A few testimonies shown at our Easter Service this year at Community Gospel Church.
Jacobs Story.
Brandi’s Story.
Mike’s Story.
“I may be weak, but Your Spirit’s strong in me!”
God is alive!
How was your Easter?
-jordan
“Prayer is the human response to the perpetual outpouring of love by which God lays siege to every soul. When our reply to God is most direct of all, it is called adoration. Adoration is the spontaneous yearning of the heart to worship, honour, magnify, and bless God.We ask nothing but to cherish him. We seek nothing but his exaltation. We focus on nothing but his goodness.” -Richard J. Foster
Recommended readings: Celebration of Discipline and Prayer
-jordan
Some things I’m into right now that got me thinking:
I’m not the problem: Great second paragraph here from Josh about youth ministry numbers. I know I need to get back involved in some coaching of some kind and figure out how to restart the old school bus ministries. We are working on helping parents right now activate there students participation. One for three on this one.
Old School Motorcycles: Two great videos from Michael Schmidt on the Born Free Motorcycle Event in So-Cal. I live for this stuff.
Tattoos: My buddy Derek is a fascinating creature. He got some new work done (seen here) that I’m digging. Where there are motorcycles, let there be tattoos. Good work man. Can I be next?
Reading: The Emotionally Healthy Church, Prayer, and Inside Out.
Not bad for a Saturday morning.
-jordan
We have been in thought for some time regarding the definition of what a “heathy church” looks like. Seeing how the Bible speaks to all things, here is my list of nine traits I see of a healthy church according to Acts 2:42-47:
What would you add to the list? What would you take away?
-jordan
Pastor Mike Fanning’s gave our youth a message tonight at Velocity on Paul’s prayer requests and how to pray. Will you/Can you pray this way with us this week?
Discipline yourself.
I dare you!
-jordan
The following is a video we played for our teenagers demonstrating what spiritual discipline looks like in my life and how I implement it. It was a powerful illustration that the teens really latched onto.
How are you spiritually disciplining yourself?
-jordan
I got a chance to sit down and talk to Ken Davis about his trip with Compassion and how God is using him in the ministry. It was a great conversation and an awesome ability to highlight the need to resolve spiritual apathy and move into being more spiritually authentic.
Here is the video:
What a great guy.
P.S. I love having Julie (as Ken talks about on the video) on our youth staff. She is an unreal servant of the Lord.
-jordan
To those that pray in Jesus name:
I’m assembling an e-mail group/team for those that would be willing to provide prayer support regarding ministry/personal related items. If you would have the desire and be willing to commit (seriously) to praying for future us, our ministry, and our family related items as they present themselves, please simply comment or send a message with your name and e-mail address so I can add you to the list.
Blessings.
-jordan
I’m sifting through the following table trying to help identify, acknowledge, and repent of any spirit of pride in my life. Care to journey with me? The differences listed are between proud and broken people. How many hit close to home for you?
NOTE: This table originated from Nancy Demoss of Life Action Ministries.
| Proud, Unbroken People | Broken People |
|---|---|
| (1). Focus on the failure of others | (1). Are overwhelmed with their own spiritual need (Matthew 5:3, 7:3-5, Luke 18:9-14) |
| (2). Are self righteous; have a critical, fault finding spirit; look at own life/faults with a telescope but others with a microscope | (2). Are compassionate; have a forgiving spirit; look for the best in others (Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:12) |
| (3). Look down, in a condescending spirit, at others | (3). Esteem all others as better than self (Phil. 2:3, Rom. 12:10) |
| (4). Are independent; have desires for everyone else to meet own personal needs | (4). Are dependent on God and His grace; recognize others’ needs and seek to meet them (2 Cor. 3:4-6, Phil. 2:4) |
| (5). Always manipulating circumnstances to maintain control; must have everyone do it their way | (5). Surrenders control by giving freedom for others to do or see things differently (Rom. 12:1-2) |
| (6). Have to prove they are always right | (6). Are willing to yield to the possibility that they could be wrong, and thus, yield the need to always prove they are right(Rom. 15:2) |
| (7). Claiming personal rights | (7). Yielding personal rights (Eph. 5:21) |
| (8). Display a demanding spirit | (8). Have a giving spirit (Rom. 12:13) |
| (9). Self-protective of time, rights, reputation | (9). Are self-denying (Luke 9:23) |
| (10). Desire to be served | (10). Are motivated to serve others (Matt. 20:26-28, Phil. 2:20-21) |
| (11). Desire to be a success | (11). Desire to be faithful to make others a success (John 3:30) |
| (12). Desire for self-advancement | (12) Desire to promote others (John 3:3)). |
| (13). Are driven to be recognized and appreciated | Have a sense of unworthiness; are thrilled to be used at all; eager for others to get credit, honors and awards (I Tim. 1:12-16) |
| (14). Cringe when others in the same field are praised, wishing it was them | (14). Rejoice when others are lifted up (Rom. 12:15) |
| (15). Think ‘the ministry is privileged to have me!’ | (15). Think ‘I don’t deserve to serve in this ministry (2 Cor. 4:7) |
| (16). Think of what they can do for God | (16). Know they can offer nothing to God, and seek for God to work through them in His power (Phil. 3:8-9, Titus 3:5) |
| (17). Feel confident in how much they know | (17). Are humbled by how much they have not learned and wish to learn (Phil. 3:12, Prov. 1:7) |
| (18). Are self conscious | (18). Have little concern with how others view them (Gal. 1:10) |
| (19). Keep people at arm’s length | (19). Risk getting close to others; are willing to take those risks for the sake of love for others (2 Cor. 6:11-12) |
| (20). Are quick to blame others | (20). Accept personal responsibility; can see and acknowledge personal failure (Matthew 7) |
| (21). Are concerned with being ‘respectable’ | (21). Are concerned with being real (2 Cor. 4:3-5). |
| (22). Are concerned about what others think | (22). Know all that matters is God and what He knows (I Cor. 4:3-5) |
| (23). Work hard to maintain image and protect reputation | (23). Die to own reputation (Phil. 3:7, Rom. 14:7) |
| (24). Find it difficult to share their spiritual needs with others | (24). Are willing to be transparent with others (2 Cor. 1:12) |
| (25). Want to be sure no one finds aout about their sin | Are willing to acknowledge and confess one’s sin; brokenness is the ultimate sign of personal success (Ps. 51:17) |
| (26). Have a hard time saying, ‘I was wrong. Will you forgive me’ | Are quick to admit fault and seek forgiveness (I John 1:9, James 5:1) |
| (27). Deal in generalities when confession sin | (27). Deal in specifics (Ps. 51:17) |
| (28). Are concerned about the consequences of their sin | (28). Are grived over the root of their sin (Ps. 51:5) |
| (29). Wait for other party to come and ask forgiveness in a conflict | (29). Take the initiative to be reconciled; gets their first (Matthew 5:23-24) |
| (30). Compare themselves with others and feel deserving of honore | (30). Compare themselves with God and feel desparate for mercy (Luke 18:9-14) |
| (31). Are blind to their true heart condition | (31). Walk in the light of true knowledge concerning their own hearts (I John 1:6-7). |
| (32). Do not display any spirit of repentance, because they don’t need it | (32). Continually display a spirit of repentance, sensing their need for fresh encounters with God and the filling of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5;18), Gal 5:16) |
| (33). Spent time reading these words and wondering if _____________ was reading it | (33). Thanked the Lord for using words on the internet to bring brokenness to their lives. |
Humbling for sure.
What do you think?
-jordan
