Glimpse of God through Zechariah

I've been teaching an adult class on Wednesday nights for the past few weeks. We're studying the minor prophets. This week in Zechariah 8, God - as if daydreaming - paints a picture of the life he longs for his people to live.
First he says he wants this very badly:

"I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her."

"Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."

Then, imagine the scene here as God describes daily life in the city:

"Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there."

Can't you just see the retired folks relaxing and enjoying the laughter of the children. They are content with life because they have rebuilt the temple and brought God back to the forefront of their families lives.
He continues - dreaming of a place that people from far and wide will desire to come and see!

and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, 'Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going.'

The people are saying "I'm going to the city of God to worship Him and I'm excited about it!!! Won't you come to!!!"
I just think there's a lesson to be learned of how much God loves us and how much he desires a good life for us. The only requirement: FOLLOW HIM! Get excited about doing just that! He wants to bless his people!

Perfection needed? nope

The next time you feel like GOD can't use you, just remember.

Noah was a drunk

Abraham was too old

Isaac was a daydreamer

Jacob was a liar

Leah was ugly

Joseph was abused

Moses had a stuttering problem

Gideon was afraid

Samson had long hair and was a womanizer

Rahab was a prostitute

Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

David had an affair and was a murderer

Elijah was suicidal

Isaiah preached naked

Jonah ran from God

Naomi was a widow

Job went bankrupt

Peter denied Christ

The Disciples fell asleep while praying

Martha worried about everything

The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once

Zaccheus was too small

Paul was too religious

Timothy had an ulcer..

AND Lazarus was dead!

And Don't forget Jesus Helped them all!!!!

Now! No more excuses! God can use you to your full potential. Besides you aren't the message, you are just the messenger. And one more thing...Share this with a friend or two... In the Circle of God's love, God's waiting to use your full potential.

1. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

2. Dear God, I have a problem, it's Me.

3. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open.

4. Silence is often misinterpreted but never misquoted.

5. Do the math ... count your blessings.

6. Faith is the ability to not panic.

7. If you worry, you didn't pray . If you pray, don't worry.

8. As a child of God, prayer is kind of like calling home every day.

9. Blessed are the flexible for they shall not be bent out of shape.

10. The most important things in your house are the people.

11. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

12. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

13. He who dies with the most toys is still dead.

Have a great day!!! The SON is shining and He can certainly use you!

Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of problems in their life. So, Live simply, Love generously, Care deeply, Speak kindly.......

Youth Rally Food Donations

A reminder about snack food donations for the youth rally will be posted in the bulletin tomorrow morning but I wanted to post something here for those of you who may not get to read the bulletin.

We have a wonderful menu planned for the entire weekend of the youth rally but would like to have you all help as you have in previous years with the snack food part of things. The things that are usually donated each year are....

boxes of cereal
bags of chips
store bought cakes and cookies (also homemade)
two liter bottles of pop

If you can think of another kind of snack for the teens during this coming weekend, please feel free to add it to the list.

We need your donations to be left at the church building NO LATER than this Wednesday.

Thank you SO MUCH!

That Paul Knows How to Pray!

Eph 1:17-19
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength...

Eph 3:16-21
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

In these two passages, Paul is praying that God would give the Ephesians (Gentile church people like us) His power through the Spirit and says that Christ would dwell in their hearts through faith. And this power seems to be .... VERY POWERFUL! There's wisdom and revelation, getting to know God better, and an incomparably great power.

I want to tap into this power! I want to be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God! Will you pray that for me and I'll pray that for you.

Youth Rally 2008

The registration forms for the youth rally are now posted on the youth blog. Print out what you need and fill it out ahead of time so you can move through the line faster. There is a link to the blog on the side of this blog. See you there!

Jennifer

Fellowship Dinner Reminder

Art appreciation

I am not naturally inclined to appreciate art. However, when I am helped along with understanding what it is that I am viewing or hearing, my interest grows quickly.

Most recently, I have found Richard Beck's discussion of "ugly" as a theological concept with his use of crucifixion art as illustration to be very interesting. It makes me want to look closer at religious art, and that's a big step for me.

Check out --> Experimental Theology

Scroll down to find recent posts featuring art, go back further to find discussions on Eastern Orthodox iconography. That too, is surprisingly interesting, to a guy like me.

May 2nd & 3rd

http://www.unshakeablefaith.org/

Happy death

Just as a well-spent day brings happy sleep,
a well-spent life brings happy death.
Leonardo Da Vinci

Marvin Phillips at the Tulsa Workshop

One of my favorite speakers from the Tulsa Workshop, Marvin Phillips