another sunday has come and gone…
- i was saying to a friend of mine last week how much i love sundays at north point.
- i plan for it all week. i look forward to what is going to happen…what god is going to do in the lives of the people who are there.
- to worship…to laugh…to reconnect…to reaffirm friendship…to give…to serve…to love…to be loved…to have a genuine connection with god.
- we had five new families come and worship with us yesterday. five new families. that blows me away!
- this is happening nearly every week.
- i’m amazed…excited…apprehensive…and mildly overwhelmed by what is happening around north point these days.
- what role are you playing?
- how is god using you to impact the lives of people ?
- week #2 of the “inside out” series was good.
- here’s a quote from the sermon that pretty well sums it up: “the quality of contentment might be the most elusive and unknown of all human virtues…yet the one we need so desperately…”
- here’s another: “contentment is something that originates from the inside. deep inside. and works its way out”
- and another: “being a follower of christ does not simply mean that i come to believe a new set of truth, but that the one who speaks the truth actually takes up residence inside of me.”
- and a last one: “the lord is my shepherd. i shall not want.”
- how are you doing with these today?
- will you stay in the fight today?
- i’m grateful for all the people who work upfront and behind the scenes to make sundays a great day days each week…buzzy and the band…brazos and larry in the sound booth…debbie for tying everything together…john for organizing the serving…the bacas for preparing communion…all the different nursery workers…angela and her children’s team…logan and his youth ministry team…wanda, raeshel, and beth for focusing on newcomers…the group that joins for prayer at 9:30
will you be living from the inside out today?
I am a husband, a dad, a spankin' new grandpa (big papi), a pastor, a teacher, a fellow-wanderer, a baseball junkie, a lover of 24, waffles, the first day of fall , loud music, kids, play, the grace of God, and St. Augustine grass!
8 responses so far ↓
brandon // November 9, 2009 at 1:14 pm |
I don’t think the 25 minutes Mike preached contentment even scratches the surface. I feel sorry for someone who did not come to grips with just that one word. Yesterday, if you just half listened and thought what Mike was saying is boring, may God have mercy on your soul. All I could think about yesterday was how I could not even leave the parking lot and get it wrong/sin.
What I find very interesting is the Money example. I can say I am content my salary. If I told someone I was happy with exactly what I make right now, I would be crucified and laughed at. Hmm, is that the only way you know your getting it right? We live in sick world.
So, what i am going to get with more money? I have a running car, awesome.
So next would be a brand new car, then a Lexus, then a porch, Lamborghini, Yacht. The list could go on forever. I laugh when i see Hummer on the road that has never rolled over a blade of grass. Sicko! your just buying to buy.
What is amazing is the word content has to be the easiest to define. Just like the Gift of God is the simplest gift to accept. Both of these are lifetime concepts. I know for sure I wont’ get it before I goto bed tonight.
raeshel parker // November 9, 2009 at 1:37 pm |
I really wish that I could have been there on Sunday to actually HEAR the sermon first hand. This is definitely one that I should not have missed.
The world today makes it so hard to just “be content”. Especially when you have the “keep up with the Jones’s” mentality rammed in your face every single minute of the day.
Being committed to Being Content is a HUGE lifestyle change (I love the Psalm 23 reference “The lord is my shepard, I shall not want”)…
But think about this, if you were committed to being content with what you have, think of all the stress you could eliminate from your life, not to mention the debt… Think about how much happier you would become simply because you are eliminating the need to want something that you don’t have…
I can’t wait to listen to this sermon once it’s posted online… Good words Mike… Good Words….
Luke // November 9, 2009 at 3:05 pm |
Was a very good message yesterday. I consider myself a content person. I know I have a great life. I know I’m blessed way beyond what I deserve. But I still find myself wanting things.
First thing I did this morning was look for something that I’ve been looking to buy for a few months now. Mind you I already have 3 of them that are really nice. But this one is nicer. Its smaller. Its more…….
Why can I waste 10-20 minutes of every day window shopping for something that I really need, yet when it comes time for reading my Bible I don’t have time.
If yesterday didn’t kick you in your spiritual butt. You should have just stayed home and watched the NFL Pregame. Was a great message that I really needed to hear. Wanting something nice isn’t a sin. Wanting something more than I want to hear the Word or live the Word is.
Good job again Rev!
brandon // November 9, 2009 at 3:53 pm |
Just like you have “nice” things, I play some very good guitars. I bet you have some nice rod and reels. We could go on all day about if I could play music on a stick with a string. Just like could you fish on the same.
I think it’s when we worship how nice and elite an object is is where we get in trouble.
Hey, when you helped me move I had to climb into your truck, jump over all the kids bats clothes, food, etc. But, the truck had a purpose. That’s why you can be content. You have an expensive vehicle. It wasn’t a trophy.
Here’s something else. What if we have something and were afraid that it would get damaged cause we couldn’t afford to replace it. and we beat ourselves up to keep it perfect. Something tells me we may be living outside our means. Why do we own something that you can’t afford to break or lose?
What’s sad is we only talked about physical objects of our wants as examples.
Are we content with eating just enough everyday?
Are we content with our friends? Do we try to friend 1000 people on Facebook?
Dude this is for sure not a filler subject on any giving Sunday.
Aanna // November 9, 2009 at 3:35 pm |
“Why can I waste 10-20 minutes of every day window shopping for something that I really need, yet when it comes time for reading my Bible I don’t have time.”
Thanks a lot, Reverend Luke. I’ve made it all the way to Monday without letting the sermon get to my heart, and now you go and pull this.
Luke // November 9, 2009 at 4:24 pm |
Rev Luke
Ha far from it. I did have a teacher tell my parents I should be a preacher. Of course she was calling them to tell them how bad I had been in school and why she had sent me to the principal’s office.
Harmony // November 9, 2009 at 4:39 pm |
Yeah…this one hit home for me as well. Not so much that I want more…but just being happy and content with my life in general and not look at so many turns, sadness, grief, basically life and learn to be content in any circumstance!
Dale // November 10, 2009 at 6:55 pm |
The only way Mike (or Reverend Luke) could have made this more convicting would have been to throw in Matt 24:19 “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
I think the topics of contentment, wants, needs and this verse are all related ….