals seeking to fill a void, a relationship with the Lord, a church family, or simply direction in a given situation. If you haven't noticed already, I love having these types of conversations with people. It is literally what I live for! I love helping people know Christ, helping people better understand their identity in Christ, helping people work through difficult issues and struggles in a biblical fashion, helping people live beyond themselves, directing people to a better understanding of the Truth... and so much more. I seriously have the best job in the world!


In the journey of life, there are always certain individuals who stick out as jewels. Interestingly, its not the people with the nicest car, biggest house, most trendy clothes or whatever. They are those people who along the way stand out as individuals who have an incredible passion and devotion to Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 11, we find some of these jewels that rise out of the text throughout Scripture. This is the highlight "widget" of Scripture... it's the recap, the headlines that reveal amazing testimonies of faith. Hebrews 11 has often been referred to as the "Hall of Faith." Many of the people here stand as exemplary models of who we should strive to be in our walk with Christ.

This Sunday, in our small groups, we look at Hebrews 11:8, focusing on the life of Abraham. It was he who "by faith... when called, he answered... when told to leave, he went... when told he would have decendants, he became a father (though he was at a very old age)... when tested, he proved faithful. All these things occurred through, or because of, his faith in Jesus Christ.

Abraham along with the rest of those mentioned in this chapter did not just hold to some cosy spirituality that said "what's good for you is good for me!" that gave them a label as a "person of faith." You should notice there are a lot of "spiritual" people in the world today. No, their faith rested in an all-powerful, all-knowing, sovereign, eternal, good God who lives to this day and continues to work through people just like He did through Abraham. People who live their lives not just for themselves, wrapped up in their own little world, but He works through people who have faith in Jesus Christ, and trust in his plan, will, and desire for their lives and the world around them.

May you and I have this same faith, and may it drive us to selfless living beyond ourselves.

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Social Media

I first saw this video several months ago, but it was brought to my attention again today. The statistics are astounding and they invite the church to think in new ways of how it will reach the world. Many churches have hopped on board, the question is will we? Or are we content with doing things the same ole way? I am thankful my church is one that is not afraid of embarking on new adventures with hopes and dreams of reaching our community for Jesus Christ.



Now let's get moving!

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Complete Worship

On my iPod I have a song entitled, You are Worthy, by Hillsong. It is one of my favorite songs of worship that speaks of God's great worth and how He is deserving of not just some, part, or what's left of what I have, but He is worthy of ALL that I am.

Sunday, we will/did look at the the story of Cain and Abel. Here you find that Abel brought his very best, the first fruits of his labor, and the firstborn of his livestock as an offering to the Father. His brother Cain brought a meager portion of what was easy and comfortable. Abel gave and sacrificed what was his very best to give. Cain gave what required no sacrifice and what was comfortable and normal.

There are many passages throughout Scripture that speak of God's desire for ALL of his people, meaning all of each person. just to name a few, read the story of Abraham and Issac, Job, Jesus and the rich young ruler, or passages like Heb 11:4 and Revelation 3:16. Because of his disobedience Cain's life ended up being one of toil, misery, and isolation. Even still, God's grace was evident in his life. (to find explanations of that, be in your small group on Sunday :))

My prayer for you and I is that we do not hold back in our worship, devotion, and service to the Father, but that with total abandon and complete sacrifice, we worship our Father in Heaven.

Below is the song I mentioned above...
You are worthy oh Lord, of all honor.
You are worthy to receive all the praise.
In your presence I live and with all I have to give,
I will worship you, honor you and glorify your holy name....

Getting Wise on Evil

Imagine with me for a moment… You’re friend just unintentionally or intentionally insulted you, what now? You wake up in the morning a little earlier than normal, do you turn the TV on or do you pick up the Bible to hear from the Holy Spirit? Your month long project at work was just belittled and thrown out the window for “apparently” no reason, how do you respond? A co-worker was promoted faster than you, than should have been, how do you respond? Anger, resentment, jealousy, lust, covetousness, etc. Insert your own struggle, hurt, or pain, here…the list could go on…

Every day we are confronted with life situations and temptations that present options, choices, and opportunities that serve one of two purposes. They serve a selfish reason, or they serve a godly reason. They will benefit the kingdom of God or the kingdom of self. This Sunday, in Bible study at 10am, we will study a lesson entitled Getting Wise on Evil.

In Romans 1:25, Paul describes the situation of those who have given in to evil as those who have “exchanged the truth of God for a lie.” When we look at the story of Adam and Eve, we see the first example of this common everyday scenario. Satan presented to Eve a truth claim contrary to that of God’s when he said, “did God really say, you must not…” How often do we hear that same lie? That lie that says, “you will find fulfillment if you…?” or “does Scripture really say that you need to…?” or “is all of Scripture really reliable…?”

We think Satan is so creative and deceptive in his schemes. He’s not! He spreads the same lies he always has since the beginning of time… that God’s Word is insufficient, that His message is misleading, and that life is NOT found in Him.

God’s word is the source of truth and life! His word is clear, reliable, and life-giving. If you think it’s not, know that God even gives it to those of us "simple minded folk" in such a way that we can understand… for example, Jesus boiled all of the law down to two main ideas: love God and love people. How much more basic can you get? If you remember nothing else, remember that!

So this post keeps getting longer and longer, I need to stop, for your sake and mine… I challenge you to know Christ, know his Word, and know life in Him. Romans 12:2 says, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This only comes through diligent study of His word, both in community with believers (in small group settings and in large church worship services), but even more so in personal devotional study throughout each week.

I dare you to try it… read his Word today, start in Romans, start in John, start in Galatians… start somewhere, but read his Word… be renewed and be transformed… and get wise on (overcoming) evil in the process.

See you Sunday!
Blessings…

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