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 #84 it starts with ONE (Week 2)

If you missed last week, click here for some info that will help you get up to speed on what's gonna be happening on Holy Bloggers for the next few weeks :D

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Acts 2 - "It Starts With One" Small Group DVD from Seacoast Church on Vimeo.

The description of the fellowship of the believers found in Acts 2:42-47 comes after the disciples received the power of the Holy Spirit. This week we will look at the connection between the Holy Spirit and authentic community.
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+READ Acts 1:2-4
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2 until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. 3 During the forty days after his crucifixion, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.

4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.
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What role does the Holy Spirit play in fellowship and community?

How can you experience the power of the Holy Spirit, individually and as a Life Group?


+READ Acts 2:42-47
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42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer.

43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

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In what ways does your Life Group currently reflect this model of community?

Other than wearing masks, what are some factors that keep you from experiencing true community with each other?

What can your group practically do to become a reflection of true biblical community?

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 :)

Week #67 God's Mercy

The following is a passage taken from Max Lucado's Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot pages 69-70
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"During the writing of this chapter, another picture of God's mercy came my way. The bank sent me an overdraft notice on the checking account of one of my daughters. I encourage my college-age girls to monitor their accounts. Even so, they sometimes overspend.

What should I do? Let the bank absorb it? They won't. Send her an angry letter? Admonition might help her later, but it won't satisfy the bank. Phone and tell her to make a deposit? Might as well tell a fish to fly. I know her liquidity. Zero.

Transfer the money from my account to hers? Seemed to be the best option. After all, I had $25.37. I could replenish her account and pay the overdraft fee as well.

Besides, that's my job. Dog't get any ideas. If you're overdrawn, don't call me. My daughter can do something you can't do: she can call me Dad. And since she calls me Dad, I did what dads do. I covered my daughter's mistake.

When I told her she was overdrawn, she said she was sorry. Still, she offered no deposit. She was broke. She had one option. 'Dad, could you...' I interrupted her sentence. 'Honey, I already have.' I met her need before she knew she had one.

Long before you knew you needed grace, your Father did the same. He made the deposit, an ample deposit. 'Christ died for us while we were still sinners' (Rom. 5:8). Before you knew you needed a Savior, you had one. And when you ask him for mercy, he answers, 'I've already given it, dear child. I've alredy given it."

Week #64 The Words of Our Mouth

This was taken from the InTouch Monthly Devotional Magazine and written by Dr. Charles Stanley.
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23 Don't have anything to do with arguing. It is dumb and foolish. You know it only leads to fights. 24 Anyone who serves the Lord must not fight. Instead, he must be kind to everyone. He must be able to teach. He must not hold anything against anyone. 25 He must gently teach those who oppose him. Maybe God will give a change of heart to those who are against you. That will lead them to know the truth. 26 Maybe they will come to their senses. Maybe they will escape the devil's trap. He has taken them prisoner to do what he wanted.

2 Timothy 3 Terrible Times in the Last Days

1 Here is what I want you to know. There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will love themselves. They will love money. They will brag and be proud. They will tear others down. They will not obey their parents. They won't be thankful or holy. 3 They won't love others. They won't forgive others. They will tell lies about people. They will be out of control. They will be wild. They will hate what is good. 4 They will turn against their friends. They will act without thinking. They will think they are better than others. They will love what pleases them instead of loving God. 5 They will act as if they were serving God. But what they do will show that they have turned their backs on God's power. Have nothing to do with those people.

Gossip is often regarded as a relatively harmless pastime, particularly when compared to wrongs like murder or adultery. Satan has painted talebearing as innocuous, but if we peel away that deception, we see the ugly truth. In the Bible, God lists gossip among the most depraved sins (Rom. 1:28-31).

Nothing about gossip is harmless. Whether the talk is intentionally hurtful or simply some idle musing, the subject can be hurt or embarrassed. A friend of mine decided to trace a damaging story about himself back to its source. He asked one man after another, “Where did you hear this?” Seventeen pastors later, he finally found the person who had originated the tale. This fellow admitted he had speculated aloud regarding a situation about which he knew little. A destructive chain reaction began with just one man jumping to a false conclusion while chatting with a friend.

Even if the victim never learns of the chitchat going on behind his or her back, gossip still has consequences. The people who spread a tale reveal their inner thinking: “For the mouth speaks out that which fills the heart,” (Matt. 12:34). A poisonous tongue flows with the jealousy, resentment, or pride residing inside.

Gossip has the power to hurt feelings, destroy reputations, and divide churches. We do not have the right to bring such damage into anyone’s life. In fact, God is the only One we should turn to when we hear a story. Those facing trials need prayer rather than tongues wagging over their misfortunes (Gal. 6:2).

© 2009 In Touch Ministries® All Rights Reserved.

Week #51 Fan v. Follower

Thank you to Jon for the opportunity to post... I hope it is an organized train of thought!
In a service at Seacost, that seems to have taken place eons ago, Greg Surratt, the head pastor mentioned to the congregation that he does not want to be a fan of Christ but a follower of Christ. He didn't belabor the point, but that statement has remained with me and began to create an abcess in my soul... thank you Holy Spirit. I am so thankful for my relationship with Christ, but the manner in which I portray/exhibit the relationship to others bothers me. I am afraid many times I could simply be called a fan of Jesus. I love his teaching, I like his style, I openly claim to have a relationship with Him. Yet, I often lack the conviction, the urgency, the intensity and the absolute morality Jesus demanded of his followers.
One strategy that has been helpful in allowing me to take on a "follower" approach, while shedding the "fan" face has been taking captive my thoughts. It is amazing how our thoughts affect our daily lives and habits. I'll refer you to Phillipians 4:8. I recite the Message here mainly because its enhances my personal understanding of what Jesus needs me to focus on to be a productive follower.
"Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies." It is a moment by moment battle but I know the reward of being a Christ follower makes being a Christ fan seem like a major waste of time.
And in the spirit of the season... Luke 2:14 is my "thought" goal.. "Glory to God in the Highest"

By: Catie Cornett

Week #44 The Real Deal

Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me -- just as the Father knows me and I know the Father -- and I lay down my life for the sheep."

John 10:7-15

Jesus says it all in these verses. He cares for us, He laid down His life for us, He protects us, and He knows us and we can know Him. I say we "can" know Him because that is a decision that each one of us has to make personally. Jesus wants a personal relationship with everybody...but not everybody wants a personal relationship with Him (but that is another blog topic I will get into at another time).

In these verses, Jesus puts His love for us into a simple illustration of a shepherd with his sheep. Jesus is to us, what a shepherd is to his flock of sheep. Sheep under the watchful eye of a good shepherd can trust that they will be safe from harm and trust that the shepherd wouldn't do anything to lead the sheep astray. If they do find themselves in trouble, they know that their shepherd is going to protect them and help them through whatever troubles they come across. A good shepherd realizes that he owns those sheep and that if he doesn't take care of them...no one will. Well, the wolf would, but he wouldn't be a good stepshepherd.

Without a shepherd, sheep are vulnerable. Sheep are curious and oftentimes hard-headed. They constantly need guidance and correction. People are the same way. That is why Jesus' example of the "Good Shepherd" is so awesome! Simple, true, and to the point.

What do you think?

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 #38 Maintaining a Quiet Spirit

InTouch Magazine March 2008 Issue: Thursday March 6, 2008 Devotional.

READ: Proverbs 26:4; James 1:19; Luke 12:12; Romans 8:28

"When conflict arises, we oftentimes want to rush in and defend our position. Perhaps we even feel justified in blaming others. However, James 1:19 gives different advice for dealing with tension and disputes: 'Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.' In other words, more can be accomplished through a calm approach to the situation. Scripture also suggests that we:

Pray. First, we should ask the Lord to guard our mouth and give us the right words to say (Luke 12:12). Also, we ought to request discernment concerning the root issue and insight as to whether we might be at fault.

See with divine perspective. Our sovereign Lord works every situation for the believer's benefit (Romans 8:28). Not only does God use difficulties to teach us, but He also allows us to demonstrate the life of Christ by the way we respond.

Forgive. Even if someone has hurt us by causing the conflict, we should forgive. Jesus died to pardon all of our sin, and we, in turn, should forgive others. In fact, if we don't, our lives will become burdened by resentment and broken relationships.

Respond. If we have done something wrong, we should apologize and ask forgiveness. Otherwise, we can express appreciation that the other person took time to share his concern. Also, we should affirm that we will carefully consider his comments."

So...how do you respond to conflict in your life?

Week #30 What is True Success?

We all want good things. We want to have decent cars, nice clothes, a high paying job, a nice house, and our own personal chef. These are things I think we can all agree on. But does having these things mean our lives are successful? How does God view true success?

It is natural to want to be successful. Nobody wants to be a failure (I used to, but not anymore). When thinking about success, it is important for us to be sure that we have God's perspective on success. I doubt very many of us view success the same way God does. True success is not how much money we may make, how famous we may become, or how much we may accomplish over a lifetime. True success is obeying God and His commands. If we are obedient to God, we will accomplish all that He wants us to accomplish, and that is enough.

In Jeremiah 45:2-5, God tells Baruch not to seek out great things for himself, but to simply do what the Lord told him and the Lord would take care of him. If we are obedient to God, He will take care of us and we will be successful wherever He leads us. We may not be successful as the world would define success, but we will be successful in God's eyes...which is what truly matters. We endure our greatest successes when we allow God to carry out His plans through us.

God created each one of us for a purpose. We are all blessed with certain skills and talents. He wants us to make use of the skills and opportunities He provides us with. If we listen and obey God, we will be successful.