Courageous 02/23/2012
 Last night, the movie "Courageous" was shown in the Life Group I attend each week. Everything good that I had heard about the movie was true. Sometimes movies have situations that work out unrealistically so there can be a happy ending. "Courageous", had a happy ending, but the characters experienced painful events. Some left scars that will diminish over time, but will always be a mark on their lives. The main theme is a father realizing that he was not leading his family well, especially his children. He is a Christian man who employs the help of his pastor, co-workers, friend, and his family to know how to do more than just get by parent. The men making up the core of his friendships make a commitment to courageously be the father and husband God has called them to be. Main take-aways from the movie: *Trust God for everything. *Do the right thing every time. *Enlist the support of friends. *Know that God loves those who love Him. If you have not seen the movie, "Courageous", I highly recommend watching it with family or friends. If you have watched the movie, ask yourself how you are living intentionally as a follower of Jesus. Add Comment Online Messages 02/22/2012
 We are making our first attempt to include the messages from Sunday on a page at our website. For those reading this blog via RSS Feed, the website is www.riveroflifehome.com. Initially, this step was significant to those who were serving in the nursery, children's ministry or some other service and missed hearing the message. Back in the day, we recorded on a cassette tape and made copies available. When the cassette recorder wore out, we skipped right over CD's/DVD's and recorded on a digital recorder. This allowed us to save messages on the computer, but often the file was too big to email to people. A copy would then be burned on a CD and given out. Posting the messages from Sunday online makes them available, accessible, and affordable (free). I admit a concern that successfully posting messages online could give opportunity for people to remain home if the weather is too bad for traveling or too good to give up a morning at church. Reality is that Sunday morning is much more than the message. Studying God's word and seeing how it can guide our everyday lives is a very important part of our Sunday celebration service. But coming together to worship the Lord through singing, giving, children learning about Jesus, and encouraging one another is important and would be missed if we stayed in bed or went out on the boat. Often people would like to listen to a particular message again while preparing a meal, changing oil in the car or sitting down with a cup of coffee. Check the online messages out, let me know how it is working and any improvements we can do to make it even better. White as Snow 02/21/2012
 It is proper to sing about Jesus loving everyone; Red and yellow black and white, they are precious His sight. It is not proper to sing about any other color snow except white. It has been a brown winter for our state. Snow that typically blankets the ground is absent. We just got a beautiful covering of snow amounting to 3-5". The memory of a hymn song declaring that God washes my evil away until I am whiter than snow came to my mind. Psalm 51:7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." Clothes only get clean when they are put in the washer - whether it is a modern washing machine or a large bucket of water and a stone. Our sins are not removed until we put them in the Lord's washer by telling Him we are sorry and want His help to keep from doing wrong. 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Enjoy the beauty of the new fallen snow and enjoy the beauty of a clean, pure life. Presidents' Day 02/20/2012
 Today, is Presidents’ Day, which celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12) and George Washington’s birthday (February 22). It falls on the third Monday of February and is both a federal and state holiday. No schools, no mail and typically no banking. Other than a day off for a portion of the population and stores holding special Presidents’ Day sales, there is very little observances or traditions surrounding this holiday. Abraham Lincoln displayed his raw wisdom in speeches he gave and through quotes that remain. Here are a collection from quotegarden.com: A capacity, and taste, for reading, gives access to whatever has already been discovered by others. It is the key, or one of the keys, to the already solved problems. And not only so. It gives a relish, and facility, for successfully pursuing the unsolved ones. ~Abraham Lincoln Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can. Point out to them how the nominal winner is often a real loser - in fees, expenses, and waste of time. As a peacemaker the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man. There will still be business enough. ~Abraham Lincoln I am rather inclined to silence, and whether that be wise or not, it is at least more unusual nowadays to find a man who can hold his tongue than to find one who cannot. ~Abraham Lincoln I believe it is an established maxim in morals that he who makes an assertion without knowing whether it is true or false, is guilty of falsehood; and the accidental truth of the assertion, does not justify or excuse him. ~Abraham Lincoln I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day. ~Abraham Lincoln I leave you, hoping that the lamp of liberty will burn in your bosoms until there shall no longer be a doubt that all men are created free and equal. ~Abraham Lincoln Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. ~Abraham Lincoln Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it. ~Abraham Lincoln There are no accidents in my philosophy. Every effect must have its cause. The past is the cause of the present, and the present will be the cause of the future. All these are links in the endless chain stretching from the finite to the infinite. ~Abraham Lincoln Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it. ~Abraham Lincoln We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature. ~Abraham Lincoln What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried? ~Abraham Lincoln Whenever I hear any one arguing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. ~Abraham Lincoln With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan - to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations. ~Abraham Lincoln Happy Presidents’ Day Peeps and Lent 02/17/2012
 The excess Valentine's merchandise and candy have been moved to the clearance aisles to make room for the Easter goods. One of those products are Peeps. Peeps are a candy made from marshmallow, corn syrup, gelatin, and carauba wax. They are formed into chicks, bunnies and other animals and used primarily to fill Easter baskets. Sam Born, a Russian-born American businessman, candy maker and inventor created Peeps in 1953. Also noteworthy, he invented a machine that mechanically inserted a stick into lollipops in 1916. The Saturday following Easter (when Peeps are greatly discounted) is an annual "Peep Off" held in Maryland, to see who can eat the most Peeps in 30 seconds. The current record is 102. The Lenten season leading up to Easter begins next week on Ash Wednesday. Many people are considering what to give up or fast for Lent and not thinking about how many Peeps they can consume in 30 seconds. The traditional purpose of Lent is to prepare the heart of the believer through prayer, fasting, repentance, and giving to others. Our church recognizes that Jesus work on the cross is done and there is nothing followers must to do to earn salvation except to receive His free gift. Yet, it is a good time for renewal of any lost passion in this relationship with Jesus Christ. It may be right to commit to prayer and fasting. Perhaps it would be equally right to consider what to add or include during this period rather than what to give up. Adding twenty minutes each day of unrushed time spent reading the Bible, talking to the Lord, and meditating on His promises can fill one's life more satisfying than 102 Peeps. Adding a weekly visit to a lonely friend or relative. Adding a daily letter or email of encouragement to those who have touched your life in positive ways. What is the Lord calling you add or include this coming Ash Wednesday? How Should We Worship God? 02/16/2012
 Every church has a culture. Some churches have a more formal, liturgical worship service and others have a more casual, contemporary worship service. The Bible records God's instructions concerning the construction and form of worship in the children of Israel's first building. It was a portable structure; able to be set up and taken down. There were specific practices of worship, specific clothing worn by the spiritual leaders and severe consequences if not followed. River of Life Church is in a leased building with the goal of constructing a permanent place of worship and ministry. There is no dress code, so casual dress is common. Communion and baptism are practices that are observed, but not at regular intervals. Our worship must look very different from the worship performed in the tabernacle. Is that okay? Are there right and wrong ways to worship God? Jesus said these words to a woman who knew she worshiped differently than the Jews: John 4:23-24 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” Psalms describes how to worship in spirit and truth: Psalm 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness. Psalm 86:9 All the nations you have made will come and worship before You, O Lord; they will bring glory to Your name. Psalm 95:6 Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; Psalm 96:9 Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth. Psalm 99:5 Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His footstool; He is holy. Psalm 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His holy mountain, for the LORD our God is holy. Psalm 100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Right or wrong worship is not based on whether one wears blue jeans or a blue leisure suit. It is based on love, honor and adoration given to God. Ersatz and Excessiveness 02/15/2012
 My father used words that I thought he made up, but to my surprise found that they are real words. When his doctors recommended he use margarine instead of butter, whatever brand of margarine we had he called, "ersatz". Ersatz is a real word which means artificial or inferior substitution or replacement. It is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement. A couple heart surgeries, high blood pressure and high cholesterol brought the recommendation of the ersatz butter to my dairy farming father. Today, studies are showing that the "real" is often better than artificial substitutes, but must be consumed in moderation. Eating real food excessively will still create heath issues. The opposite is true for our spiritual health. Any imitation is harmful and everything that is true is good for our lives. Excess of things that are true in our lives is even better! Too often we settle for ersatz beliefs, ersatz love and ersatz relationships. Jesus is the real deal and settling for anything else is an artificial, inferior substitution. A king named, Solomon, had the position and ability to choose the real or the ersatz. He chose ersatz and his spiritual heart became clogged. Ecclesiastes 2:10-11 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Jesus answered a woman who wanted the real, but did not know how to get it. John 4: 13-14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” His invitation to this woman extends to us today to take Him, the One who is fully real and completely true. Take Him into our lives not in moderation, but Excessively. Valentine's Day 'Did You Knows' 02/14/2012
 Alexandra Churchill is a staff writer for The New Hampshire, an independent student newspaper at the University of New Hampshire. Alexandra shares the following Valentine's Day statistics: Here are the statistics for trends on this day of mad love and mad business. Cards *180 million cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second most popular card giving holiday of the year. *50 percent of all cards are purchased in the week prior to the holiday, while most are sold within the 48 hours prior. *Teachers will receive the most cards, followed by children, mothers, wives and then sweethearts. *3 percent of people will give cards to their pets. *1,330 different cards are specifically designed for Valentine's Day by Hallmark. Candy *8 billion conversation hearts will be produced this year. That's enough candy to stretch from Rome, Italy to Valentine, Arizona 20 times and back again. *On average, men shell out $130 each on candy, cards, jewelry, flowers and dates. That's more than double what women commit to spending. *36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold for Valentine's Day. *$14.4 billion: Total value of shipments in 2007 for firms producing chocolate and cocoa products. Non-chocolate confectionery product manufacturing, meanwhile, was a $5.6 billion industry. *23.8 pounds was the per capita consumption of candy by Americans in 2008. Flowers *$403 million is the combined wholesale value of domestically produced cut flowers in 2008 for all flower-producing operations with $100,000 or more in sales. *19,759 is the number of florists nationwide in 2007. In 2007 these businesses employed 93,779 people. Jewelry *27,484 jewelry stores in the United States in 2007. Jewelry stores offer engagement, wedding and other rings to lovers of all ages. In February 2009, these stores sold $2.2 billion in merchandise. Be My Valentine *904 dating services were established nationwide as of 2002. These establishments, which include Internet dating services, employed nearly 4,300 people and pulled in $489 million in revenue. *15 percent of women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day. *64 percent of men do not make plans with their sweethearts, but beware; 53 percent of women in America would dump their boyfriend if they did not get them anything for Valentine's Day. *70 percent of celebrators give a card followed by a phone call (49 percent), special dinner (37 percent), candy (33 percent), restaurant meal (30 percent), and flowers (19 percent). Happy Valentine's Day! 16 Secrets to Lasting Relationships 02/13/2012
 I have a bowl of candy hearts in the office. Each heart has a saying, such as: Be Mine. Gotcha. I'm Sure. Crazy 4 U. OXOX. Love You! Stores offer these candies shortly after the new year leading up to Valentine's Day. The bowl in my office is leftovers from a Couple's Valentine's night out with couple's from our church. We went bowling and ate at a Mexican restaurant. Going with the Mexican theme, anyone who had a gutter ball had to wear a sombrero until someone else on their team threw a gutter ball. We had romantic prizes if you threw a strike. The teams were selected so couple's were together, so when the prizes were exhausted and a strike was thrown, the person's partner came out to lane and either kissed or bowed to their feet according to the choice of the person who threw the strike. What a riot! Our community paper highlighted a couple celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. They shared secrets to a lasting marriage. During our Mexican supper, couples made romantic phrases with the heart candies and on a 3x5 card wrote their own secrets to a lasting relationship.
Great tips! 8 Love never fails. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Something about Saying it 02/10/2012
 We are hard wired to communicate. When something significant happens we want to talk about the event. "Did you watch the game? Did you hear about the accident? They are building a new business north of town, what is it going to be?" Shared communication can expand joy. "Guess, what? I'm _______!" Fill in the blank with: engaged, expecting, moving, taking a trip. Their joy become shared and grows. Shared communication can bring resolve and healing. "Guess what? I'm _________ . " Fill in the blank with: dieting today, exercising, seeing a counselor, moving back home until my spouse quits drinking. It is much easier sharing the good news than sharing painful news. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. We can only share victories or give support if take a risk and expose our heart by sharing joys and pain. Good ground rules for sharing pain: 1. The more personal it is to you, the more trusted relationship is required. 2. Ask Holy Spirit for the right time and the right place to share. The food court in the Mall of America is probably not a choice location for a meaningful exchange. 3. Invite the person to pray for you and let them know you value their advice. Ground rules for hearing of one's joy or pain: 1. Embrace the news without comparison. Do not try to out joy them nor let them know their pain is small in comparison to something you went through. 2. Celebrate joy with a special cup of coffee, going out for a treat, or a joyful jig. Do something fun to celebrate! 3. Clean the wound of pain. Often, just listening brings a cleansing to the festering wound. Shared tears and prayer are like healing salve. Hold back from presenting quick solutions, but invite the Holy Spirit to bring resolve and healing. God never intended for us to do life alone. He is the first person we are to share the deep things of our hearts. God placed people in our lives to talk and to listen in a way that benefits both. | Mark Radeke
Husband of one, father of five, pastor and friend of many. ArchivesCategoriesAll |
RSS Feed