It has been one of those weeks this week.  I have been experiencing Sermon Block.  Writers have Writer’s Block so I guess preachers have something similar.  All week I have been toiling with my Sunday Morning message.  I would start.  Change it.  Start over. Throw it in the trash.  Pray.  Start over. Finally, I decided to preach on a different subject.  Then it began to come a little easier. 

Some weeks my brain works creatively.  Sermons just flow but other weeks it seems that I get stuck.  When I am in a series, I usually have at least one sermon out of the group that I just can’t get down.  I know what I am going to preach about, but I just can’t get it on paper.  I always skip that week’s sermon and come back to it.

I have often wondered if other preachers struggle with this.  Maybe you do not need to write your sermons, maybe you can just “wing” it.  But not Danny Cheney.  I like to write out my thoughts and try to memorize them.  I am just not gifted to go to the pulpit with Bible in hand and expect God to give it to me there.  I ask God to give it to me during the week so that I won’t be a nervous wreck on Sunday.

To my readers that are preachers, “What do you do to get through sermon block?  Are you a “wing it” kind of preacher or do you like to write out at least a portion of your sermon?  I would love to here from you (clik on the comments link below)

This morning I was changing out the memory card for my Blackberry Curve and I made a mistake.  If there is anything that proves the ignorance of simple people like me, it is technology.  I was upgrading from 1GB to 2GB so I was transferring my files to the other one.  It was to be an easy operation:)  I was going to cut and paste the pictures from one to the other.  Simple enough!

When I hit the cut button, on some priceless photos I had on my phone, it asked me if I wanted to delete them. Cutting is like deleting but you can paste it later to another file.  I hit yes to delete and it really deleted them.  For a moment I thought about getting mad at Bill Gates for creating these computers but then I remembered that Bill asked me if I wanted to actually delete them.  I told him yes and he deleted them.  Now I do not have the priceless photo of Hannah I wanted to show you this morning (this other picture will have to do).

There are alot of things in life that we would like to delete.  Bad memories, hardships we have endured, sins we have committed and the pain that we feel.  If it was only as simple as hitting a delete button.

The truth is, however, that God has a delete button to cover your sins.  When our sins are bought by the blood, Jesus asks do you want to delete permanently and God says yes.  As far as the east is from the west so far has your sins been removed.  Our bad memories and pains of the past are there to help us grow in life but there is a delete button that will take away heart-brokenness that you have felt.  The Psalmist said God binds up the broken hearted.

Next time, there is something you need to delete, ask God to take it away and He will perform a delete operation in your life.

Bill Easum had an interesting post on his blog (thanks to fellow blogger, Paul Peterson for the Link).  Easum gives insight into how to identify a spiriutally dead church.  It made me evaluate these ours concering our own church.  How do you think we are doing in the following areas?

Here are eight death clues. Spiritually dead churches:

1. Have lost their sense of mission to those who have not heard about Jesus Christ and do not pant after the Great Commission;
2. Exist primarily to provide fellowship for the “members of the club;”
3. Expect their pastors to focus primarily on ministering to the members’ personal spiritual needs;
4. Design ministry to meet the needs of their members;
5. Have no idea about the needs of the “stranger outside the gates;”
6. Are focused more on the past than the future;
7. Often experience major forms of conflict;
8. And watch the bottom line of the financial statement more than the number of confessions of faith.

Bill Easum points out some thought-provoking insights.  How can we as a church improve?  Are there areas where we need to revive and awaken from the dead?  Let’s work together to build a church that is alive in Christ.  The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us.  If that alive Spirit is in us, then the church should be alive.  We are in this together!

You can read the rest of the article here.

“Hi, my name is Danny Cheney and I’m a caffeineaholic.  I have been dry for 3 days.” 

I began this week with the determination to kick my dependency on caffeine.  I have been a caffeine “junky” for 20 years.  Everyday was a day centered around several events; three cups of coffee in the morning, Sonic Happy Hour with 2 Route 44 Iced Teas in the afternoon.  If I missed any of these events I would tailspin.  I could not function with out my morning rush of caffeine and then I realized, I am addicted.

Now, I know that Caffeine is not a sin, nor is it necessarily bad for you BUT too much of anything is bad.  I decided to wean off of caffeine but instead I went cold turkey.  Day two was the toughest.  Cold sweats, hot flashes, feelings of sickness, and a headache that sent me into orbit.  On day two, I went and bought a Sonic Iced Tea, but I chose not to drink it which is simply miraculous.  Today is day three and I am feeling good.  I am craving Sonic Tea but I am not giving in.

Why do I tell you this?  Because in most of our lives there are things that are addictions to us.  Television, Internet, soft drinks, food, cigarettes, alcohol or even drugs.  Of course we rate the levels of addictions but what are you addicted to?  The Apostle Paul said, “I shall not be mastered by anything.”

What’s mastering you?  Do you need to cut back on something?  The fact is, it is easier to be mastered by hidings of the flesh than the things of the Spirit.  However, we must be mastered by the Spirit.  As for me, this morning I had 3 cups of decaffeinated coffee which has alot less kick, but it beats water.  And it is still coffee.

It is amazing how opposite children can be.  Josh never liked music, but Hannah loves it.  She always wants headphones and my MP3 player.  I keep her plugged in to Hillsongs.  Maybe she will grow up to be a worship leader:)

We begin our new sermon series Sunday, Road Signs: Postings Along The Road Of Life.  It’s theme is looking at the instructions of God’s Word that we should apply to our lives.  We will be looking at one way, yield, exit and the stop sign.  All of these have helps for us as we look at what postings God has given us along our road of life. 

This Sunday we begin with ONE WAY.  It is a simple message about the one way to Heaven.  If you have family or friends that need Christ, this Sunday is the perfect Sunday to bring them.  They will get a clear and simple message from the Gospel of John.

“It is written of our blessed Lord, “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”  It is the purpose of God that we, as we are indwelt by the Spirit of His Son, should likewise love righteousness and hate iniquity.  I see that there is a place for us in Christ Jesus where we are no longer under condemnation but where the heavens are always open to us.  I see that God has a realm of divine life opening up to us where there are boundless possibilities, where there is limitless power, where there are untold resources, where we have victory over all thepower of the devil.  I believe that, as we are filled with the desire to press on into this life of true holiness, desiring only the glory of God, there is nothing that can hinder our true advancement.”  -Smith Wigglesworth-

I am moving my devotional blog, Thoughts For The Journey, to my main blog.  I am going to combine the two.  I will be doing the same type of short devotional thoughts and place it under the title “Thought For The Journey” on www.lifeofapastor.com.