THREE GREAT QUESTIONS

When you are in a disagreement with someone ask them these three questions:

(1) What exactly do you mean by that?

(2) How did you come to that conclusion?

(3) Have you considered...?

THE RESOLUTION OF JOY!

We are in a series on Joy. The question becomes: Where are you searching for your joy? Materialism? Relationships? Jesus?

In our series, we are studying how to find your joy in Jesus.

This week I am talking about how to treat someone who has hurt you. Unforgiveness, bitterness, etc can steal your joy.

The following week I am talking about Honoring the gifts God has placed in you. I read a study once that said people who are the most joyful are using their gifts in the service of others.

May 2012 be a truly joyful year for you and your family!

13 people baptized last ngight

Last night 13 people where baptized in our church. It was a very sacred event. The presence of the Lord was very tangible as we did the outward symbol of a inward comittment. After the baptism one person said to me, "CCC saved my life." PTL. That is why we do what we do.

The Thermostat of your mind

In our house is a thermostat which controls the temperature of the house. We set the thermostat to a temperature we want, and then it tells the furnace or the air conditioner to kick in to reach that temperature. If you want to change the temperature in your house, you first need to change this little, yet powerful device called the thermostat.

Our minds are like a thermostat. They are the control center of our lives. And the bible teaches that IF WE WANT TO CHANGE OUR LIVES, WE FIRST NEED TO CHANGE OUR MIND. In fact, Romans 12:1-2 reads, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spirituala act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
I want you to take special note of that sentence: BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND. Change begins in your mind. It begins in side of you and then shows up outside of you. Like changing the thermostat and that changing the temperature, changing your mind will change the temperature of your life.

Serenity Prayer

Yesterday I was visiting someone in the hospital and I walked by the chapel on the 2nd floor of the Methodist hospital. I went in and spent about an hour of prayer. It was wonderful. During that time God impressed the serenity prayer on my spirit. May it be a blessing to you:

SERENITY PRAYER
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world As it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that You will make all things right If I surrender to Your Will; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen

Less is more!

This Sunday I am talking about how to simplify your life. Many of us are too busy. We have too much going on. we are like Compulsive Martha. We need to cut some things out our life to be healthy. For example, a simple thing we can cut out is: Television.

Kirsetin Morello shares six benefits to cutting back on TV watching:
1. Children learn to entertain themselves
2. Children learn crucial thinking skills while entertaining themselves
3. Play encourages problem solving, and can lengthen a child’s attention span.
4. It keeps kids moving
5. Your values become their values
6. You’ll have more family time.

Join us this sunday to learn how to simplify your life!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Alan Riley writes: “My father was born on this day- December 22. For his entire life, he was always getting “combination” presents - birthday and Christmas. Every year on his birthday, there weren’t balloons and birthday streamers. His birthday decorations were Christmas trees, Christmas lights and Santa Claus stuff. When he did get a separate present for Christmas, chances are it would be wrapped with… you guessed it- Christmas paper. I remember him telling me how as a child he couldn’t help but feel a little cheated. People were so busy celebrating Christmas that his birthday got overlooked.”

Have you noticed how easy it is to loose Christ during Christmas? We get so caught up in the busyness of the season; we forget the very basis of the season---the birth of Jesus! We go to Christmas parties, yet Christ is the furthest thing from our mind. Many times, he is never mentioned, acknowledged or even thought about.
The late Adrian Rogers once said, “It’s been my observation that people, rather than being drawn closer to Christ at Christmas, in a very real sense are drawn away from the Lord Jesus. It seems like, in the very midst of the celebration, we lose Jesus.”
Let’s not lose Christ this Christmas season. How? Have a birthday party for Jesus. In his book The Purpose of Christmas, Rick Warren gives the following agenda for a birthday party for Jesus:

Birthday Party for Jesus Agenda:

1. Sing some Christmas carols.
2. Read the Christmas story from the Bible, Luke 2:1-20; Matthew 2:1-12.
3. Each person shares answers to two questions:
1. What am I thankful to God for this year?
2. What am I going to give Jesus for his birthday?
4. Close by prayer for one another.

Let’s not get so busy celebrating Christmas that we forget Jesus!