We just uploaded a new podcast discussing Setting Spiritual Goals.  As we embark on a new year it is a good idea to set goals for 2010.  This new growthhelps podcast will give you a little help with that.

Check it out here.

It has been a long time since I was moved with compassion like today.  Perhaps, I have grown somewhat cold in my sensitivity.  The danger for all believers is to become desensitized to the plight of humanity.   To forget that others struggle through life and yet they seem to endure.

I watched a video by Carlos Whittaker, a worship leader, as he was filming for an upcoming album.  As they were shooting their footage a homeless man named Danny walks up, kneels down and then begins to worship with Carlos.  Their impromptu collaboration moved me to tears. 

It took me back to the roots of my ministry.  The days when I would spend hours a week on the streets of downtown Houston ministering to the down and out.  Feeding the homeless, providing them coats and their necessities.  Some of the most beautiful moments of my life were under bridges sharing the love of Christ with these men.

Watching Danny in the video reminded me of a man named Slim that I would spend time with every week.  Slim always had a positive outlook and a deep love for God.  My heart was touched by this song The God of Second Chances, because every one deserves a second chance.  The banker in a suit or the homeless guy on 8th street.  God is a God of Second Chances.

My heart is overwhelmed because I need to have more compassion.  I need to be moved by the heart of God.  Instead of going through the religious motions, my desire is to know the heart of God and please Him in all that I do.  Maybe He is giving me a second chance.  A chance to make impact in our church, community and world.  No more calloused heart, but a heart that beats with Christ and for Christ!

Check out the video here.  But beware, it may move you beyond words.

Today we posted a podcast to help out with the holiday relationships.  Many people will be having a family meal with all the different personalities in their families.  Today’s growthhelps edition is about how to deal with the different people that will be around the dinner table.

Check it out here.

Primal is possibly the most soul stirring book I have read this year.  Engaging Author, Mark Batterson, has written a book that causes the reader to get back to the roots of Christianity.  I must say that I am biased, because I always like to read about our Christian roots.  I enjoy books that are thought provoking and challenge the reader to think like the first century Christian.

Batterson stirs the reader to consider how God would want us to live in the 21st century.  He touches on many fronts:  our foundational salvation experience, remembering our special times of prayer and the Word, as well as a look at how we use our money for kingdom purposes. 

Primal is an easy read, meaning, it is very well written with a good flow to make it a hard to put down book.  One warning, however, if you do not want your life to be disrupted or challenged, don’t read this book. 

Some of my favorite quotes from Primal:

“Over the last two thousand years, Christianity has evolved in lots of ways.  We’ve come out of the catacombs and built majestic cathedrals with all the bells and steeples.  Theologians have given us creeds and canons.  Churches have added pews and pulpits, hymnals and organs, committees and liturgies.  And the IRS has given us 501C3 status.  And there is nothing inherently wrong with any of those things.  But none of those things is primal.  And I wonder, almost like the Roman effect of building things on top of things, if the accumulated layers of Christian traditions and institutions have unintentionally obscured what lies beneath.”

“I hope you will have gone back to the primal faith you once had.  Or more accurately, the primal faith that once had you.”

“You cannot listen to just half of what the Holy Spirit has to say.  It’s a package deal.  If you aren’t willing to listen to everything He has to say, you won’t hear anything He has to say.  If you tune out His convicting voice, you won’t hear His comforting voice or guiding voice either.”

“Does your heart break for the things that break the heart of God?  If it doesn’t, you need to repent.”

“When you give your heart to Christ, Christ gives His heart to you.”

You can pick up a copy of Primal here at Christianbook.com.

You can also purchase Primal at Random House Publishers.

Summary of Primal

We have a tendency to complicate Christianity. Jesus simplified it: Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength. If we are to live out the essence of Christianity, we must commit to being great at this Great Commandment.

In Primal, Mark Batterson explores the four elements of Great Commandment Christianity: compassion, wonder, curiosity, and power.

Along the way, he calls you to be a part of God’s reformation, starting in your own life.

As Mark writes, “Is there a place in your past where you met God and God met you? A place where your heart broke for the things that break the heart of God? Maybe it was a sermon that became more than a sermon.

Maybe it was a mission trip or retreat. Maybe it was a vow you made at an altar. In that moment, God birthed something supernatural in your spirit. You knew you’d never be the same again. My prayer is that this book would take you back to that burning bush—and reignite a primal faith.”

Primal will help you live in light of what matters most and discover what it means to love God. It will help you become great at the Great Commandment.

More about Author Mark Batterson

The author of Wild Goose Chase and In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, Mark Batterson serves as lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. One church with nine services in five locations, NCC is focused on reaching emerging generations and meets in movie theaters at metro stops throughout the D.C. area. Mark has two Masters degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Chicago. He and his wife, Lora, live on Capitol Hill with their three children. www.markbatterson.com

I know sometimes this blog is taken over by a parent who thinks all pictures of his daughter are cute.  But what can I say, its my blog not yours.

The other night, we were at Kohl’s shopping for coats and Hannah was standing between two racks.  I looked down and noticed that she was trapped between two coats with alot of static.  Pretty cool result!

As we were hanging around the house today, Hannah did a little preaching.  She was dressed up in her Snow White dress and asked for my Bible.  She started saying a few words and then got real loud. (I don’t know where she picked that up)  She shouted, “Thursday is pink day!”  She read (mumbled) from the Bible a little more and shouted out, “And Tuesday is purple day.”

Not sure where she learned those things but at least she used her Bible when she preached:)

It’s cold!  For this old Texas boy in the land of Northwest Arkansas, temperatures dip lower than I am used to.  I am certainly thankful for global warming, otherwise we might be too cold.

Because it is winter, I invested in a small room electric heater.  This would help heat my office, while keeping the gas bill down, because I do not have to run the central heat as much.  When I bought this heating unit, I was especially enticed by the fact that it had a remote control.  This is so I do not have to overcome laziness to turn it on/off, hotter or colder.  I can do this from the confines of my chair 4 foot away.  When I was a kid the only remote control we had in the house was me and my brother.  My kids are spoiled because they do not have to get up and turn the TV on or off.  (and they say kids have it hard these days)

Back to the remote control…This heating unit by Lasko doesn’t have an ordinary remote control.  No, this bad boy is equipped with an ergonomic remote.  That’s right, ergonomic.  I have heard of ergonomic chairs and furniture but never an ergonomic remote.  Ergonomic is defined as an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely. 

I am glad someone was looking out for me when they developed this ergonomic remote.  I cannot say that I feel more efficient or safer because of it, but there must be a reason for promoting such a thing.  I must say, the shape of this special remote, is comfortable to hold and I can see the benefit of such a design (if I were to hold the remote for 12 hours).

I love our lives today!  We have every comfort at our disposal.  Ergonomic remotes, standard remotes, microwave ovens, central air and heat, cars with air and heat, comforts galore.  We are blessed beyond measure, yet we are not content.  We are always looking for something to make our lives easier. 

We have a tendency to complain because our internet not being fast enough (anybody remember dial-up).  We have fast food and that isn’t fast enough for our rushed society.  We can shop online for all the items we want at cheaper prices, but we get irritated if the package takes a week to come in.  I once read a report that showed that America was one of the unhappiest nations in the world.  Many third world countries rated happier than us.

The reason I believe is because, happiness depends on happenings but joy is a product of the heart.  We must find our happiness in the things of God not the conveniences of this world.  Though I am only in jest about the ergonomic control, I am reminded that marketers have to find another comfort to appeal to the buyer.  Honestly,  I am just happy to have heat, even if I would have to walk across the room to turn it on:)

At RFA, we are sponsoring two families this Christmas Season.  We are working with the Salvation Army Angel Tree ministry and we would like to enlist your help.  We have a family of 2 as well as a family of 5.  If you would like to buy something for them, check out the information sheet below.  

We need all items to be turned in by Sunday. 

If you would  like us to do the shopping for you, you can donate to: First Assembly of God, 1710 W. Sycamore St, Rogers, AR 72758.  Please note Angel Tree on your gift.

We appreciate all of you as you bless others this Christmas.