1) The Kingdom and the Holy Spirit: Since the Kingdom flows out from the Spirit, we embrace the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12 ) in the present day ministry of the church.
2) The Present Dimensions of The Kingdom: The Kingdom, covenantally restored in the Christ-event, is increasingly being experienced in history here on earth.
3) The Kingdom and Future Generations: We believe in raising up the generations to come and we believe there is a hopeful future for the people of God prior to the final resurrection.
4) The Kingdom and Eschatology: While we recognize millennial views have never been a test for orthodoxy, we believe that our King is in the process of subduing all His enemies.
1 Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
NIV
Is it possible that you have read this Psalm as an encouragement to praise when it’s actually a command to praise?
You see if it’s simply an encouragement to praise, then I would have the choice to praise or not to praise. In other words, choosing not to praise would notbe an issue of disobedience or rebellion, but rather a simple choice of the will based on whether we feel like it or not.
If it’s a command to praise and I choose not to then it is an issue of disobedience or rebellion.
Disobedience if I fail to obey out of ignorance. Disobedience if I really want to obey but struggle to obey. Rebellion if it’s something we know that we should be doing, but defiantly refuse to obey.
So is it an encouragement or is it a command?
The Hebrew word translated as “praise,” in this one Psalm a total of 13 times, is the word halal (haw-lal'), which means “to be clear, both in sound and color.” It means, “to shine”, “to make a show”, “to boast”, “to be foolish”, “to rave”, “to celebrate,” and to “sing praise”.
Looking at the meaning of this word and how it’s translated is not enough to figure out if it’s an encouragement or a command.
You have to go a step further to see how the word is used. Fortunately I tools to help me do this with ease.
The fact is this Hebrew verb is written in the IMPERATIVE, which makes it quite clear that it’s a “direct command demanding an immediate response.”
When I say the words “praise and worship”, you may wrongly conclude that I’m talking about fast and slow songs.
Reality is praise and worship has little to do with the songs we sing.
Worship in simple terms is how we esteem God. It’s the attitude of adoration in our heart toward God. Reality is that you can worship God without ever opening your mouth or making a sound.
Praise is the outward articulation, via sound and color, of the inward attitude of adoration of the heart toward God. Biblical praise is all about what God sees and hears.
So please don’t confuse praise with the fast songs we sing. It is much more than that.
Wherever the Bible commands us to “PRAISE” Him, it’s calling us to express the adoration of our heart toward God. Whereas true worship can take place in complete silence, Biblical praise NEVER does.
Here are five things worth writing down if you are taking notes:
Praise in itself has no power.
The power of praise stems from the object of our praise.
The true power of praise cannot be fully realized unless the object of our praise is the one true God.
True praise must flow outward from an inward heart of true adoration.
True praise releases the breaker anointing of God to break open or break through the way before us.
A great example of this is Elijah’s confrontation with the 450 prophets of Baal.
19 Now summon the people from all over Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."
20 So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.
21 Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing.
22 Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only one of the Lord's prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.
23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it.
24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire — he is God." Then all the people said, "What you say is good."
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire."
26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it.
Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!" they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.
27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. "Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened."
28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.
29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.
30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins.
31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel."
32 With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
33 He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood."
34 "Do it again," he said, and they did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the third time.
35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench.
36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.
37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again."
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The Lord-he is God! The Lord-he is God!"
NIV
Some things worth noting:
The praise of the 450 prophets of Baal was powerless.
Their praise was powerless, because the object of their praise was powerless.
No matter how pure their devotion to Baal, Baal is a false god, a creation of their own imagination.
The outward acts of inner adoration mean nothing if the object of our adoration is a god of our own imagination.
Elijah’s inner adoration and devotion to the one true God required him to take action.
Elijah rebuilt the altar of the LORD that had been lying there in ruins.
Elijah knew that it was about restoring God’s honor.
It was about turning the hearts of God’s people away from idols back to pure devotion to only true living God.
Elijah’s praise had nothing to do with singing songs to the LORD.
All of Elijah’s outward acts of praise were not to show the world how powerful a man of God he was, but to show the world how powerful and awesome is the LORD our God.
In the end the heavens opened up and fire fell from God’s throne broke through from the realm of heaven into this earthly realm.
A simple courageous act of praise that flowed from a pure heart of inner adoration made it possible for the power of God to be manifested among the sons of man.
Psalm 22:3 makes it clear that God is enthroned in the praises of His people.
To here the full audio sermon preached on September 26, 2010 visit our Audio Sermon Archive under the Resources tab.
We want to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU for your generous support of The Church On Fire. It will be used to build and extend God's Kingdom upon the earth.
We want to take the opportunity to say THANK YOU for your generous support of The Breaker Company. It will be used to build and extend God's Kingdom upon the earth.
As we look to send out Pastor Dale, Lori and their children apostolically to follow God's leading, I can't help but treasure the 6+ years they have been with us and their faithfulness to serve. They have been true friends to Joanne and I and as long as I am here to serve as Senior Pastor they will always be friends to The Church On Fire. In reality they are more like family!
One thing that is noteworthy is the heart of both Dale and Lori to want to make this transition right, before God and man. The truth of the matter is, all too often people pick up and leave with little thought about how they leave or the timing of it all. God cares about the people you leave behind as well as the church you transition to. I can say with complete openness that both Dale and Lori were open to the counsel of our leadership team concerning the timing and the process. We are very pleased with their heart to do it right.
On April 11, 2010, we will be sending out Dale and Lori, apostolically commissioningthem to follow the God's leading to impact the Centreville area for the Glory of God! Please note that they are not pulling out, nor are they ripping themselves out, like we've seen so many do over the years out of ignorance to how the Holy Spirit leads. Our leadership team has recognized the pattern in their lives is to strengthen the Body of Christ wherever they go. We therefore will be sending them out as apostolic leaders from The Church On Fire. The door will always open for them to come and share their heart with us.
Thank you Dale and Lori for doing it right and for the great example you have been for the Body to follow! We love you all so very much and will miss you truly! I thank the LORD for you all and look forward to the times when you will be visiting in the future.
You may want to print up a copy of these directions to have available somewhere in the sound booth. Please let me know if you need further clarification with any of the steps outlined below.
1. Save the .MP3 audio file using the format yymmdd_SpeakersName_SermonTitle.mp3 being sure that there are no spaces. Write the title down on a piece of papaer EXACTLY as you saved it to be used in Step 17 below.
2. Upload the .MP3 sermon audio file using Filezilla to the www/audio_sermons folder. While the audio file is in the process of being uploaded you can proceed on to Step3.
7. Add title. If the message is part of a series please use all caps for the title.
8. If the message is part of a series please add a subtle using the following format: 'Sub-title: The Subtitle of the Message'. If not part of a series leave as 'Sub-title:'.
9. Select a teacher. If the appropriate name is not visible, select 'Special Speaker'.
10. Select a series. If appropriate series is not listed, select 'NEW Sermon Series'.
11. Selet a topic. If appropriate topic is not listed, select 'General'.
12. Click 'Save & Enter Media Information'.
13. For 'Published' select YES.
14. Again select the date the message was preached.
15. For 'Server' select 'thechurchonfire.us' ONLY if the file has been uploaded or in the process of being upload via Filezilla.
16. For 'Path or Folder' select '/audio-sermons/' ONLY if the file has been uploaded or in the process of being upload via Filezilla.
17. For 'Filename' enter the EXACT name of the file in step one: yymmdd_SpeakersName_SermonTitle.mp3
18. For 'Or Upload File' you can browse to the audio file and upload it without having to use Filezilla. Use this option ONLY if having problems with Filezilla!
19. Click 'Save'.
20. Please check the Audio Sermon Archive to make sure the audio file loads and plays properly. If it doesn't, you probably made a mistake retyping the filename in Step 17. If this is the case it will need to be corrected on the backend by me, so please let me know ASAP. If everything checks out okay your done!
PLEASE NOTE: If a NEW teacher, series or topic needs to be added please let me know. It must be done from the backend.
“There is one Body and one Spirit...there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all...” Ephesians 4:4-6
• In non-essential beliefs — we have liberty.
“Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters... Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls... So then each of us will give an account of himself to God... So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” Romans 14:1-22
• In all our beliefs — we show charity.
“...If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith that can move mountains — but have no love, I amount to nothing at all.” 1 Corinthians 13:2
The Essentials We Believe
1. ABOUT GOD
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. Our God is ONE God. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
Jesus Christ is our Immanuel (God with us) and our promised Messiah. He is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary and lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again someday to earth to reign as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift(s) when they are saved. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit as on the day of Pentecost and subsequent fresh fillings are necessary to live a life empowered by the Spirit. All the spiritual gifts named in the Bible are still active today and as Christians, we seek to live under His control daily.
The Bible is God’s only infallible, inspired and authoritative Word to us. Human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit, wrote it. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because God inspired it, it is the truth without any mixture of error.
People are made in the image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God’s creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life.
Salvation is God’s free gift to us but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s perfect atonement for sin can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. We are all called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are lost as the LORD enables and leads.
Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant commitment for a lifetime and is a sacred institution established by God. All acts of adultery, fornication, incest, homosexuality and other perverse sexual relationships or practices are forbidden in Scripture.
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation given only to who believe in Jesus Christ. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are literal places of eternal existence.
The Church On Fire is a transgenerational, on-fire, Holy Spirit filled, spiritually maturing, culturally and racially diverse assembly of Kingdom minded believers. We deliberately seek to move with passion, power, purpose, conviction and biblical unity as we express the Father’s unconditional love to the people of Easton and its surrounding areas. We endeavor to be a major force in our communities, equipped and empowered, to bring the Kingdom culture to every one of the 7 Mountains of Influence: Government, Education, Family, Media, Business, Arts & Entertainment, and Religion. We take great joy in ministering reconciliation, healing and deliverance, through the life changing message of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
This is a brand new feature for our new website launch! You now have the ability to blog right her throughThe ChurchOn Fire website. HowCOOL is that? Thisfeature isnow possible becasuse of an AWESOME componentcalled...
Among the features currently implemented are:
Member's Blog! Frontpage view
Browse blogs by keyword, blogger, or tags
Simple and easy view of all blog entries / my blog entries
Pastor John, Joanne and their family moved from central New York down to the Eastern Shore in October of 2002. They have been faithfully serving the LORD since John's conversion back in June of 1987. They have six awesome kids: Jessica (17), Jesse (16), Janella (14), Jeshua (11), Jilleanne (7) and Jared (3). They also have a dog named Jed and a bird named JoJo. When asked if they would like more kids, believe it or not, the answer is "Yes...LORD willing!" John is a great husband and father and an all around family guy. He loves hunting and fishing, reading a good book, writing praise & worship songs, building websites, crunching code and action packed movies. Joanne homeschools all six of their kids and is a great mother and loving wife and a great model for young mothers to follow.
John has served the Body of Christ in many different capacities over the years: Sunday School Superintendent, Teacher, Deacon, Elder, Worship Leader, Youth Leader, Guitarist, Keyboardist, Vocalist, Bass Guitarist, Carpenter, Plumber, Electrician, Website Designer, Counsellor, Toilet Scrubber, oh, and of course Pastor. You name it He's probably done it! If not, he's not afraid to get his hands dirty and learn something new. That's just the kind of guy he is.
Okay, we know it sounds weird. And by now, there's no doubt that you've already asked yourself, "What do they mean by, 'Don't Come Here!', aren't churches supposed to accept everyone?"
Let us explain!
The fact is, our number one goal is to help people like you find a life changing encounter with Jesus Christ and then to help them grow in that relationship. The day we as a church fail to actively pursue this purpose is the day we need to either close our doors, or change our name from 'The Church On Fire' to 'The Church Of The Lukewarm.'
The fact is many believe that the church, as a whole, has been stuck in a rut of 'tradition'. Though the message of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the principles for life found in the Word of God should never change, the methods of delivering the message should. Therefore, we believe there are times when it's necessary to change our methods in order to remain relevant and keep our edge. That's why we are confident that our church is not a church for everyone, because some people quite simply are looking for a more traditional kind of church. If that includes you we say, "God bless you!", but that's not who we are as a body and we feel it's best to be upfront with you, so that you can make an informed decision.
Hey, if you're looking for a church that starts promptly at 10:00 AM and ends promptly at 12:00 PM, we're okay with that, but we definitely aren't the church for you. If you are looking for a church that plays songs that are decades or even centuries old on a regular basis, then we definitely aren't the church for you. If you are looking for a church where the preacher puts you to sleep, so that you can catch up on some well deserved rest, then we definitely aren't the church for you. If you are looking for a church where the messages have no relevant meaning to your life, then we definitely aren't the church for you.
If you are looking for a church where you have to dress up in order to fit in, then we definitely aren't the church for you. If you are looking for a church that could care less about the problems you face in this life, then we definately aren't the church for you. If you are looking for the 'PERFECT CHURCH', then, you guessed it...we definitely aren't the church for you. On the other hand, if you're looking for a radical, family oriented, non-traditional church where the worship ROCKS and the messages are relevant to your life, then maybe WE ARE the church for you. If you're looking for a church where the people care more about a fresh encounter with the LORD than they do what time the service ends, then maybe WE ARE the church for you. If you are looking for a church where you will be loved no matter who you are, where you've been, or what you've done, then maybe WE ARE the church for you. If you a looking for a church that's serious about passionately pursuing God and developing friendships that last a lifetime, then maybe WE ARE the church for you. If you are looking for a church where you a free to: laugh, dance, shout, cry, kneel, jump, clap, twirl, run, play, serve, give, grow and risk, then, you guessed it...
...maybe WE ARE the church for you!!!
There's only one way to know for sure if we are the church for you. Why not pay us a visit? What have you got to lose? A better question to ask is...what do you stand to gain? We meet every Sunday at 10:00 AM and are located at 7847 Ocean Gateway (Rt. 50 West), Easton, Maryland 21601 next door to Economy Printing.
Okay, we know it sounds weird. And by now, there's no doubt that you've already asked yourself, "What do they mean by, 'Don't Come Here!', aren't churches supposed to accept everyone?"
We upload our audio sermons weekly for your convienience. Are you looking to hear a message you missed? No problem! Are you looking to check out the relevency of our preaching? Go for it! Are you looking for some answers concerning a subject matter we've taught on? We pray our messages help. Whatever your reason, we hope our Sermon Audio Archive challenges you in your faith and builds you up in Christ.
Elim Bible Institute is a college in Lima, New York, offering one-year, two-year, and three-year certificate and diploma programs intended to prepare Christian leaders and workers for service, both in ministry and the workforce. Among Bible schools with Charismatic emphasis, Elim has an international reputation for excellence.
We live in a day of a much needed REFORMATION in order to transform our culture in any lasting way. For the last few decades the church as a whole has disengaged from the cultural battle that is quickly shaping our nation into a morally bankrupt society. If this is to change we as the Church must rise to the occasion and engage the battle.
We believe the 7 Mountain Strategy is a divine strategy that can and will work to extend the Kingdom of God. We've never seen a strategy gain so much momentum so quickly. Let your Kingdom come, oh God!
1 These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan
2 (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience):
3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo a Hamath.
4 They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord's commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.NIV
Is it possible that you have a thorn in your side that the LORD has allowed to teach you something about obedience and warfare? In retrospect, some of the hardest lessons my life taught me these very things. There are some battles that will never be won until you yourself engagein the battle. For a time others can battle for you with some success, but if it's a battle your called to engage they could end up spiritually exhausting themselves on your behalf. Is this right?
Imagine yourself as a warrior fully armed for battle standing in the middle of a field where a battle is raging on. Now imagine that your are completelyclueless to the battle, yet the battle is real and other soldiers around you are trying to open your eyes so that you will fight. Others around you are literally fighting on your behalf and taking severe hits, because you are just standing there totally disengaged.
Listen, it's time to engage the battle. The fact is the battle is real!
Caleb, a recent transfer to Patrick Henry College, teams up with Rachel to lead the college to the National Moot Court Championship. Along the way, he is caught in a moral tug-of-war between his parents—a newly Christian father, and a feminist Supreme Court attorney mother. As the PHC moot court team and the U.S. Supreme Court simultaneously grapple with legal cases involving abortion, Caleb clashes with his mother and his own conscience over difficult issues of truth and compromise in the intense world of collegiate moot court.
I received a regular email newsleter from the AFA today and the video below was featured. Our blog seemed like a good place to post it. I pray that if you battle pornography addicition that the LORD uses this video to bring you to a place of freedom and obedience. I would recommend every parent and leader watch this video to get informed on how much this crud is impacting our society.
We pray that you have a blessed Christmas as you join together with us and other Christians all over the world to celebrate the birth of our Savior. We have a lot to be thankful for, but we should especially be thankful that our Heavenly Father sent His Son to save us from our sins, so that we can have relationship with Him. Jesus is the BEST gift ever! Have you received Him?
(Front to back and left to right) Jilleanne (6), Jared (2), Janella (13), Joanne (29+), Jessica, (17), Jesse (15), Jeshua (10), John (40) and Jed (our dog).
My son Jeshua, also known as JJ,fell asleep on our couch after a longhard days worth of work.
What's funny is that our dog, whose nameis Jed, climbed up on the couch, wiggled his head though JJ's legs and ended up in this position comfortably resting snuggled up with him.
I know this is supposed to be a 'FUN' area and full of light hearted stuff, but this woman's testimony is POWERFUL! Her name is Gianna Jessen and she survived a saline abortion. Please leave a comment if it touched your heart like touched mine. Be sure tocheck out both parts one and two.
No, we don't have an attitude problem! 'Who Cares?' was the title of one of the most powerful messages we've ever heard by Adam McCain at Saturate '08. He began by having a bunch of youth act out the 'Parable of the Good Samaritan' in a hilarious and unforgettable way. He then showed us a brief video that completely broke us anddrove usto our knees. People all over the sanctuary began spontaneously crying, weeping and some even wailing. Our hearts were exposed and forever changed. Who cares? WE care...and we are different animals too.
This year we had 12 teens and 3 adults and man was it awesome. Elim is such a dynamic place where God shows up time and time again. In one meeting for the leaders I felt as if my head was being unscrewed and I was being filled up to overflowing. I became a puddle on the floor totally undone before the LORD. This was trulyan unforgettable time of great impartation.
Thanks to all of you who made it possible for us to go by supporting Cross FIRE Youth Ministries. And a special thanks to my friends,Pastor Chris & Kayren Lonneville, for letting us crash at the church and use their showers.
I spent Thursday morning of our vacation with my sons Jesse and Jeshua duck hunting at Randy and Denise's home. If you ever need a good laugh, come and watch a 'city boy' like me trying to act like a 'county boy.' It's making me chuckle just typing this out!
In all fairness I think I'm kidda getting the hang of it. This was my first time duck hunting and I got it with the first shot. I had to rely on some avid hunters to tell me that it was a small wood duck that I shot, because all I knew is that it looked like a duck and quacked like a duck.
It took about an hour to track it down and retrieve it. It sure would have been nice to have a dog trained to fetch. There were a couple of times I thought I was going to sink into the mud past my hip waders. Those who have gotten stuck in the mud almost up to your waist know that it's completely exhausting trying to get out.
My boys enjoyed themselves a lot when it came to retrieving our duck, but especially when it came time to stop at Chance's Country Store on Rt. 331 for a scrapple and egg sandwich and a HUGE piece of coconut creme pie to celebrate. Yummy!!!
One of my favorite re-occuring dreams is that I can fly. I dream that I can fly at least a few times a year ever since I was a young boy and I always wake up totally refreshed. It's amazing! There are times that I also dream that I have the ability to jump hundreds of feet into the air at will and without getting exhausted. That would be pretty cool!!!
Seven years have passed. Can you believe it? Where has the time gone?
For me the month of Septemeber has forever been altered in my mind. September used to bring to mind: cooler days, the end of summer, the beginning of a new school year, but now I can't think of, or even read, the word'September' without thinking of the events ofSeptember 11, 2001.
The Bible says in Palms 90:12...
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
NIV
The fact is our life is but a breath and seldom do people know when the end is near. That why it's important to lives our lives every day to glorify God. As believers we are called to lived holy lives, set apart to serve the LORD all our days. Just like September 11, 2001 your life could be over in but an instant. Are you right with God if your next breath was your last?
Last night my son Jesse was lying down on his sister Jessica's lap watching TV. At one point Jessica started playing with Jesse's hair. Well as you can see Jesse ended up falling asleep, so of course Jessica thought she would be funny and give Jesse a pigtail. When I snapped the picture Jesse woke up, but he didn't know what she did until I showed him the picture. He was a good sport about it and we had a good laugh, just like your laughing now. A lesson learned!
Anyone who knows Joshua Rice knows that he likes swords and so we saw it fitting that he would be knighted for his 18th birthday. No longer is he a 'young' man, but a man in my eyes. Be sure to look for ways to encouraged him to be a 'good soldier of Jesus Christ' (2 Tim 2:3 ), that he would live his life to bring honor to the King of kings.
Of Course it was his birthday and so we had lots of fun to celebrate the occasion. In fact later in the evening Joshua brought out some floaty noodles so that everyone who wanted could engage in a combat in a fun and safe way. It was exhausting and definately got the heart pumping!
A birthday just wouldn't be a birthday, at least in my family, without some cake in the face. Joshua was such a good sport about it all. When it was Jesse's birthday he picked Joshua to smush cake in his face, so Joshua felt that it was only fair that Jesse get a chance to return the favor. BIG MISTAKE!!!! You see Jesse has had lots and lots of oppotunities over the years to perfect his technique. I think the frosting went so deep up Joshua's nose that it tickled his brain. Congratulations Joshua!
Twenty-two people from The Church On Fire attended TheCall D.C. 2008 and it was AWESOME! Somewhere in the neighborhood of 75,000 people showed up for the event.
Clearly the LORD is raising up a generation who will defend His honor and stand for truth. There is hope for this nation if we but humble ourselves, pray and seek His face.
In my family we had a tradition that started when my oldest sister, Carmen, turned 16 years old. What was the tradition? You got a whole cake shoved in the face! YUMMY!!!!
When Joanne and I began having kids we added to the tradition by celebrating every birthday with a piece of cake shoved in the face.For my fortieth birthday that person was our youngest son,Jared, who is two. He was so excited.
Simply said…A DREAM COME TRUE!!! On August 9th, 2008 I had the opportunity to go skydiving for my 40th birthday. It was AWESOME!!! I had lots of people say I was nuts to do it, but I had no fear whatsoever. I am already looking forward to the next time.
Wally had expressed his desire to go skydiving months and months ago for his 50th birthday and thought I might be interested. "YEAH!", was myvery quick reply. It ended up where Wally, Greg and I were going to go. To make aLONG story short,becausethere wasn't enough windboth Wally and Greg couldn't jump. We weredisappointed at the news. They are looking to go sometime later in September or October.
:) I am starting a new fund called "Pastor John's Skydiving Fund." If you would like to give toward this fund please let me know.
As we look to send out Pastor Dale, Lori and their children apostolically to follow God's leading, I can't help but treasure the 6+ years they have been with us and their faithfulness to serve. They have been true friends to Joanne and I and as long as I am here to serve as Senior Pastor they will always be friends to The Church On Fire. In reality they are more like family!
No, we don't have an attitude problem! 'Who Cares?' was the title of one of the most powerful messages we've ever heard by Adam McCain at Saturate '08. He began by having a bunch of youth act out the 'Parable of the Good Samaritan' in a hilarious and unforgettable way. He then showed us a brief video that completely broke us anddrove usto our knees. People all over the sanctuary began spontaneously crying, weeping and some even wailing. Our hearts were exposed and forever changed. Who cares? WE care...and we are different animals too.
This year we had 12 teens and 3 adults and man was it awesome. Elim is such a dynamic place where God shows up time and time again. In one meeting for the leaders I felt as if my head was being unscrewed and I was being filled up to overflowing. I became a puddle on the floor totally undone before the LORD. This was trulyan unforgettable time of great impartation.
One of my favorite re-occuring dreams is that I can fly. I dream that I can fly at least a few times a year ever since I was a young boy and I always wake up totally refreshed. It's amazing! There are times that I also dream that I have the ability to jump hundreds of feet into the air at will and without getting exhausted. That would be pretty cool!!!
Last night my son Jesse was lying down on his sister Jessica's lap watching TV. At one point Jessica started playing with Jesse's hair. Well as you can see Jesse ended up falling asleep, so of course Jessica thought she would be funny and give Jesse a pigtail. When I snapped the picture Jesse woke up, but he didn't know what she did until I showed him the picture. He was a good sport about it and we had a good laugh, just like your laughing now. A lesson learned!
Anyone who knows Joshua Rice knows that he likes swords and so we saw it fitting that he would be knighted for his 18th birthday. No longer is he a 'young' man, but a man in my eyes. Be sure to look for ways to encouraged him to be a 'good soldier of Jesus Christ' (
A birthday just wouldn't be a birthday, at least in my family, without some cake in the face. Joshua was such a good sport about it all. When it was Jesse's birthday he picked Joshua to smush cake in his face, so Joshua felt that it was only fair that Jesse get a chance to return the favor. BIG MISTAKE!!!! You see Jesse has had lots and lots of oppotunities over the years to perfect his technique. I think the frosting went so deep up Joshua's nose that it tickled his brain. Congratulations Joshua!
Twenty-two people from The Church On Fire attended TheCall D.C. 2008 and it was AWESOME! Somewhere in the neighborhood of 75,000 people showed up for the event.
In my family we had a tradition that started when my oldest sister, Carmen, turned 16 years old. What was the tradition? You got a whole cake shoved in the face! YUMMY!!!!
Simply said…A DREAM COME TRUE!!! On August 9th, 2008 I had the opportunity to go skydiving for my 40th birthday. It was AWESOME!!! I had lots of people say I was nuts to do it, but I had no fear whatsoever. I am already looking forward to the next time.