Thoughts on God and life from a Christian perspective
Hello and welcome to RayFowler.org. If you are new here, be sure to subscribe by email or feed reader so that you don't miss any future posts. You can also check out the Top Posts page to get a feel for the site. Thanks for visiting!
I am taking a break from blogging for the rest of this week. I should be back after Labor Day (Monday, September 1).
Yesterday’s message was called God So Loved the World, taken from John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The main idea of the message was that God’s love for the world is a mandate for missions. Here is a brief outline of the message:
I. The Scope of God’s Love – the World
II. The Depth of God’s Love – His Son
III. The Fruit of God’s Love – Our Salvation
Application Points:
1) Make worldwide missions a priority.
2) Exalt Christ.
3) Share the gospel.
Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.
With the 2008 Olympics winding down, I thought I would go with an OLYMPIC THEME for this week’s Quick Takes.
Did You Know?
Rick Phillips affirms Shawn Johnson’s graciousness in her second place finish for the women’s all-around. “She’s only spent her whole life dreaming of winning that gold medal. Then she comes in second to her roommate, Nastia Liukin. During all of the interviews she conducted herself with cheerful dignity and grace. In particular, she clearly recognized that it was Liukin’s night to shine and did everything possible to make it a dream night for her friend. She didn’t talk about herself, she didn’t talk about her disappointment, but only how proud she was of her deserving friend … I don’t know if she is a Christian or not, but she certainly has conducted herself in the way that Christians should.”
And, speaking of gymnastics, here are a couple quick takes from previous Olympic years.
First Perfect 10 in History (Video length: 0:51)
Nadia Comaneci’s 1976 Compulsory on the Uneven Bars was the first perfect 10 awarded in Olympic gymnastics. You will notice the scoreboard reads 1.00 instead of 10.0. That’s because the scoreboards were not yet designed to display the number 10 (it had never happened before!).
Nadia Comeneci’s 1976 Uneven Bar Routine Perfect 10
(Video length: 0:40)
Nadia Comaneci’s 1976 All-Around Balance Beam Perfect 10
(Video length: 3:14)
And here is a neat performance from Olga Korbut in the 1972 Olympics.
(Video length: 0:40)
Pastor Jack Hamilton died earlier this summer, and his library is now up for sale. It is some library. The bidding starts at $295,000 if you are interested!
HT: David Heddle at He Lives
I shared the following story about Olympic runner Derek Redmond in my sermon Sunday as an illustration of the Holy Spirit’s encouragement in the believer’s life. (“Encouraged by the Holy Spirit,” taken from Acts 9:31).
The Greek word for encouragement is “paraklesis.” It literally means “to be called to one’s side,” and so it is the picture of someone coming alongside you to give you help, comfort, encouragement and strength. Jesus used a related form of this word as a name for the Holy Spirit in John 14:16: “Parakletos,” which means “a helper, comforter, encourager or advocate.”
This story of Derek Redmond and his father is a beautiful illustration of someone coming alongside another to help and encourage.
(Video length: 2:20)
Derek Redmond was running in the 400-meter race in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He already held the British record in this event. In the previous Olympics he had been forced to withdraw 10 minutes before the race because of an Achilles tendon injury. Now four years later he was here, ready to compete, determined to win a medal in the 400. His father was in the stands watching.
During the semi-final heat, Redmond was only 175 meters away from the finish line, when his right hamstring suddenly popped and he fell to the ground. As all the other runners raced past him, Redmond knew that once again his Olympics dream had been snatched away from him. But Redmond was determined to finish the race, so he got back on his feet and started hobbling towards the finish line. He was in visible pain with each step, and it was unclear whether he could even make it.
Suddenly, his father gets out of his seat and jumps onto the track, running around the security guards, and comes alongside his son on the track. He puts his arm around his son’s waist and encourages him to keep going. And as 65,000 people in the stadium rise to their feet in applause, father and son make their way around the track to the finish line together. Redmond did not win his Olympic medal. But with the help of his father, he finished the race.
Rick Phillips offers Christian parents four commitments to remember in building a strong discipling relationship with their children: Read – Pray – Work – Play.
“My child, give me your heart,” says the Bible. This assumes, of course, that the parent has already given his or her heart to the child. This will always take the form of time: serious time and play time, time in worship and time in service together. If we will give our hearts to our children, we will find their hearts eagerly offered back to us, so that we may then lead them into the reality of our faith in Christ.
Yesterday’s message was called Encouraged by the Holy Spirit, taken from Acts 9:31.
Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord. (Acts 9:31)
Here is a brief outline of the message:
I. What does it mean to be encouraged by the Holy Spirit? (John 14:16-17)
A. The Holy Spirit comes alongside you to help.
B. The Holy Spirit dwells within you.
C. The Holy Spirit will never leave you.
II. How does the Holy Spirit encourage you?
A. He teaches you God’s truth. (John 14:26)
B. He gives you God’s peace. (John 14:27)
C. He fills you with God’s love. (Romans 5:5)
D. He assures you that God is your Father. (Romans 8:15-17)
E. He gives gifts of encouragement. (Romans 12:8)
III. What are the results? (Acts 9:31)
A. We are strengthened in the Lord.
B. We draw closer to God.
C. We reach out to others.
Note: Click on the Sermons tab at the top of the blog for this and other messages.
If you missed the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency last night, you can:
Andrée Seu explains why more miracles are never the answer. “The solution to stubborn unbelief is not miracles. There are never enough miracles; there is always another request. Another objection. … I have often asked God for miracles to prove his love. But nowadays I ask for spiritual eyes to see what He has already made clear.”
Chris Rice eulogizes the Cartoon song which he retired from concerts in 2004. “I want to do excellent work. I want my work, my REAL work, to reach a wide range of people. This song purposely has no excellence — it was intended as a joke. I never meant for it to be popular, or to be taken seriously. I have heard all sides of the reasoning for and against the Cartoon song — literally thousands of times — and it is a song not worthy of this much attention.” (HT: FilmChat)
Rick Moran remembers why the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb. “How could we have done it? Much of the world to this day asks the question, ‘Wasn’t there another, less cruel way to end the war?’ The decision to drop the bomb will always be controversial because the answer to that question is yes, there were other ways we could have ended the war with Japan. Some would almost certainly have cost more lives than were lost at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.”
Josh Etter quotes A.W. Tozer on the problem of tinkering with your soul. “While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves – blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ, the very thing he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him.” (A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God)
Mark Shead recommends taking a memory nap to increase productivity. (You may want to check with your boss first.) “Studies suggest that your memories are solidified while you sleep. Your brain does a lot of work during your rest–almost like it is busy filing and making sense of everything you’ve discovered while you were awake. When you’ve learned a new concept or information that you want to retain, consider taking a nap or reviewing it right before going to bed. This will give your brain the best chance to assimilate the new information.”
Skye Jethani from Leadership Journal warns pastors against the danger of rooting our identity in ministry rather than in Christ. “Something’s wrong. We pastors are the stewards, the spokespeople, the advocates of a message of hope, life, and peace. And yet so few of us seem to be experiencing these qualities in our own lives. Something’s wrong. In a world saturated with fear, insecurity, and stress, we are to show a different way. And yet those at the center of the church are burning out and leaving ministry at a rate of 1,500 per month. If that’s what’s occurring at the heart of the church, why would anyone on the fringe want to move in closer?”
Nancy Beach is still marveling over the Olympics Opening Ceremony. “Anyone who has produced any event at any scale had to marvel at what the Chinese director and his cast of 15,000 pulled off. I’m still scratching my head that those rectangular tubes, so perfectly choreographed to music, culminating in the lovely wave of pink lotus flowers, were actually activated by humans! HOW DID THEY DO THAT????? … The next time any of us has to orchestrate 10 people or 100 people or even 300 people to craft an experience, we should learn something from the Chinese about aiming high, about the power of beauty, about the pay-off for excellence and how inspiring it is to the human heart.”
Pastor Rick Warren will host Presidential Candidates Barack Obama and John McCain this Saturday at the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency.
Saturday, August 16, 2008 ● 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. (PST)
At the candidates’ request, this two-hour event will be held in a non-debate format, and will be open to all media. Both candidates also requested that questions be posed exclusively by Warren rather than by a panel or members of the audience. Each candidate will converse separately with Warren for approximately an hour, beginning with Sen. Obama, as determined by a coin toss.
This historic forum will be the only joint event for the two, and the last public appearance for either candidate prior to the two-week hiatus during each party’s national convention.
Due to Secret Service mandate, tickets will be required for the event in the main auditorium, but the program will be broadcast live in multiple venues on the Saddleback campus, as well as on several national broadcast networks and online. It will also be streamed live on www.SaddlebackCivilForum.com. For basic information call (949) 609-8778.
Recent Discussion