Lukewarmness... Continued!

Craig Groeschel's Follow-Up Blog post on Lukewarmness looks like this:

Question: What do you do when you realize you are lukewarm?

Answer: You do something drastic!

If some small change would have made the difference in your spiritual life, you would have made the change a long time ago.

You might:

• Start a seven day fast and devote extra time to seeking God.

• Take a sabbatical and pray like you haven’t in years.

• Confess to your spouse, your elders, or to trusted friends and ask for help.

• Seek spiritual counseling from another pastor or counselor.

• Take the week off and go to a hotel alone with no cell phone, no computer, and no books but the Bible.

• Read a Children’s Bible and pretend like you’re hearing the gospel story for the very first time.

• Repent to your family for your lack of spiritual passion and leadership.

• Tell your church honestly that you are struggling and invite them to pray for you.

• You might turn off your computer now and go somewhere and cry and repent deeply.

Whatever you do, it should be drastic and you should do it before another voice talks you out of it.

My Year-End Self-Evaluation

Craig Groeschel recently posted some signs of a lukewarm pastor. Since lukewarmness is something detested by our Lord, I think an effective year-end self-evaluation can be created from the points following:

Do I pray as much, or more, publicly than privately?
Am I almost exclusively dependent on others’ sermons to preach than directly hearing from God?
Do I care more about my church than The Church?
Do I preach about evangelism but not practice evangelism privately?
Do I tolerate and rationalize unconfessed sin?
Do I preach for the approval of people rather than the approval of God?
Am I overly sensitive to criticism?
Do I harbor bitterness and unforgiveness?
Do I read the Bible to prepare sermons but not for personal devotion to God?
Am I jealous or critical of someone else that God is blessing?

Do you see any of this in yourself?

According to Craig, a lukewarm pastor:
Prays as much, or more, publicly than privately.
Is almost exclusively dependent on others’ sermons to preach than directly hearing from God.
Cares more about his church than The Church.
Preaches about evangelism but doesn’t practice evangelism privately.
Tolerates and rationalizes unconfessed sin.
Preaches for the approval of people rather than the approval of God.
Is overly sensitive to criticism.
Harbors bitterness and unforgiveness.
Reads the Bible to prepare sermons but not for personal devotion to God.
Is jealous or critical of someone else that God is blessing.

Bruce Wayne... Batman... Dead!!!

Bruce Wayne — who by night is Batman — gets murdered by a man claiming to be the father he thought was dead.

In a highly controversial new comic book storyline, Bruce, who first appeared in 1939, is killed by Simon Hurt — the leader of the shady Black Glove organization.

Simon claims he is really Dr Thomas Wayne, saying he faked his own passing when Bruce was a child.

The superhero dies when he tries to stop his foe escaping by helicopter in the new comic Batman R.I.P.

"This is so much better than death. People have killed characters in the past but to me, that kind of ends the story!" said writer Grant Morrison.

"I like to keep the story twisting and turning," he added. "So what I am doing is a fate worse than death. Things that no one would expect to happen to these guys at all.

"This is the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman."

Help With Autism Research

Check out "What that kind of world do you want?" This web-site will distribute approximately 90% of money donated to selected charities. Watching the video will contribute $.49 per play.

Student Impact at the Luminate Concert

A great time was had by all the Impact Students at the Luminate Concert held at Crossroads in Sullivan. Great sound; Great tunes! Way to go guys!!!

New "Extreme" Activity For the Office

Don't think I could get Pastor Rich to participate, esp. if I was doing the jumping!!! Accident waiting to happen. Maybe a Jr. Higher???

10 Reasons Why You’re Probably Going to Fail
Author: Tony Morgan

I’ve experienced failures. I’ve watched others fail. I’m guessing you’ve seen plenty as well. This morning I tried to think through some common reasons why failure happens. I’m looking forward to some healthy conversation on this one. With that, here are:

10 Reasons Why You’re Probably Going to Fail

1. It’s not your passion. If it doesn’t make your heart beat fast or cause your mind to race when you’re trying to sleep, you’re probably doing the wrong thing.

2. You don’t have a plan. You need a vision, and you need to identify specific steps to make that vision become reality. That includes a financial plan. (I happen to believe you need direction from God on this.)

3. You’re waiting for it to be perfect. Test-drive it. Beta-test that new idea. You’ll fall into the trap of inaction if you think it has to be absolutely right from day one.

4. You’re not willing to work hard. Everything worth pursuing in my life has involved discipline and perseverance.

5. It’ll outgrow you. Keep learning. Keep growing. But more importantly, build a team of people including leaders that can be who you’re not.

6. You’ve had success in the past. I’ve watched organizations hang on to a good idea for too long. Time passes. Momentum fades. It’s risky to let go of the past and jump on the next wave.

7. You’re unwilling to stop doing something else. Complexity is easy. Simplicity takes discipline.
You can’t build a healthy marriage if you’re unwilling to give up dating other women. Who/what do you need to stop dating?

8. You won’t build a team of friends. Anyone can hire from a resume. You need to find people you want to share life with. In the long run, great relationships will get you out of bed in the morning.

9. You won’t have the tough conversations. When breakdown happens (and it always does), someone needs to put on their big-boy pants and initiate the difficult conversation that leads to relational healing.

10. You’re afraid of failure. When fear consumes you, it will cause you to do stupid things. You’ll let negativity distract you. You’ll embrace the known, and grow comfortable with mediocrity. The more often you fail, though, the more often you’ll find success.

Here’s the deal. I don’t think this list is just about personal failure. This is about organizational failure (your ministry, your church plant, etc.). This is about business failure (your start up, your turnaround effort, etc.). This is about relational failure (your marriage, your dating relationship, etc.). The same principles apply.

Now it’s your turn. What else should be on the list? What are some other ingredients for failure you’ve experienced or witnessed? What would you add/delete from the list?

For other great posts, checkout:
http://tonymorganlive.com

Generation "Me"

Today's American high school students are far likelier than those in the 1970s to believe they'll make outstanding spouses, parents and workers, new research shows.

They're also much more likely to claim they are "A" students with high IQs -- even though other research shows that today's students do less homework than their counterparts did in the 1970s.
The findings, published in the November issue of Psychological Science, support the idea that the "self-esteem" movement popular among today's parents and teachers may have gone too far, the study's co-author said.

"What this shows is that confidence has crossed over into overconfidence," said Jean Twenge, an associate professor of psychology at San Diego State University.

Read More:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20081112/hl_hsn/usteensbrimmingwithselfesteem

By E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporter – Wed Nov 12, 5:02 pm ET

Many Bitten by the Twilight Soundtrack

The soundtrack to the upcoming teen vampire romance Twilight debuts at #1 on The Billboard 200. Twilight is the first soundtrack to hit #1 in advance of the movie's release since 8 Mile six years ago. And I just thought the books were all the rave.

What if Starbucks Marketed like the Church

Much can be learned from the Starbucks Marketing Strategy.

Live 2008 Election Results

Toy Story Meets Dark Knight

This is one of the best mix-up I've seen in some time!!! So many creative people, so little viewer time!

When Marriage Counseling is Required

Don't impress your wife by singing this if you intend on celebrating your next anniversary.

Animal Behind the Wheel

Yes, the photo above is real: It is Animal—from The Muppets—driving a British Audi while speeding through a German road. The famous pink drummer is driving the police there absolutely crazy, because he keeps doing it again and again. Or better said, the real driver is, using a low-tech approach to take advantage of a weak point of the radar cameras. I don't know about you, but this image makes me laugh out loud. The German police, however, wasn't amused when they explained to the press how the whole joke worked and how they couldn't fine the driver...

Posted by Gizmodo
3:50 PM on Mon Oct 27 2008
By Jesus Diaz

"MARGINS"
(Help Needed!!!)

How you answer the following ten questions will speak volumes about the kind of life you’re living now – and how this lifestyle will affect your family in the future. I seem to be failing in every area. As Christians, we need to encourage each other to evaluate and correct our failures in these areas and rely on Christ to transform our lifestyles to what He has designed. Failures in these areas directly affect our energy and efficiency for Kingdom work and family alike.

1. Have you stopped enjoying life because you’re too busy? Remember the words of the Apostle Paul – “Rejoice in the Lord always – again I say, ‘Rejoice!’” There are so many things in life to enjoy. If you can’t think of one of them, that’s a “Red Flag.”

2. Have you stopped developing new relationships? And talking to parents on the sidelines at soccer games doesn’t count. When was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with someone you don’t know very well? There’s no reason why each of us can’t make at least one new friend every year.

3. Are you exhausted most of the time? Scripture says we’re never to grow weary of doing good. And it’s been my experience that the things we find most enjoyable in life don’t drain us of our energy – they increase it! That said, there’s no reason why anyone should be exhausted most of the time. Occasionally tired, perhaps, at times – but not to the point of constant exhaustion.

4. (If you’re married) Do you and your spouse have a regular “date night?” If you don’t, download a free copy of my Fact Sheet on “Why Dating Your Spouse is Good for the Whole Family.”

5. Do you have credit problems or a large load of debt? The amount of consumer debt in this country is staggering . . . and it’s only getting worse. There was a reason Jesus said, “You cannot serve two masters” (meaning God and money). If you’re spending as much as you’re earning – or more – the margin you’ve eliminated by doing so could cost you a much greater price.

6. Are you getting enough sleep? This might sound a bit redundant (see #3 above) but we feel it’s actually a different subject altogether. Research indicates that the average adult needs 6 to 8 hours of sleep each day to maintain good health . . . so, if you need 8 and are only getting 6, time to think about an earlier bedtime.

7. Does your family have dinner together on a regular basis? This may sound hard to believe, but the secret to reducing stress, improving your love life and keeping your kids off of drugs may be as simple as sitting down to dinner as a family 3 – 5 times a week. Recent studies confirm it – families who eat together . . . at home . . . around the family dinner table . . . create a more stable environment than those who are constantly on the go. Establish family dinnertime as a non-negotiable – then, turn on the phone answering machine, turn off the TV – and dig in!

8. Do you take a restful “day off?” Too few of us do . . . even though God requires is of His children. (“Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” “Six days shall you labor . . . .” You know the drill.)

9. Do you have regular “family time” together? Now, this would be apart from Church and school activities. Sporting events and other “have to’s” don’t count, either. We’re talking about “hanging out” time here. Do you have any? If not, you should!

10. Are your children showing signs of stress? Stress among teenagers is becoming more and more common. In fact, in his book called, The Seven Cries of Today’s Teens, author and family expert Tim Smith says that the cries for love and security are greater now among children than ever before...especially after the 9/11 attacks. And, chances are that, if one of the key contributors to stress in your children is the overloaded schedule of their parents.

How you answered these questions speaks volumes about your current quality of life. If it needs to change, then change it – don’t wait for a catastrophy to bring you back to reality!

(Based on principles included in the book, Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives by Richard A. Swenson, M.D.

Shared by http://www.homeword.com/

Masks: Hiding the Real Us

Why do we need masks for Halloween when the real us is already hidden? What people see when they look at us is exactly what we want them to see. Our world thrives on fakeness. Our culture needs to understand that God loves the real us. We are loved and valued despite what others say. It is time to reveal the real you. Just a few things we will be talking about as we unleash the new series "Reflection" tomorrow evening at IMPACT. Come check it out. NO MASKS ALLOWED!!!

My New Office

I am pretty excited about my new office. Much has be accomplished since the June flood in which destroyed my office and library. Thanks to SYM and Group, as well as, insurance and donations, I finally have place to work. Praise God!

Why does it have to be so complicated?

It's OK Granny!!! I normally feel like you when I purchase the newest tech devices... Like when I converted to the Macbook Pro and set up the apps on the Blackberry!!! Why does it have to be so complicated?

McDuff

This is my in-laws new dog.  A Westie with an attitude.  McDuff had fun experinces with Schyler over the fall break weekend.

Poll Question: Should parents prohibit their kids from participating in church and youth group activities as a method of discipline?

Yes: 26%
No: 74%

Selected Comments:

I have to say that I struggle with this sometimes. Sometimes my daughter doesn't spend enough time prepping for tests/quizzes & I feel guilty for letting her go off to church related youth activities for 1 1/2 hrs - when I know that she is not prepared for the test or quiz the next day.

Spiritual training is very important. Not all youth group activities involve spiritual training, but the ones that do should not be prohibited. In fact, I believe we should encourage kids to hang around Christians.

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