Thursday, July 29, 2010
Check out 700 Club Interactive – July 28, 2010 - CBN TV - Video
When you have a chance, watch this; it can be our "Thought for the Day." And of course, fodder for future discussions. I should mention, in regards to the link I sent, that you can skip to somewhere around the 18:30 minute mark in the show (the first part of the show practically made my head explode, for reasons I can explain at another time).
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sunday (7/25/10) sermon: Next steps
Greetings, all.
First, let me say how happy I am to begin my sixth year as pastor of Memorial AME Zion Church. Thank you to the Pastor's Aid for the very nice welcome reception after worship on Sunday, and to all the members for the kind and heartfelt expressions of welcome as we begin the best year ever at the best church in Rochester!
Now...let's talk about Sunday's sermon - and the "next steps" for us as we journey on in faith.
The text was from Hosea 1; the subject was "I Can't Stop Loving You" (thanks, Ray Charles). What did the Spirit say to you as a result of the sermon?
1. Do you find yourself outraged by injustice in the world? If so, what do you do about it? Or who do you expect to do something about it if you do not?
2. Is Hosea's description in 1:2 that "the whole country has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to God" a fitting description, or is it too much, too strong?
3. Do you agree with the observation from the commentary that "seldom does prosperity lead to behavior that pleases God?"
4. What does Hosea discover in his relationship with his wife when she is unfaithful? What have we discovered in our relationship with God in times of our unfaithfulness?
5. If, as we assert, that God "is not all powerful" (i.e., God cannot make us or force us to love him), what responsibility (or as Stephen Covey puts it, "response-ability") do we have in this relationship?
First, let me say how happy I am to begin my sixth year as pastor of Memorial AME Zion Church. Thank you to the Pastor's Aid for the very nice welcome reception after worship on Sunday, and to all the members for the kind and heartfelt expressions of welcome as we begin the best year ever at the best church in Rochester!
Now...let's talk about Sunday's sermon - and the "next steps" for us as we journey on in faith.
The text was from Hosea 1; the subject was "I Can't Stop Loving You" (thanks, Ray Charles). What did the Spirit say to you as a result of the sermon?
1. Do you find yourself outraged by injustice in the world? If so, what do you do about it? Or who do you expect to do something about it if you do not?
2. Is Hosea's description in 1:2 that "the whole country has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to God" a fitting description, or is it too much, too strong?
3. Do you agree with the observation from the commentary that "seldom does prosperity lead to behavior that pleases God?"
4. What does Hosea discover in his relationship with his wife when she is unfaithful? What have we discovered in our relationship with God in times of our unfaithfulness?
5. If, as we assert, that God "is not all powerful" (i.e., God cannot make us or force us to love him), what responsibility (or as Stephen Covey puts it, "response-ability") do we have in this relationship?
Thursday, July 8, 2010
A thought for the day
"God's grace turns out men and women with a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ."Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Sunday's sermon: Next steps
Good morning,
Sunday's sermon text was from Galatians 6:9: “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.” The sermon title was, "A Word for the Weary."
I encourage you to reflect on the sermon and think today about your "next steps" and what you will do as a result of hearing the sermon as you continue on your faith journey.
1. Dr. G. Ray Coleman stated, "You have to search high and low to find a congregation with real joy." Are you a person with "real joy?"
2. Are there areas of your life or ministry where you notice you have grown "weary?"
3. Do you see opportunities for God to use you to restore a fallen brother or sister as Paul suggests a mature believer should do in Galatians 6:1-2?
4. Read Galatians 6:7. What is your attitude or response when dealing with ungrateful people? Does this attitude reveal your true agenda for what you do?
5. What is the "seed" that God has given you to sow? Can you be patient and wait for your harvest? Remember, "we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).
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