Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Devils Beatitudes

If the devil were to write his beatitudes, they would probably go something like this:

Blessed are those who are too tired, too busy, too distracted to spend an hour once a week with their fellow Christians -- they are my best workers.

Blessed are those Christians who wait to be asked and expect to be thanked -- I can use them.

Blessed are those who seek worldly pleasures instead of seeking the will of God -- they are my missionaries.

Blessed are the trouble makers -- they shall be called my children.

Blessed are those who murmur and complain and have no joy they really make my work easy.

Blessed are those who are focused on the minister's mannerisms and mistakes -- for they get nothing out of his sermons.

Blessed is the church member who expects to be invited to his own church -- for he is a part of the problem instead of the solution.

Blessed are those who gossip -- for they shall cause strife and divisions that please me.

Blessed are those who are easily offended -- for they will soon get angry and quit.

Blessed are those who do not give their tithes or offering to carry on God's work but will spend it selfishly on themselves -- for they are MY helpers.

Blessed is he who professes to love God but hates his brother and sister -- for he shall be with me forever.

Matt Redman Heart of Worship with artist

Very sad story

Slain Pastor’s Church Says ‘God Is Not Surprised’
Adrienne S. Gaines

March 9, 2009 -- An Illinois pastor was killed Sunday when a gunman entered the church and opened fire during the first of three morning worship services.
The Rev. Fred Winters, pastor of First Baptist Church of Maryville, deflected the first of four bullets with his Bible, causing pages to fly "like confetti," witnesses told the Associated Press. After four shots, the man's .45-caliber handgun jammed, and he stabbed himself with a knife and injured two other church members when they tackled the man. One remains hospitalized, while the other has been treated and released.
The gunman, identified by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as 27-year-old Terry Joe Sedlacek from Troy, Ill., is hospitalized and in police custody. In a previous Post-Dispatch report, Sedlacek claimed to have lyme disease, which he said was a cause of his mental illness.
Church members said they did not recognize the gunman.
Winters, 45, became senior pastor of First Baptist Church in 1987. Since then the church has grown from 32 members to more than 1,200. Winters was also an adjunct professor at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a past president of the Illinois Baptist State Association. Winters is survived by his wife, Cindy, and their two daughters.
The Baptist association's current executive director, Nate Adams, said Winters was "a wonderful, gifted, leading pastor in Illinois, and a dear friend.
"Our great God is not surprised by this, or anything. That He allows evil and free will to have their way in tragedies like this is a mystery in many ways," Adams said in a statement Sunday. "But we know we can trust Him no matter what, and draw close to Him in any circumstances. Let's draw closer to Him and to one another during this terrible tragedy, and renew our faith and obedience to His purposes for however many days we have remaining to serve Him."
Leaders at First Baptist asked those "who believe in the power of prayer" to intercede for the congregation as they cope with the loss of their pastor.
"In this day, where uncertainty seems to abound creating an environment in which people are vulnerable in doing things they might not do otherwise, one thing is certain, we, as human beings need a foundation upon which we can live our lives," worship pastor Mark Jones said. "We at First Baptist Maryville, along with other Christian believers, share this conviction: that foundation is God's Word. In the pages of the Book we call the Bible, we find the pathway for peace, hope, and a quality of living life despite what circumstances we find ourselves in.
"To those who believe in the power of prayer, we covet your prayers right now."

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Trust

Proverbs 3:5 and 6 (New King James Version)

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Remember who you are

Then from on High, Somewhere in the distance
There is a voice that calls, Remember who you are
If you lose yourself, your courage will soon follow
So be strong tonight, Remember who you are!!

From Sound The Bugle
Gavin Greenaway and Trevor Horn

Monday, March 2, 2009

Awesome quote from Nelson Mandela

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant gorgeous talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us... And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Nelson Mandela