Movie Night!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Please join us on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at 7 pm for a fun-filled movie night.  We will be watching the movie "Conversations With God", an inspiring film about finding success in the presence of God.  It's actually a bit like the life of Andy Andrews, the author of The Noticer, which is why I wanted the church family to witness how God can meet any of us where we are.  At our last meeting, we had a discussion of what each person envisioned success to be.  This movie answers this question very effectively -- and in such an uplifting way.

Come and be prepared to be blessed.  Bring something to snack on that you can share with someone else.  Bring a pillow and/or a blanket, or come with nothing at all.  We just want you to be 100% comfortable as we fellowship with one another.  I'll be getting back to you on whether child care will be available that night, so stay connected.

Be blessed, and don't forget to have "Conversations with God" of your own...

The Noticer Chapter 4

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Again, I continue to be amazed at how the old man Jones just happens to be in exactly the right spot at the right time in this book.  In this chapter, he manages to take a nap just within eyesight of Walker Miles, another young man at a crisis point in his life.  I guess the author is sending us a message that help is always there in the person of the Holy Spirit or even another saint when we need it the most, because once again Jones manages to make Walker think he's offering the old man a ride, when in fact this is an appointed meeting that will change Walker's life forever.

The issue raised in this chapter is a common one: the fact that many of us carry unnecessary burdens of failure because of something our parent(s) may have done or failed to do.  It's interesting to note that no matter how often we tell ourselves we will NEVER be like that parent, we find ourselves following in that pattern anyway.  In another book by a lady named Ana Mendez, entitled Iniquity,  we cannot break away from these generational ties due to satan's twisted scheme to keep us bound and walking in defeat.  In order to be completely free, we must go to the root of the failure (habit or pattern that keeps showing up as fruit in our lives no matter how often we pray about it), call it out, repent on behalf of ourselves and our ancestors, and then ask the Father to uproot it from our family tree.  For some, depending on how deep the roots go, a process of deliverance may need to take place.

Sounds far out?  Then you may want to do some soul-searching about some of the areas in your life in which you can't seem to grow or see any spiritual success.  If possible, find out from your older relatives just how many of your family members on either side of you did that same thing.  Then begin to ask God to uproot it so that it can no longer keep destroying your efforts to walk in freedom in every area.

I'll be looking forward to reading your own thoughts on this subject soon!   

The Noticer Chapter 3

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

I don't know about you guys who read this book, but I absolutely LOVED the way the old man Jones uses certain animals to characterize each love language.  A cat exemplifies physical touch -- they feel and express love towards their owners this way.  The love language of quality time is represented by the canary.  He actually stated the fact that if a canary is ignored, it will eventually die.  Did anyone out there know that?  I sure didn't.  I guess as people get older, they become like canaries no matter what their love language used to be when they were younger.  What I mean is they just want someone -- anyone-- to spend time with them.  If there's no-one to do that, they eventually pass away from simple neglect.  No wonder why older people in a retirement home just light up when someone comes to visit them.  What about the older people on our street who live alone?  How much of a blessing could we be to them by just stopping by to say hello every now and then?

Then there's the puppy dog, who is the example of the person who thrives on spoken words of approval.  A dog's world is perfect when he is being praised, and crushed when he hears disapproval from his master.  And isn't that just the way it works with our children?  At a very early age, they learn to look forward to our words of praise, and simply shrink into themselves when we express dissatisfaction in a most negative manner.  If we just took the time to think about how we should interact with them rather than react to the things they do, maybe our relationships with our children might grow stronger as they get older.

The goldfish represents our folks who simply want favors and deeds as a token of our love towards them.  I may be wrong about this, but it seems as if most women  (myself included) love it when our spouse and children do things for us: pick up after themselves, wash the dishes so we don't have to, or keep the car clean and serviced.  I wouldn't be surprised if disagreeable moments and spats decreased considerably due to more deeds and services being performed for moms and wives everywhere this week IN ADDITON TO the candy and flowers (NO HINT INTENDED, PASTOR CHRIS -- LOL).

Add your comments to mine...    

The Noticer Chapter 2

Monday, February 8, 2010

Even if you haven't read chapter 2 of the book yet, many of us have read about or heard of love gone bad.  The couple in this book don't hate each other; they actually claim to still love one another, but can't seem to feel the other's love.  If only we could truly understand that love isn't about how much the other person can give to us, but how much we committed ourselves to giving no matter what the other person does or does not do.   
After having said that, I am in total agreement with Andy Andrews that it is important to know each other's love language so that we can effectively communicate and fill each other's love bank on a daily basis.  We also need to understand that the love language we speak may not be the same as our spouse's, but we expect the other person to communicate that way just the same.  Four basic types of love languages are words of affirmation (spoken words of approval), acts of service (favors and deeds), physical touch,  and quality time. 
Which one are you?  How do you think knowing which love language you speak may influence how you relate to the one you love?  I'll be waiting to hear from you all...

Chapter 1

Sunday, February 7, 2010

How many of you have had the chance to read chapter 1 of the book The Noticer? Good for you. Even if you haven't, here is some food for thought. What is it about yourself that you know others would change about you if they could? In other words, what causes you to stop short of God's glory? Do you think that disqualifies you from being and doing everything that He wants you to be and do?

What about the problems you have had or are having right now? If you're like me, it's easy to think our dreams are far from being realized due to all the issues and pitstops. But according to Jones in this book (who by the way represents Christ), it may only look like barren sand, but it has the seed or promise of fertile ground in it. In other words, it's your valley experience that gives you the chance to hope and look for something better -- to grow, actually.

So if you're at a place of failure today, and all around you looks like barren sand, be encouraged. Learn. Dream. Believe. PREPARE for rain like Noah did, when all he saw around him was dry ground. Just because it's never been done before doesn't mean it can't be done by you. Remember: "all things are POSSIBLE to those who believe" (Mark 9:23). Respond to this blog with comments and praise reports of your own...