See You In Two Weeks

Over the next couple of weeks I am going to be taking some time off. So, I am going to give the Touching Base a two week break. It will return on Wednesday August 20^th.

Amy and I will be out of town on Sunday August 10^th. It will be great to have our veteran missionary Mark DeNeui with us. Mark and Lisa have done a wonderful work and I know that you will be excited to hear about the next chapter in their life and work.

I will be back on Sunday August 17^th, but I will not be speaking. My friend Mark Pointer, a missionary going to Peru, will be here. I am excited for you to meet Mark and hear about what God has called his family to in Peru.

Sunday August 24^th we will get back to the book of James and we will finish up the series on September 7^th.

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday. We will be in James chapter 4 talking about Facing the Future. It will be a great time together.

Remember

I keep a little journal, mostly to record my diet and exercise routine and how God works in my life. I have done this in the past, but had let it slide and I started again on May 24^th. Yesterday I went back to look at some of the prayer requests that I had recorded and, I don’t know why, but I was amazed at how many of them God had given a definitive answer. There were some in particular that really caused me to pause and praise God. I had given thanks when the answer came down, but by reviewing my journal I was able to worship God again because He has continued to work in those situations. God is so good. He has his fingerprints all over my life.

Sometimes I don’t even realize how much can transpire in just one month. I am kind of a day to day and forward looking guy. Unless I take the time to look back, I forget a lot of what happened. I am focused on today and tomorrow and a month from now. I don’t want to live in the past, but I want to remember all that God has done for me. This is actually a biblical principle. Over and over in the Old Testament God tells the Children of Israel, “Don’t forget the mighty works that I have done on your behalf.” Over and over again they forgot. Over and over again I forget. My little notebook helps me remember.

Let me encourage you to remember what your life was like before Christ. Remember what God has done for you yesterday, last week, this year, and since you accepted Christ. You will remember, like me, that He is worthy of praise.

The Summer Time Blues and God's Goodness

God has been so good to us this summer. Our attendance has been very steady and good and our offerings are very good. This past Sunday we had an excellent attendance and a great time in God's House.
So much for the summer time blues!
God is so good.

Sticks & Stones...

We are learning so much in our study in the book of James.

This past Sunday we learned about managing our mouths...watching our words. Our words are powerful and can be harmful. Ultimately our words simply reveal what is in our hearts.

Harsh words reflect an angry heart.
Negative words reflect a fearful heart.
Too many words reflect an unsettled heart.
Prideful words reflect an insecure heart.
Filthy words reflect an impure heart.
Critical words reflect a bitter heart.
Encouraging words reflect a happy heart.
Gentle words reflect a loving heart.
True words reflect an honest heart.

Ten Things I Think

1. I think that it is definitely the dog days of summer when basketball is over and football camps do not open for another three weeks.

2.I think that our teenagers had a great time at camp last week. You will see and hear about the camp in our service on Sunday July 13^th.

3. I think that baseball is upside down. Both teams from Chicago are in first place and the Tampa Bay (not Devil) Rays have the best record in baseball. They are 5 and 0 against the evil Red Sox. Crazy!

4. I think the book of James is really beating me up. Nobody ever said that following Christ would be easy. This Sunday’s message is Managing Your Mouth.

5. I think that it has already been a hot summer, but aren’t you glad you live on the Westside?

6. I think that movies derived from 70’s television themes is an okay idea. The problem is that in many cases the star of the 70’s show made the show. Get Smart was okay, but Don Adams is Maxwell Smart.

7. I think that I have found a new love and appreciation for what our forefathers endured to see our country established. I caught the series John Adams on HBO and then read the book. I am now reading His Excellency: George Washington. The founders of our country not only lived in a different time…it was a different world! It is very apparent to me that God was at work in the birth and infancy of our nation.

8. I think that we should return to being the God-fearing nation that we once were.

9. I think that what Tiger Woods accomplished at Torrey Pines last month is one of the most amazing feats in sports history. The fact that he was walking around a golf course is amazing in itself. It is going to be a long year for golf without Tiger around.

10. I think that the price of gas is ridiculous. It is as if the oil companies woke up one day and realized what a bargain gas was and said, “We can fix that. Let’s get the price of gas up there with the outrageous price of every thing else.” They have succeeded and in the process driven up the price of everything else. What a deal!