Daily Lenten Devotional

Posted on February 28, 2012 by mikewindley

So, I perceive that the Daily Lenten Devotional is only going to be coming during the weekdays, and I am on my own during the weekends. I’ll manage.  And my apologies for getting Monday’s devotional to you on Tuesday! Great thoughts though. I am always challenged by Jesus servant leadership.

Your Daily Lenten Devotional

February 27, 2012

The Measure of Greatness

A dispute also arose among them as to which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest. But he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. (Luke 22:24-26)

During supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. (John 13:2b-5)

I find studying the disciples in the Gospel to be a hopeful exercise for struggling Christians like me. About the time I feel that I am hopelessly lost, I read a passage such as Luke’s account of the Last Supper where, as Jesus was preparing for his crucifixion, the disciples were sitting at the Passover meal secretly arguing over “which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest” (Luke 22:24). After three years with Jesus, this is what they were arguing about?
It was sometime around the sixth grade that I encountered the idea of popularity. At my school there were certain kids who were considered to be “cool”–defined by some combination of their appearance, their parents’ wealth, their self-confidence, and their sporting prowess. By high school the characteristics of greatness were expanded to include those students nearly universally recognized by the student body for their talents. At the same time there was a second tier of greatness, defined within particular groups. In the band it was the “first chair” kids. In sports it was the “starters.” Among the anti-social kids it was the kid who could be the most anti-social.
We do not stop disputing which of us is considered the greatest when we reach adulthood. How does society generally define greatness today?
Jesus, knowing that the disciples were arguing about which of them was greatest, did something most surprising. He got up from the table; went to the door; and picked up the pitcher of water, towel, and basin that had been left there so the disciples could wash their feet as they entered the room. None of them, apparently, had washed their own feet; and certainly none had thought about offering to wash the feet of their fellow disciples, or even the feet of Jesus. Performing such a task, like the meal preparations Jesus had sent Peter and John to make earlier that day, was the responsibility of a servant; and they were not servants–they were disciples. To their great discomfort, Jesus sank to his knees and one by one washed their feet. To make sure they understood the meaning of his gesture, he said in essence, “This is what true greatness looks like.”
By washing his disciples’ feet, the Son of God assumed the most humble of roles. Then he called all who would follow him to strive for that kind of greatness: to live their lives as humble servants. Long before the business world discovered the concept of “servant leadership,” Jesus was calling his followers to adopt that lifestyle. Would those who know you describe you as one who in humility seeks to serve others?
Lord, you know that, like the disciples, I yearn to be considered great by others. Grant me a servant’s heart so that I may discover that true greatness is found in humility and service. Amen.

Excerpted from:
24 Hours That Changed the World Daily Devotions
Adam Hamilton
Retail Price: $9.99
CBD Price: $6.99

In this companion volume that can also function beautifully on its own, Adam Hamilton offers 40 days of reflection and meditation enabling us to pause, dig deeper, and emerge changed forever. The reflections, ideal for use in Lent, include Scripture, reflection on the events of Jesus’ final day, stories from Hamilton’s ministry, and prayers.

Used with the kind permission of our friends at Abingdon Press.

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Lent Devotional Day 2

Posted on February 26, 2012 by mikewindley

So, I’m not sure what is up with the Christianbook.com daily Lenten devotional. Yesterday’s devotional came to my inbox close to 1pm, and I didn’t get to a chance to post it here.  No devotional has come to my inbox today, so I was able to post yesterday’s, today.  And oddly, the quote and suggested Scripture readings are the same as the day before?

Anyway…I’m enjoying this season of focus thus far.  Practicing Lent has never really been a part of my faith tradition. In keeping with the the Lenten tradition of sacrifice, I’ve made a few commitments, which will be a bit of a strain to keep, but I long to grow closer to Christ, and this emphasis has certainly provided me some focus the last several days.

Your Daily Lenten Devotional

February 24, 2012

Into the Wilderness

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Psalm 32
Matthew 4:1-11

Focus: The Shadow of Temptation

We have fallen into the temptation of separating ministry from spirituality, service from prayer. Our demon says: “We are too busy to pray; we have too many needs to attend to, too many people to respond to, too many wounds to heal…” But to think this way is harmful…Service and prayer can never be separated; they are related to each other as the Yin and Yang of the Japanese Circle.

–Henri J.M. Nouwen

Day 2: Busyness

What is true for each of us is too often true of the church itself. Consecrating a new cathedral in Africa, Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, said:

Many years ago I lived in a town where there was a very active church indeed. Outside this church was an enormous noticeboard. It must have been about 6 ft sq. It seemed every moment of the week was taken up in activity. But I’ve no doubt indeed it was a very good church and very careful and loving parish. And yet that noticeboard used to worry me and it still does. It seems to me it speaks of an idea of the church which supposes that the church is about human beings doing things. When you looked at that church you would have thought, what a lot of things they do there. But I’m still wondering if anyone ever asked, does God do things here? It seemed to be just a slight risk that there was hardly any room in the week for God to find his way in among all these activities. (emphasis added)

We are busy, each of us, and together we all of us are doing various things in our various congregations, but all of that holy activity, church busyness and business, may carry and keep us far from the Holy One. If we are not careful, we will be like Martha in the kitchen–doing so many things for Jesus, so we suppose, that we do not have time to be with Jesus. We will not be alert to what Jesus is already at work doing for, in and among us–and we may wind up estranged from our brothers and sisters.

In Lent we purpose to come out of the kitchen and sit at the feet of Jesus. We set ourselves space-making disciples in order that, as the book of Joel says, the nations will not ask of us, “Where is their God?” (2:17).

Where is their God? Are they people of faith or just people of activity? Do they believe in grace or, in spite of what they say, do they really believe in salvation only by work? Where is their God? They surely are busy, but where is their God?

And what of God’s word?

Reflect

How much of your church time is spent “in the kitchen”? Consider how you might take your place at the feet of Jesus this Lent.

Excerpted from:

Shadows Darkness and Dawn: A Lenten Journey with Jesus
Thomas R. Steagald
Retail Price: $15.00
CBD Price: $9.99

In Shadows, Darkness and Dawn, daily readings for the season of Lent engage us with the Gospel of John’s narratives about Jesus: the temptation in the wilderness, Nicodemus’s nighttime visit, the encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus healing of the man born blind, the raising of Lazarus, and the events of Holy Week. In pondering these biblical events you’ll be drawn to purposeful Lenten reflection.

Used with the kind permission of our friends at Upper Room Books.

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Lent Devotional Day 1

Posted on February 23, 2012 by mikewindley

Your Daily Lenten Devotional

February 23, 2012

Into the Wilderness

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Romans 5:12-19
Psalm 32
Matthew 4:1-11

Focus: The Shadow of Temptation

We have fallen into the temptation of separating ministry from spirituality, service from prayer.  Our demon says: “We are too busy to pray; we have too many needs to attend to, too many people to respond to, too many wounds to heal…” But to think this way is harmful…Service and prayer can never be separated; they are related to each other as the Yin and Yang of the Japanese Circle.

–Henri J.M. Nouwen

Day 1: Alone in the Wilderness
The water of Jesus’ baptism is still dripping off his chin, and the voice of God still echoes in his ears–“This is my Son, the Beloved; with whom I am well pleased”–when suddenly, at once, immediately, the Spirit launches Jesus, heaves him, catapult-like, out into the wilderness.
Only a moment before, the Spirit has appeared as a dove; now the Spirit is a cutting horse, separating Jesus from everything and everybody that would hinder the moment. Away from the river, away from the crowds, away from city and town, away from Temple and synagogue, away from family and friends, away from everything except the scorpions and scruff grass–now it is just Jesus and the Tempter.
Every year we begin the season of Lent by recalling the temptations of Jesus alone in the wilderness. Why alone? Because alone, away from the distractions, Jesus faced his temptations. That is where the real work begins, for him and for us.
Sometimes we vainly imagine our problem is in the muddle, the mess, the noise and busyness of a day. Too many voices, too many demands–that is what’s keeping us from the kind of life we believe we would live if we had more time and quiet. If we could just get everything and everybody else settled, then we would be settled: we would have time for prayer, for service. We could be the kind of Christians we intended to be when first we made our vows.
Except the problem may be more inside than outside. I too blame my lack of faithfulness on external forces, but if I purpose to be alone, I will be forced to confess a deeper truth: it is not just that I have other stuff to do but that I find things to do. I create busyness if it is not already there.
We are so practiced in the daily maze, so at home in the briar patch, that unbusyness is the real puzzle and thorn. How do we do nothing? Or if not nothing, then create space enough for prayer? This mostly unacknowledged spiritual dilemma is both unconfessed and, more gravely, devoutly unassaulted.

Reflect
If you are resistant to being alone, try to imagine why. Pray that when you are alone during Lent, whether by choice or circumstance, you will use that time for spiritual discernment.

Excerpted from:

Shadows Darkness and Dawn: A Lenten Journey with Jesus
Thomas R. Steagald
Retail Price: $15.00
CBD Price: $9.99

In Shadows, Darkness and Dawn, daily readings for the season of Lent engage us with the Gospel of John’s narratives about Jesus: the temptation in the wilderness, Nicodemus’s nighttime visit, the encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus healing of the man born blind, the raising of Lazarus, and the events of Holy Week. In pondering these biblical events you’ll be drawn to purposeful Lenten reflection.

Used with the kind permission of our friends at Upper Room Books.

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Lent Devotional Ash Wednesday

Posted on February 23, 2012 by mikewindley

Christianbook.com offers a free daily devotional during the Lenten season.  If you happen to be a reader here, I invite you to share in this devotional journey with me.  Below is Day One’s devotional. I love the writing and imagery here. Makes me want to buy the devotional book it was excerpted from!

Your Daily Lenten Devotional

February 22, 2012
Ash Wednesday

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17
Psalm 51
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

If somebody comes to me and says, “Teach me to pray,” I say, “Be at this church at nine o’clock on Sunday morning.” That’s where you learn to pray. Of course, prayer is continued and has alternate forms when you are by yourself. But the American experience has the order reversed. In the long history of Christian spirituality, community prayer is most important, then individual prayer.

–Eugene Peterson

I am made of dust. I know because I love dusty things. When I was a boy, I played with dirt. Now that I am an old man, I pray with ashes. 

I was conceived in the darkness. I know because I have always loved dark places. Even now I am too often content in the lightless little hut of my soul.
But I also know this: I was gestated in the life-giving water of my mother’s womb. I know because I thirst for the water, the living water that will bathe me, that will wash all my dust and dirt and darkness away. I long to be made clean and I dread it too, for I have been dangerously exposed to the world’s idolatrous radiations. Rough brushes and hoses are required, hard scrubbing, to peel away the poison. There are deep impurities in the ore of my soul, mined as I have been from the broken earth. I desperately need the Refiner’s fire, God’s purifying heat, to burn the carbons out of my spirit…
…The sanctuary is dark as a womb, silent as a grave. Candles chase the gloom, but shadows threaten to swallow the few who are gathered. The pastor prays:
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth. Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, so that we may remember that only by your gracious gift are we given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
On Ash Wednesday, at the pastor’s invitation, I come to the rail and, in sure and certain hope of healing, I acknowledge my brokenness. I confess the darkness, at least as much of it as I can see, in hopes that light will soon dawn. In sure and certain hope of the Resurrection I embrace the Cross.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” the pastor says, smudging my forehead with a cross of palm ash. Particles fall onto my eyelashes. “Repent, and believe the gospel.”
If I did not believe, I could not repent. If I could not repent, I could not go on. But already the ash itches. I think to reach up, to wipe it off, but kneeling here I am determined to let the cross, the ashes, do their full work. I will not try to remove them. I will try not to lay down the cross…
…Embracing the cross is hard; bearing it is harder still. The cross’s beams are rough to the touch and burdensome. We never get all the splinters out. The cross is awkward to maneuver through the house and the office, and many days almost seems to work against whoever would carry it. The cross chafes the shoulders, bends the neck–and breaks the heart. No wonder that I want to lay it aside, throw it down, unburden myself of the cross and its demands. Easier to lay aside the weight of the cross than to “lay aside [my] every weight and the sin that clings so closely” (Heb. 12:1).
But choosing the cross means life; choosing life without it means death. Only by entering the darkness can I begin to find the light…
We make vows today, pledge small dyings in hope of greater, holier living, but we do not make them in order to be seen by others. We “sacrifice,” not because God requires it, but because we desire the kind of deep intimacy only empty spaces can begin to harbor. Indeed, God has “no delight in sacrifice” (Ps. 51:16), which means to say that God does not love us more when we make sincere offerings, any more than God loves us less when we don’t, or when our gestures remain silly or superficial. But when we confess our need for God, our desire for more of God in more of us, when we create for God a space in our heart and routine–“the sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit” (Ps. 51:17)–then God, I believe, is very pleased indeed…
…We pray to be emptied, that we might be filled. We pray to be enhungered, that we might be nourished on that which abides. We pray to die to self, that we might live with God at last.

Reflect
Take time to write down your Lenten vow: something you will deny yourself as a kind of sacrifice; something you will take on as a kind of service. You might put that paper in your Bible, or take it with you to Ash Wednesday services and leave it at the altar.

Excerpted from:
Shadows Darkness and Dawn: A Lenten Journey with Jesus
Thomas R. Steagald
Retail Price: $15.00
CBD Price: $9.99

In Shadows, Darkness and Dawn, daily readings for the season of Lent engage us with the Gospel of John’s narratives about Jesus: the temptation in the wilderness, Nicodemus’s nighttime visit, the encounter with the woman at the well, Jesus healing of the man born blind, the raising of Lazarus, and the events of Holy Week. In pondering these biblical events you’ll be drawn to purposeful Lenten reflection.
Used with the kind permission of our friends at Upper Room Books.

Posted in Lent, Making Sense of Faith | Leave a comment

Getzelmania – A 5k Run on May 19th

Posted on February 21, 2012 by mikewindley

I’m sure I’ll be posting a lot more about this in the coming days, but I hope you’ll be a part of the 5k run/walk a team from The Bridge is planning in memory of our good friend Stephen Getzelmann.  Learn all there is to know at Getzelmania.  Getz your run on!

Posted in Fun, Helping Others, Sport | 1 Comment

Becoming Passionate Teammates – Three Phases of Love

Posted on February 21, 2012 by mikewindley

I know CS Lewis tells us there are four loves, but at the Becoming Passionate Teammates marriage workshop, Bob and Deb shared with us three phases or types of love that I think everyone needs to know about.

The first type of love was New Love.  Most of us understand this phase.  This is the kind you experience in the first few months of a relationship.  The kind where you think about your significant other all time, talk all the time, get butterflies around each other, sweaty palms.  It’s that really easy, new, romantic, honeymoon type of love.  We all love this stage.  And typically, it’s the stage that most of us cycled in and out of as teenagers as we hopped from one dating relationship to another.  This is also the kind that Hollywood celebrities are often known for as they go from one marriage or relationship to another as the new love fades.  They get addicted to the feelings of new love, and when they fade, they think, “I’m out of love.” So they drop the man or woman and pursue new love all ove again.

The second phase of love is Disappointed Love.  We’ve all been here too.  It’s what happens when new love fades.  The butterflies are less frequent.  Communication becomes a strain.  The honeymoon phase is over.  As I said before, this is where a lot of people bail and go seeking new love again.  Unfortunately they think of love as only new love.  New love is great, but if we really want to experience love like God intended, we move from new love, into disappointed love, and make the mature decision to move to the aptly named Mature Love.

Mature Love is where, instead of of bailing out during disappointed love, or just resigning to a miserable lifetime in disappointed love, we work hard at knowing and loving our spouse, and begin intentionally practicing the things we naturally did in New Love.  We realize that we are not children or teenagers, and that we can be men and women of our word, and that when we said, “I do” and “until death do us part” that God really intended for us to follow through.

The lesson we all need to learn is that our New Love will become Disappointed Love.  This is natural.  What we don’t need to do is here is bail out on our spouse.  We need to mature, and commit to the hard work of loving as we move toward a Mature Love that can be more fulfilling then New Love will ever be.  Let’s commit to ourselves, to God, and to our spouses that we will accept the fact of Disappointed Love, that we will not resign ourselves to Disappointed Love or bailing out in favor of New Love, but that we will work hard at growing through the challenges to an awesome Mature Love.

What Mature Love may look like?:

Posted in Family, Fun, Helping Others, Making Sense of Faith, Marriage | Leave a comment

Becoming Passionate Teammates

Posted on February 21, 2012 by mikewindley

Earlier this month, February 10-11, our church co-sponsored a marriage seminar with Grace Bible Fellowship.  The workshop is called Becoming Passionate Teammates and is led by Bob and Deb Felts from Brookwood Church in Burlington.  Bob and Deb have been leading these workshops for years and do a great job.

Three observations regarding the workshop:

  1. The stigma of “marriage counseling.”  Maybe I’m just more secure than I realized, but in conversations with others, it was apparent that there was a stigma they attached or felt others attached to attending a marriage workshop or counseling.  Why? Of course, we don’t want people to think we are having marriage problems, right? But seriously, who cares!?!  Nobody has a perfect marriage, and an investment in your spouse and your marriage should only be stigmatized as AWESOME! I’m proud of all our couples who were a part of the workshop.
  2. My perception was there were those who did not attend because they felt they “didn’t need it.”  Personally, I don’t care whether you’ve been married 6 months and think you’ve got it made or 60 years and think you’ve got it made – EVERYONE should be investing in their marriage like this.  It’s kind of like the premarital counseling I do with couples. I encourage all of them to read a book on sex like “The Act of Marriage.” Regardless of how knowledgable they think they are about sex, investing time and money to maybe, just maybe help you know your spouse better is a NEEDED investment.  Same with marriage workshop.  I’m glad you’re marriage is great. Protect it.  Go to a marriage workshop and invest in your marriage!
  3. I can’t remember my third point, so I’ll say this.  Becoming Passionate Teammates (BPT) was awesome.  I really hope I can be a better husband and better leader in my home.  BPT will help me do that.  When we bring Bob and Deb back again, I hope (if you’re married) you’ll be a part!
Posted in Family, Fun, Making Sense of Faith, Marriage | Leave a comment

You Might Know More About the Bible than You Think!

Posted on January 30, 2012 by mikewindley

This past Sunday in my message, I mentioned that there are expressions we use that find their origination in the Bible, but we never knew we were “quoting” the Bible!  The number one best selling book of all time influences our lives more than we realize!

After hearing the message, a friend emailed a list of the sayings that he has been collecting over the years of these types of biblical expressions.  It’s probably not exhaustive, but it’s a great sampling!

Saying – Bible Passage

A house divided – Matthew 12:25, Luke 11:17

Fell on rocky ground – Matthew 13:5

Twinkling of an eye – 1 Corinthians 15:52

All things to all men – 1 Corinthians 9:22

You Don’t Know the Half of It – 1 Kings 10: 7

Gird your loins – 1 Kings 18:46

A man after his own heart – 1 Samuel 13:14

I’ll pin him to the wall – 1 Samuel 18:10-11

Labor of love – 1 Thessalonians 1:3

Filthy Lucre – 1 Timothy 3:3

The love of money is the root of all evil – 1 Timothy 6:10

Fight the good faith – 1 Timothy 6:12

Suffer fools gladly – 2 Corinthians 11:19

A thorn in the flesh – 2 Corinthians 12:7

Letter of the law –  2 Corinthians 3:6

Put your house in order – 2 Kings 20:1, Isaiah 38:1

How the mighty fallen have fallen – 2 Samuel 1:19

Put words in one’s mouth – 2 Samuel 14:3

Turned the world upside down – Acts 17:6

It’s better to give than to receive – Acts 20:35

Absent in body, but present in spirit – Colossians 2:5

Feet of clay – Daniel 2: 33

Writing On the Wall – Daniel 5:5

Knees Knocking Together – Daniel 5:6

As white as snow – Daniel 7:9

Apple of his Eye – Deuteronomy 32:10

A graven image – Deuteronomy 5:8

Man does not live by bread alone – Deuteronomy 8:3

The Greater the Knowledge the Greater the Pain – Ecclesiastes 1:18

Nothing new under the sun – Ecclesiastes 1:9

A fly in the ointment – Ecclesiastes 10:1

To everything there is a season – Ecclesiastes 3:1

There’s a time and a place for everything – Ecclesiastes 3:1

Time to be born and a time to die – Ecclesiastes 3:1-2

Eat, drink, and be merry – Ecclesiastes 8:15

Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath – Ephesians 4:26

Manna from Heaven – Exodus 16:15

Stranger in a strange land – Exodus 2: 21-22

Eye for an eye – Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20, Deuteronomy 19:21 Matthew 5:38

Harden your heart – Exodus 4:21

Tearing Your Hair Out – Ezra 9:3

Reap What You Sow – Galatians 6:7

Be fruitful and multiply – Genesis 1:22

Let there be light – Genesis 1:3

Dust of the earth – Genesis 13:16

Breath of life – Genesis 2:7

Forbidden fruit – Genesis 2:9

By the sweat of your brow – Genesis 3:19

Dust to dust – Genesis 3:19

Fruit of your loins – Genesis 35:11

East of Eden – Genesis 4:16

The land of Nod – Genesis 4:16

My brother’s keeper – Genesis 4:9

Fat of the land – Genesis 45:18

Reap the whirlwind – Hosea 8:7

Hammer swords into plowshares – Isaiah 2:4

Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we will die. – Isaiah 22:13

A drop in the bucket – Isaiah 40:15

A voice crying in the Wilderness – Isaiah 40:3 also Matthew 4:1-11

Eye to eye – Isaiah 52:8

No peace for the wicked – Isaiah 57: 21

Rise and shine – Isaiah 60:1

Holier than thou – Isaiah 65:5

Patience of Job – James 5:11

A multitude of sins – James 5:20

Lamb to the slaughter – Jeremiah 11:19

A leopard cannot change its spots – Jeremiah 13:23

Sour grapes – Jeremiah 31:30

Woe is me – Job 10:15

As old as the hills – Job 15:7

Nothing but skin and bones – Job 19:19-20

I escaped by the skin of my teeth – Job 19:19-20

The root of the matter – Job 19:28

In the beginning was the Word – John 1:1

What is truth? – John 18:38

The truth shall set you free -John 8:32

He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone – John 8:7

Scapegoat – Leviticus 16:9-10

A peace offering – Leviticus 3:6

Eat Drink and Be Merry – Luke 12:19

O ye, of little faith – Luke 12:28

A cross to bear – Luke 14:27

Forgive them for they know not what they do – Luke 23:34

He gave up the ghost – Luke 23:46

Physician, heal thyself – Luke 4:23

Give unto Ceasar that which is Caesar’s – Mark 12:17

Wars and rumors of wars – Mark 13:7

No man is a prophet in his own town – Mark 6:1-6

Head on a Platter – Mark 6:25

United we stand, divided we fall – Matthew 12:25

The Blind Leading the Blind – Matthew 15:13-14

Flesh and blood – Matthew 16:17

A little bird told me – Matthew 16:23

Stumbling Block – Matthew 16:23

Red sky at morning – Matthew 16:3

Signs of the times – Matthew 16:3

Faith will move mountains – Matthew 21:21

Many are called, but few are chosen – Matthew 22:14

All things must pass – Matthew 24:6-8

He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword – Matthew 26:52

Wash your hands of the matter – Matthew 27:24

Salt of the earth – Matthew 5:13

Turn the Other Cheek – Matthew 5:39 and Luke 6:29

Going the extra mile – Matthew 5:41

Blessed are the peacemakers – Matthew 5:9

No man can serve two masters – Matthew 6:24

Sufficient unto the day – Matthew 6:34

A wolf in sheep’s clothing – Matthew 7:1

Straight and narrow – Matthew 7:14

Don’t cast your pearls before swine – Matthew 7:6

Seek and Ye Shall Find – Matthew 7:7

Spare the rod, spoil the child – Proverbs 13:24

A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult – Prov. 12:16

Gentle answer turns away wrath – Proverbs 15:1 1

Every day is miserable for the depressed, but a lighthearted man has a continual feast Proverbs 15:15

Pride goes before a fall – Proverbs 16:18

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. – Proverbs 17: 22

Listen to advice and accept correction, then in the end you will be wise. – Proverbs 19:20

Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old he will not depart from it. – Proverbs 22: 6

Where there is no vision, the people perish. – Proverbs 29:18

A two-edged sword – Proverbs 5:4

Wisdom is better than rubies. – Proverbs 8:11

At my wit’s end – Psalm 107:27

Bite the Dust – Psalm 72

Out of the mouths of babes – Psalm 8:2

Heart’s desire – Psalms 21:2

My cup runneth over – Psalms 23:5

Tender mercies – Psalms 25:6

A broken heart – Psalms 34:18

From strength to strength – Psalms 84:7

Powers that Be – Romans 13:2

A law unto themselves – Romans 2:14

The wages of sin is death – Romans 6:23

To the ends of the earth – Zechariah 9:10

A few more my friend says he hasn’t gotten to yet:

Good Samaritan
nest of vipers
Weighed in the balances and found wanting
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
No rest for the wicked
Refused to give up the ghost
You can’t put words in my mouth
To set one’s teeth on edge
Fallen from Grace
As old as Methuselah
Sold his Birthright
A land flowing with Milk and Honey

A couple of sources:
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bible-phrases-sayings.html
http://home.snu.edu/~HCULBERT/famous.htm
http://www.squidoo.com/everyday-sayings-that-come-from-the-bible

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Mission Trip to Amsterdam

Posted on September 15, 2011 by mikewindley

“Why Amsterdam?” is probably the most often asked question we get about why we are targeting that community for a mission trip.  The assumption behind that question is that there are other places that need to hear about God’s love more than Holland.  The question and the assumption are understandable.  Going to places like Brazil, or Africa, or third world environments are the default locations for mission trips that target poor and needy communities with a lot of physical needs (ie, clean water, jobs, poverty, disease, etc.).  So why Amsterdam?  It is true that Holland has a history rich with Christian tradition.  It’s famous for stories like Anne Frank and Corrie Ten Boom.  But the reality is that whatever Christian history there was in Holland in times past, it seems to be truly history.  Holland appears to be a “post-Christian” country.  Faith is not dead in Holland, but having been on one previous trip to Holland, there is obviously a great need to reintroduce the good news about God’s love displayed through Christ. Continue reading →

Posted in Helping Others, Making Sense of Faith, Missions | Leave a comment

40-Day Prayer Challenge

Posted on August 4, 2011 by mikewindley

This past Sunday, we began our current message series, “Vertical – Talking to God.”  We are going to spend six weeks learning about prayer and how we can grow our faith by relating to God through prayer.  If you missed the first message, click here to listen to or view the message.  As a part of this new series, we are entering a 40-Day Prayer Challenge.  By way of reminder, the 40-Day Prayer Challenge was 3-fold:

  1. Be at each Sunday service to hear the messages in our “Vertical – Talking to God” prayer series (or listen online)
  2. Set aside at least 10 minutes each day for a CHAT with God
  3. Pray and ask God to do something in our church and community that only He could do.

One of the challenges of completing the Prayer Challenge is that your progress may be a little hard to track.  Unlike the New Testament Challenge earlier in the year, you don’t have any kind of a bookmark that can tell you if you’re keeping up or lagging behind.  I would encourage you to have a lot of grace with yourself in this challenge.  Do your best to pray each day.  If you miss a day, don’t sweat it.  Don’t beat yourself up.  God isn’t going to condemn you.  He just wants you.  He wants you to connect with Him and grow deeper.  So, if you “get behind”, just jump back into it when you realize your off track.

Also, I wanted to remind you of the CHAT prayer guide I briefly went over with you on Sunday.  It’s a great prayer starter for those who don’t feel like they know “how” to pray, and it’s also a good guide for the more seasoned prayer warrior. Here it is:

C – Confession: Spend some time confessing your sin, expressing your need for God’s forgiveness, asking for and RECEIVING that forgiveness

H – Honor: Spend some time reflecting back to God the honor He is due. For example, “God you are holy. You are perfect. You are so loving.  You are amazing.  You are a God of justice, but also of grace.” Statements like these are acts of honor/worship back to God.

A – Ask: This is “request” time.  Pray for your needs.  Pray for others.  Your family.  Your work.  Your country.  Your community.  Your church.  Pray and ask God about whatever.  He delights in hearing our requests.

T – Thanks: Take some time to thank God for the blessings in your life.  Thank him for answers to your prayers.  Thank him, in advance, for the prayers that He will be answering.

So keep on praying.  Approach God with confidence, knowing that Jesus’ death and resurrection has opened the way for us to come to God.  God loves us more than we know.  Spend that time seeking him and enjoy being His child.  God honors prayer.  I look forward to seeing and hearing what God does in and through us the next 40 days!

Posted in Making Sense of Faith, Prayer, Sermons | 1 Comment