International Aid :: David G. Wisen, new IA CEO
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Friday, January 29, 2010
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www.churcheshelpingchurches.org
Pastor Mark's Prayer for Haiti from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.
Go to www.churcheshelpingchurches.org and join our efforts to help rebuild the Church in Haiti.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
When ministry throws you lemons, your thoughts?
So every now an then there will be something, as a church staffer, that can more or less be an arrow to your heart regarding the hard work that you put into your ministry. Whether it's a friendship register comment box that complains about me wearing jeans, or the occasional comment about distaste in musical styles. The point is that every now and then working in ministry will throw you lemons!
Today I had a letter sent to me that was very hurtful and full of accusations which were not at all true regarding a decision I had to make regarding an instrumentalist's ability to play at my church.
I want to throw out my two cents regarding the work that God does in His church and how in even the most personal of ways, the devil tries to hinder it. This is not the first time I've gotten letters like this, in fact, in some areas of ministry, particularly music ministries, letters like this are to be expected. Ultimately you cannot please everyone nor are we to please ANYONE, but the ONE and ONLY God of the universe. I'm so thankful that the God I serve has no preference of musical style as long as the message is this: for His GLORY do we sing, for our Salvation in Christ do we praise Him! The devil cannot and will not prevent me from proclaiming that message as long as I live, and cheep shots like hate mail definitely won't phase me.
There were two ways I could have responded to this letter: one, "I'll show him a thing or three regarding biblical principles of worship..." or two, "I'm going to pray that the Lord works in this person to see the error of his ways and forgives me for the wrong he feels I've committed."
What are your thoughts? Have you had any of these letters come your way? How do you respond to them? Do you respond to them?
Today I had a letter sent to me that was very hurtful and full of accusations which were not at all true regarding a decision I had to make regarding an instrumentalist's ability to play at my church.
I want to throw out my two cents regarding the work that God does in His church and how in even the most personal of ways, the devil tries to hinder it. This is not the first time I've gotten letters like this, in fact, in some areas of ministry, particularly music ministries, letters like this are to be expected. Ultimately you cannot please everyone nor are we to please ANYONE, but the ONE and ONLY God of the universe. I'm so thankful that the God I serve has no preference of musical style as long as the message is this: for His GLORY do we sing, for our Salvation in Christ do we praise Him! The devil cannot and will not prevent me from proclaiming that message as long as I live, and cheep shots like hate mail definitely won't phase me.
There were two ways I could have responded to this letter: one, "I'll show him a thing or three regarding biblical principles of worship..." or two, "I'm going to pray that the Lord works in this person to see the error of his ways and forgives me for the wrong he feels I've committed."
What are your thoughts? Have you had any of these letters come your way? How do you respond to them? Do you respond to them?
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Funny/Sad/Funny
Those were the three emotions (in that order) I felt after seeing these bulletin notes of a high school student that apparently was bored out of his mind during one of our Sunday Morning services. I must say though, His depiction of me on paper is spot on!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Cancer
I just found out my friend has cancer. It's a very treatable kind of which I'm thankful to the Lord for medical breakthroughs and modern science. My friend is 18 years old and in Bible college, learning more and more each day how living a Christian life is not all butterflies and gumdrops, but rather trial on top of trial surrounded by an immense amount of blessing.
My friend's cancer is inspiring because he's not focusing on the trial and questioning "why" but he's focusing on the blessing and asks "why not?" This comes as an amazing encouragement to me. I see a young man who has many things going for him face an awful disease which causes many of the world to give up, and rather he is not phazed, his foundation is not shook, his world hasn't collapsed. See, he's got the power of Jesus Christ inside of him through the Holy Spirit allowing him to be struck with adversity and look the devil in the face and say, "you can't destroy me... you can't even slow me down!" He resembles the faith of Joseph when he says, "What you meant for harm, God meant it for good."
Showing strength in the light of adversity is a message to the world that says, "I don't have to worry because God is in control." My friend told me after being diagnosed, that he had, three days prior, read in his quiet time with the Lord James 1:2-4 "Count it all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
You know what it means to count something as joy? It doesn't mean you need to be "happy" per-say but it is the same way of saying "privileged." The Lord allows trials in believer's lives so that they can grow and mature from it, just like it says in Hebrews 12 regarding the Lord chastening those whom He loves so that they'd grow up with a fatherly discipline that matures them into better human beings who are more capable of giving Glory to God. We can not only take trials in our lives as a means to growing in spiritual maturity, but PROOF that we are loved by the Lord as a father loves his son therefore disciplining him.
As my friend faces surgery and uncertainty on the outcome of treatment, he knows the ULTIMATE outcome: eternity with Christ no matter what. That alone is more comforting than a lifetime assured without cancer, or disease free for that matter.
My friend's endurance is not natural, it is God given because of his relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you have that same assurance of your salvation that he does allowing him to face even cancer with a peaceful and trusting mindset?
My friend's cancer is inspiring because he's not focusing on the trial and questioning "why" but he's focusing on the blessing and asks "why not?" This comes as an amazing encouragement to me. I see a young man who has many things going for him face an awful disease which causes many of the world to give up, and rather he is not phazed, his foundation is not shook, his world hasn't collapsed. See, he's got the power of Jesus Christ inside of him through the Holy Spirit allowing him to be struck with adversity and look the devil in the face and say, "you can't destroy me... you can't even slow me down!" He resembles the faith of Joseph when he says, "What you meant for harm, God meant it for good."
Showing strength in the light of adversity is a message to the world that says, "I don't have to worry because God is in control." My friend told me after being diagnosed, that he had, three days prior, read in his quiet time with the Lord James 1:2-4 "Count it all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
You know what it means to count something as joy? It doesn't mean you need to be "happy" per-say but it is the same way of saying "privileged." The Lord allows trials in believer's lives so that they can grow and mature from it, just like it says in Hebrews 12 regarding the Lord chastening those whom He loves so that they'd grow up with a fatherly discipline that matures them into better human beings who are more capable of giving Glory to God. We can not only take trials in our lives as a means to growing in spiritual maturity, but PROOF that we are loved by the Lord as a father loves his son therefore disciplining him.
As my friend faces surgery and uncertainty on the outcome of treatment, he knows the ULTIMATE outcome: eternity with Christ no matter what. That alone is more comforting than a lifetime assured without cancer, or disease free for that matter.
My friend's endurance is not natural, it is God given because of his relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you have that same assurance of your salvation that he does allowing him to face even cancer with a peaceful and trusting mindset?
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