Personal Worship Assement

Are you worshiping through prayer?

Yes I pray but not enough. I tend to pray only when I think I have something meaningful to pray about. I would like to get to the place where praying is the first thing I do in every situation.

Do you read the Bible?

Yes. What’s working for me right now is joining in on a Blogger Small Group each week. This has really helped me to get into Gods word more than on Sunday mornings.

Are you obeying God?

Man I trying to, but I tend to falling short most of the time. The good thing is it’s a learning and growing process that I work on all the time.

Where do you spend your money?

HaHa, This is a tough one to answer. Let’s put it this way I don’t spend it where I should often enough.

How are your relationships with others going?

It’s going ok. I have noticed that I don’t get very deep in many others lives. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I too wrapped up in my own life to see others.

Have you told anyone about your faith? Do you mumble about your faith or do you shout it out?

Yes, it’s still more of a mumble instead of a shout.

Do you serve others?

Yes, This is probably one of the things I enjoy the most. The feeling of no one cares about me or knows who I am sucks! So when you serve someone else you let that person know that you care about them and I know who you are and I love you for it.

Do you have a thankful attitude?

I am so thankful all that God has done for me. This is a daily prayer, “Thank you Lord!”

Take a minute and ask yourself these questions and share them in the comment section. I would love to get to know you better.

James 5

This posting is part of a Blog Small Group. If you would like to get involved go here. It’s a really good way to study scripture and connect with some fellow brothers and sisters on the internet.

James 5 (The Message)

I don’t think I will have to worry about falling into this category. I have pretty much determined that there isn’t going to be any retirement for me. I’m gonna have to work till my last days. Even now I do my best to pay the people that should be paid and honor them. On the other hand I do spend too much money on stuff I probably don’t need. Today I just went out and bought a new monitor for my computer and my old one was fine. This is a very strong statement by James and I used to have a real problem with the love of money.

7-8Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master’s Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.

Waiting on God’s timing can be very difficult especially in the now world we live in. Take twitter for example. I like it so much because it’s an instant status update of whats going on right now. This past week it has been down due to a database crash and I feel disconnected. I wasn’t getting my updates right away. I am no way comparing God to twitter but merely using twitter as an example of how I don’t like to wait on things. This passage lets me know that hey just be patient it’s coming and be ready for it. The reward for waiting is going to be great.

9Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.

I saw a church sign quote that rings the same bell as the above passage, “Make your words sweet because someday you might have to eat them.” Don’t judge unless you want to be judged. I don’t want to be judged at all. I am by no means perfect and if someone judged my flaws it would hurt.

10-11Take the old prophets as your mentors. They put up with anything, went through everything, and never once quit, all the time honoring God. What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.

Don’t quit on God continue to honor him through the bad times and the good. When you continue down the road of honoring God everything will work out just as he planned it. Never give up! When I read this I think about this cartoon.

12And since you know that he cares, let your language show it. Don’t add words like “I swear to God” to your own words. Don’t show your impatience by concocting oaths to hurry up God. Just say yes or no. Just say what is true. That way, your language can’t be used against you.

Let your yes be yes and your no be no. I tend to elaborate on the yes and no answers a little too much. James lets me know here that elaborating could get me into trouble. Don’t make any great promises that you can not keep.

Prayer to Be Reckoned With

13-15Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven—healed inside and out. 16-18Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t—not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.

The power of prayer is truly amazing. James is just reminding us here how important it is to pray. I don’t get down on me knees enough. I really should because I have so much to be thankful for and some healing to do also.

19-20My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

Just one person wandering away from God can cause an epidemic. To me this is saying don’t over look the small stuff. I like to think about big ideas and directions and movements toward God but for me it’s a lot of dreaming and thinking. In reality the work God does through me is one person at a time. I’m not a pastor so I don’t preach to large congregations. It’s one on one for me.

The Beach

What a wonderful day at the beach. It was a little rough when we first got here because we couldn’t find our condo. The directions were lacking some key information….. After we found the condo things started to get better. Why is it when you go to the beach it’s all about where are we going to eat next? Our current plans or to eat at Fudpuckers for lunch then one of the seafood shacks that are on the beach for dinner. No Idea where were going to get some breakfast. Maybe the Waffle House :).

I put some sun block on and I didn’t get it put on evenly on my face so now I have white blotches and red blotches. Ugg. I will go without some block for a little while today to try and just get red all over.

They closed the water to public swimming yesterday due to the fact there were two drownings already. Man what a way to screw up some special time with your family. People come to the beach to relax and have good time and end up losing loved ones. My kids will be in the surf at the very edge today and no further. If they want to swim it will be in the pool!

I’m going to miss church today. This will be the first service I have missed in over a year. I have only been going for a little over a year. It’s good to get away with the family though. We needed some reconnect time. It’s going to be a very busy summer so some time together before it all starts is good.

Streamzy

How cool is this I just found a new outlet for my Hillsong United addiction. Streamzy is a free search engine, play-list creator, and player to stream full length audio clips from all of your favorite artist.  It’s based on the seeqpod engine.

Very Cool!

Pondering James 4…..

This post is part of several other blogs that have joined in on a Blog Small Group. It’s a great way to study God’s word and see what others think at the same time.

I have said it before but I’m going to say it again. I love how direct James can be. He gets right to the point and speaks directly to you. Like what were you thinking thats not it at all it should be this way or that. He puts the word right in front of your face. Just what I need most of the time.

I’m going to use the message translation tonight so lets get on with it.

James 4

Get Serious

James 4:1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.

Oh man is this true or what. I haven’t reverted to violence to get my way before but I defiantly have used my mouth in an ill manner. Have you ever wanted to make more money at work and did whatever it took to get it? Made a last effort push to impress the boss to get a raise at the expense of someone else? I have and I regretted every minute of it. In some cases I got the raise or promotion but it never really quenched that burning sensation inside to do more be more or get more.

James 4:2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.

At the time I sure didn’t think about asking God. I knew inside the things I wanted were all about me and no one else. I wanted what I wanted and I wanted it now. Do I sound like a little kid at a candy store begging mommy for some candy? If not I meant to.

James 4:4-6 You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”

At the time I was cheating on God I really didn’t understand what he was all about. I loved the world and thought I was in control. I was very prideful. I didn’t even like to ask for help from others that knew more than I did. Don’t worry I have seen and know about the errors of my ways. I had the burning desire inside of me that could not be quenched with worldly stuff. When I came to Jesus and gave it all to him the fire inside of me was put out.

James 4:7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.

Dabbling in Sin will eventually get you swimming in the sin. Oh I have hit bottom and God was already there waiting for me to lift me up. If you ask it of him he will be there. What an Amazing God! Thank you Lord for being there for me and everyone else who has asked for your will to be done in their life.

James 4:11-12 Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?

Oops My bad. I have been working on this for sometime now with my mouth and last week was a great reminder for me. Even at church this week my Pastor challenged us to go 24 hours with nothing but kind words. I haven’t made it a full 24 hours yet but by this next Sunday I’m sure I will. I have been reseting the timer each time I mess up and each time the timer goes a little longer. It started out at 5 min. I’m all the way up to 12 hours now.

Nothing but a Wisp of Fog

James 4:13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”

I personally think this is kind of funny. He’s saying “Who you do you think your are you little peons?” It’s not your will be done it’s God’s will that will be done. HAHAHA! On a serious side, yes it is God’s will be done in my life and I continue to learn this lesson each day. I have a little prayer that I say most mornings on my way to work. “God, What is your will for me today?” and then I listen………

James 4:16-17 As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.

This one can be one of the hardest things to do ever. This verse right here is for those of us who like to sit back and take it easy and not say anything or avoid people. It could be a sin if I sit back and withhold a friendship to someone that might really need one. Also the more you know about God’s word the more responsible you become to uphold and do what is right according to that word.

We The Church

Just found this site and thought it was worth sharing. It falls right in line with twittering. You can even follow it on twitter.

Default Mode?

I’m a techie and I love to tinker around with the settings on my computer, mobile device, website, blog, and vehicles. I change the settings to better suit how the device works for me. Sometimes the focus may be to make it run faster or more efficiently. Other times the changes are done to personalize the device to reflect my likes. For example: Just recently I started this blog using WordPress. The default settings for WP work great for getting started. The default settings just weren’t good enough. The modifier in me got to work looking for plug-ins, themes, and other goodies to make the site work better. I wanted to pimp my Blog and add some bling. I used such things such as wiki’s and faqs to help me along the path of modifying my blog. I’m in a cycle now of always on the look out for a new plug-in or mod that will make the site better.

I took a look at my life and I’m trying to determine if I’m running in default mode or have I been tweaking and modifying the settings to make it run better. I have found a resource to help me along the way similar to how I use a wiki or a faq for my blog. The Bible is an excellent resource. I would like to challenge you to tweak your life. Modify the settings and don’t get caught running your life in default mode. What kind of settings have you been tweaking lately? Mine have been the mouth. There are all kinds of options for your mouth as I have been finding out in my recent study of James 3 with the Blogger Small group.

Have a great day and Peace and Grace to you!