Week #89 A Deadly Game by Pete Wilson

Hello All...I came across this post a while back and found it very interesting. I am pasting the post below, but here is the link to the actual post: A Deadly Game if you want to check out Pete Wilson's blog.
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A Deadly Game

I was driving home last night from speaking at staff and spouses retreat for Long Hollow Baptist Church located in nearby Hendersonville, TN. Long Hollow is an amazing church that is growing leaps and bounds. With almost 6,ooo people in attendance each weekend it’s one of the best kept secrets in the church world. Their pastor, David Landrith is one of the most incredible men I’ve ever met. It would be an understatement to say he’s got the entire “package.”

To be honest, anytime I get around high capacity people like this I start to play this mental game. I call it the “I Wish” game.

I wish I could lead like Jeff Henderson.

I wish I was creative like Scott Hodge.

I wish I could preach like Perry Noble.

I wish I could cast vision like Greg Surratt.

I wish I could network like Brad Lomenick

But comparison is a deadly game. The danger of comparison is no matter who you do it with, eventually there is always someone whose prettier, smarter, faster, more connected or higher-up then you. They’re more _______________________.

There is always somebody who is “more.”

The danger of comparison is we find ourselves looking to other people for our value and determining our value by how we compare with other people.

You put two similar things side-by-side and compare them. We all do it when we comparison shop. It’s okay for cars, golf clubs, and shoes… but not for people. For people, comparison is deadly.

We have a tendency to keep looking over our shoulder to see who gets the car we wanted, the job we needed, the spouse we desired. Who has the most gifted children, the bigger blog, and whose got the latest iBook, iMac, iPhone or anything else that starts with an i.

I’m tired of playing this game. How about you?
by Pete Wilson

Week #86 it starts with ONE (Week 4)

Acts 4 - "It Starts With One" Small Group DVD from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

The goal of this week is to look at what it means to live out the mission of the Church in the face of opposition.
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+READ Acts 4:1-22
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Peter and John before the Council
1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. 2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. 3 They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. 4 But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of believers now totaled about 5,000 men, not counting women and children
5 The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem. 6 Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. 7 They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?”
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, 9 are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? 10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. 11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says,
‘The stone that you builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.’
12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
13 The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say. 15 So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.
16 “What should we do with these men?” they asked each other. “We can’t deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it. 17 But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus’ name again.” 18 So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John replied, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? 20 We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.”
21 The council then threatened them further, but they finally let them go because they didn’t know how to punish them without starting a riot. For everyone was praising God 22 for this miraculous sign—the healing of a man who had been lame for more than forty years.

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Do you ever feel like God has let you down? If so, in what ways?

What do you do in these circumstances?

Think about some of the ways that God has come through for you in the past.


+READ Acts 4:23-31
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The Believers Pray for Courage
23 As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. 24 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—25 you spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant, saying,
‘Why were the nations so angry?
Why did they waste their time with futile plans?
26 The kings of the earth prepared for battle;
the rulers gathered together
against the Lord
and against his Messiah.’
27 “In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, your holy servant, whom you anointed. 28 But everything they did was determined beforehand according to your will. 29 And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. 30 Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
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Even though the disciples had just been persecuted, what did they pray for?

What would you say the majority of your prayer life is focused upon?

What might this reveal about your faith or your relationship with God?

Where do you currently need boldness from God in your life?

Week #81 Peace on Earth...

I read these verses this morning and they filled me with mixed emotions (which I will explain in a comment later)...read them for yourself and let us know how they make you feel...good or bad.

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Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.
I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come
to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her
mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law - a
man's enemies will be the members of his own household.
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not
worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than
me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his
cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

Matthew 10:34-38

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Are these verses shocking, scary, something you already knew...? Is this something you struggle with? Please share :)

#78 Just a Little Bit More

This post is coming from the One Year Mini Devotional for Students book I have. Check it out...
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Can I find contentment?

GOD'S RESPONSE
I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.

Philippians 4:11-12

Contentment is among life's most elusive qualities. The answer to "How much is enough?" always seems to be, "Just a little bit more." The key to Paul's contentment was that he was grateful for everything God had given him rather than envious of what he didn't have. Contentment begins with realizing that we aren't dependent on how much we own. When we realize that there is more to life than accumulating things, everything takes on a new value. Knowing that Jesus gives you strength and help for every situation you face gives you freedom from having to find your security in possessions.

THIS IS PROMISING
I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

Week #65 My Favorite Bible Verse Is...

This week...I want the "Bible Study" to be done by you. Nothing hard...just take a minute to tell us what your favorite verse is and provide a short sentence or two about why you chose that particular verse.

This can be your favorite verse of all time or maybe just a verse that has really impacted your life at a particular moment in your life. I'm just looking for something.

There is no particular format...type the verse out, just give the location and let us look it up...whatever works best for you. Also, feel free to provide more than one verse...

Enjoy :)

Week #40 Christianity

Carl Hallberg stated that "The largest denomination in Western civilization is cultural Christianity. As followers of Christ, we are considered Christians. Over the years we have taken Christianity and stretched it to mean a variety of things. You have a group of "christians" over here that live and believe this way, then you have a group over there that lives and believes another way.

The term "cultural Christianity" is being used to describe how so called Christians today have taken the true meaning of being a follower of Christ and turned it into something insignificant and laughable by the outside world. Not sure if that sentence makes any sense, but hopefully this quote from the book The Man in the Mirror by Patrick Morley will help clear up what I'm trying to say:

Cultural Christianity means to pursue the God we want instead of the God who is. It is the tendency to be shallow in our understanding of God, wanting Him to be more of a gentle grandfather type who spoils us and lets us have our own way. It is sensing a need for God, but on our own terms. It is wanted the God we have underlined in our Bibles without wanting the rest of Him, too. It is God relative instead of God absolute.

I'm sure we are all guilty of living this way at times, if not always. We need to realize that God is the God we read about in Scripture. He is all knowing, always present, loving...the list goes on and on. The problem is that we only want the God that blesses us and makes everything go our way. We don't want the God that will discipline us or the one that will make us answer for the bad things we have done in our lives. We can't pick and choose to pursue only the things about God that make us happy or benefit us. We have to pursue the God who is, the One described throughout Scripture, not just certain verses that make us feel good.

Are you guilty of being a cultural Christian?

Week #39 September 11, 2001

Email "chain letter" with a powerful message.

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'

You say you will never forget where you were when you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to h is Flock in Heaven. He
hea rd my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan ...
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would y o u have
reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you. But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

-GodLet's remember those who lost their lives 7 years ago and their friends and families. Pray for our country, those fighting for our country, and those leading our country.

Week #29 Working for God

How can I have a better attitude at work? Does God care how I do my job?

READ: Ephesians 6:5-6

Every service we provide, even our professional tasks are to be considered work done directly for the Lord. In these verses in Ephesians, Paul used the terms "slaves and masters"--today's equivalent would be employees and bosses--to describe how we as Christians should labor.

The way we go about our work gives us an opportunity to show others what we think about God. If we produce excellent work, do it with a positive attitude, and show that we care about other people, we are able to model God's character and become a witness for Him. By doing our work well, we please God and it makes more of an impact on others than we realize.

Whatever job you may have right now was given to you by God. He put you in your job, not only to meet your financial needs, but also so that you might be a witness for Him by how you act and how hard you work. God is constantly preparing us for something more in the future, but He wants to see how we handle what He gives us now. Our jobs count as an opportunity for us from God. He has placed you where you are right now. Make the best of it. Be happy, work hard, praise and obey God.

"Everything we do that touches other lives either glorifies the Lord or diminishes His name in front of a watching world."

-Charles Stanley