StoryTellers

3-28-10

Jim Mars

Jim’s Introduction:

We did not come into this world with a clear perception about God and His Kingdom – or about our own selves, for that matter. We began with distorted views, and part of our task as Christians is to let God change our views to accurately reflect His character and His Kingdom. In other words, we need wisdom. And the Bible earnestly desires wisdom, understanding for us.

• The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom – Proverbs 9:10
• Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you – Proverbs 4:6
• Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding – Proverbs 4:7
• Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you – Proverbs 4:8
• If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault – James 1:5
• Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold – Proverbs 3: 13-14

But what is this wisdom?: The very mind of Christ; Listen to Paul’s words to the church at Corinth. He as tell them the source of his instruction – 1 Corinthians 2:13-16

1 Corinthians 2:16b – “But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ”

Wisdom therefore is not information imparted, but character learned.

If we pray for wisdom, the direction will become clear.  If we pray for direction, God could answer by giving us information. But if we pray for wisdom, God answers by giving us His own mind.

God’s provision of His mind is often given in advance. It is more than instruction for a way to go; it is training for a way of life. We begin to understand our time, our treasures, and our talents differently.

Think about it, would you prefer to depend on the logic of finite mind tainted with sinful motives? Or on the vast intellectual resource of the Omniscient – the one who knows the fabric of our souls and holds the future in His hands?

If we are to have the mind of Christ you have to:

1. Have Christ; 1 John, these things I have written to you that you may know that you have eternal life – 1 John 5:9-12
2. In order to learn the mind of God, we have to face up to a sobering fact; our own understanding is fundamentally flawed. The human mind is never dependable and it cannot be given free rein to choose its own direction. Why/ because our knowledge is limited and our motive are not pure. That’s why the scripture begs us to:
   1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding – Proverbs 3:5.
   2. Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds – Roman 12:2.
   3. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:6.
3. We have to surrender our will, instincts, ambitions to the Lordship of Christ. It’s not enough to know our minds are flawed. The change is to surrender to the Lordship of Christ.

Jim’s Story (or Jim’s dad’s story):

I could tell you a lot of stories but I want to tell you a story about my dad: I want to tell you the story of my father from a son’s perspective. My goal is for you to see how one man’s commitment to Gods wisdom controlling his life, gave to another the invaluable lesson of what having the mind of Christ looks like. Not that I have it figured out, but I would be satisfied if I could have the mind of both my fathers.

Growing up as a PK

I grew up in a pastor’s home.  It was great!  We had missionaries over all the time and other pastors.  We heard incredible stories.  I saw the collision of human instinct and kingdom values on many occasions.

Church was kind of my play ground.  I remember one time that I was supposed to clean up the communion cups with my friend and we decided that we would just drink all the left over grape juice.  The result wasn’t pretty, I had way to much grape juice.  I remember the first time I sang I was probably about 3 yrs old, they had me standing on this table so that people could see my head sticking up behind my brothers.

My dad was very sensitive to the fact that the pastor’s house was a “glass house.”  It was a glass house in more than one way.  My dad was very concerned about the glass house (people from the congregation watching our life) as a young pastor but he didn’t realize that the real glass house was a little boy that was watching him.  I realized that he was real human being.  There was one Sunday when he was preaching and hit a big point in his message that his pants fell all the way down around his ankles, I was in the front row watching this and could see this around the big pulpit.  He stopped and said, “Let’s pray.”  That got everyone to close their eyes but the choir was behind him at the time and they could see everything!  He human.

For my dad his faith began in the South Pacific in a Foxhole.  He was a Marine and a future tight end for the University of Minnesota but he came to Christ and it changed his life.  After he came home he went off to Northwestern College in St. Paul to go into ministry.  He was married and went into ministry.

4 Characteristics I saw in my dad

Characteristic #1 – Sacrificial Love: Just before my brother’s senior year of High School my dad took a job in Polk City Iowa.  This meant that my all of my brother’s work to get more playing time on the football team for the last three years of high school would be lost.  It was really hard on him and my father made a commitment never to do that again. It just so happened that just before my senior year it was time for my father to leave his church and go to another. Instead, he left the ministry and went to work as a painter. All so he did not scar me and his relationship with me. What causes a man to set aside his own ambitions for his sons? That’s the day I learned what God’s “Sacrificial Love” is.

You know, God honored that.  After that time as a painter God brought Dad back into the ministry at First Federated Church.  By the time he was 60 he was at his most fruitful in ministry.

Characteristic #2 – Unmerited Grace: As a young teenager I committed a stupid sin against my father.  I was so embarrassed I couldn’t confess it to him. Well he found out. And when he came to me…..I couldn’t look him in the eye. This 250 pound, ex-marine pulled me into himself and said “you’re forgiven”. That’s the day I learned what God’s “unmerited Grace” is.

Characteristic #3 – Trust in the Lord: When I was 26 years old man, married with three children, I experienced some nausea and lost my equilibrium playing catch in the street with a friend.  The doctor just thought I was out of shape and had high blood pressure that would be corrected if I got off my butt, did some exercise and started eating better. After 3 weeks of working out and losing 10 pounds, he thought we should do a CAT scan of my brain just to make sure it’s not something else. On a Monday following a Friday scan, he called to tell me: “Jim, you have a mass in your cerebellum. I need you to go home, get packed. I’ll call you in a couple hours with more detail. You’re going to Mayo Clinic tonight for an appointment tomorrow morning. Get home, I call you in a couple hours.”

I went to my friend’s office to tell him what was going on we talked and laughed but on my way out the reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks.  I immediately went to see my dad at his office.  He was in the middle of talking to a couple but when he saw me and knew something was wrong he dismissed them to talk with me.  I told him what was going on and he told me two things. First he said, “This is going to be really hard on your mom.” Second he said, “Let’s pray.”  I hadn’t even thought of that!

The surgery went really well.  The next week I was recovering my dad was visiting with me.  While he was there I heard him in the next room praying with another patient.  He was ministering around the hospital wing while I was recovering. That’s the day when I learned what it meant to “Trust in the Lord”.

Characteristic #4 – Total Surrender to the Lord: I’ll never forget at the end of my dad’s life.  My dad was a diabetic. He didn’t follow the doctor’s orders, he didn’t take care of himself very well.  At the end of his life he was in this intensive care type room, I don’t think it was actually intensive care but it had a lot of windows so that the doctors could see in and keep an eye on the patients.  I was in there with my whole family, and through one of those windows I saw my good friend Magdi Ghali.  I stepped out when I saw him and we talked about what was going on with Dad.  About that time the kidney doctor came over and he and Magdi talked together about my dad’s medical condition.  Madgi told the other doctor that he needed to be more clear with us what was going on.  The doctor came into the room and said “either he goes on dialysis or he dies.”

So we had the doctor ask Dad what he wanted.  He asked him and Dad says, “No, dialysis, I’m done” He was fine, no worries. Everyone is crying but Dad was fine.  Just about that time in comes a priest. Dad couldn’t see him so he asked the priest a few times who he was.  Once he knew that this guy was priest, Dad asks him, “If you die tonight where will you go?” The priest sort of hemmed and hawed but he wouldn’t let him go.

This is what peace looks like from someone totally Surrendered to the Lord.

Conclusion

If you don’t know God, seek him today. All you have is your own instincts and they are flawed.

My father, needs no accolades: I’m not here to praise my father. You have to see where he came from. He was a drinking carousing football player. He sought the Lord and God changed him.  His instincts were changed.  Because of that he can echo what Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7-8

How many of you have kids. One thing that frustrates me is all of the “how to” books for raising kids.  What we really need is to live out the character of Christ. We don’t always have to do it right we need to show the character of Christ. I didn’t say one thing about a sermon my dad preached but instead about how he lived.  We need to remember that our kids are watching how we live.

Where does your wisdom come from?

Proverbs 3:6 says “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Think about it, would you prefer to depend on the logic of finite mind tainted with sinful motives? Or on the vast intellectual resource of the Omniscient – the one who knows the fabric of our souls and holds the future in His hands?

What is the key question for us who desire to have the mind of Christ:  Can God be trusted? I am continuing to learn the answer to this question.  As a young man I said “no”, but as an older man I am beginning to understand the answer is not only yes, but that I can’t trust myself.

In a secular society, depression statistics rise dramatically. Suicide rates soar. Anger, bitterness, and hopelessness are evident in the cultural expression of our times. There is often a missing ingredient in the psyche of modern man that makes him pursue his own foolish instincts – The Love God!

Think about your emotional tendencies. Don’t most of our behavioral problems and psychological flaws come from an insecurity deep within?

Those who have immersed themselves in the immeasurable love of God are wise indeed – and extremely secure. They have no need to envy; no desire for revenge; no reason to fear; no time for pettiness; and no cause for self-promotion.

Having the mind of God means a willingness to live differently.

Human nature tells us to:

• Hide when we’re in trouble. God tells us to cry out to Him.
• Protect ourselves at all cost. God tells us I will supply all your needs.
• Danger is lurking at every step. God tells us no-one can lay a hand on his own.
• Make a name for yourself, that’s success – God says have the mindset of Jesus who became nothing.
• Trust your instincts, watch out for #1 – God says deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.
• Get everything you can – seek me first and you’ll get all the rest.

Psalm 107:43 “Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord”

CrossTrainers

Date: March 31th 2010

Speaker: Mike Swaim

Title: God Built – Chapter 1: Strangely and Slowly; God is Working

The story of Joseph – An overview

This book deals with how men are forged

I’ve studied the life of Joseph up and down over the years but I’ve never spent this much time thinking about Joseph as I have over the last couple of days.

If you are going to be coming over the next few weeks or months you should be reading through Genesis 36-50.

If you read Genesis 36-50 each week through this study you would understand how to move from being a victim to being a victor

2 concepts on typology:

1. When you read the Old Testament you can see different types in scripture that represent different things that we experience or see in Christ. Many people look at Egypt as a type that represents “the world.” God had told Isaac not to go to Egypt when things got tough but instead to stay in the land and wait for God to provide. Keep the understanding that when we read about Egypt we are looking at mans solution for problems.

2. Joseph represents a type of Jesus. We see many things of Jesus in Joseph.

Foundations

We need to look at Luke 6:46-49

Jesus talks about people being on a solid foundation being those who are DOING the sayings of Jesus.

Even though Joseph was doing God’s plans there were still floods that came. He didn’t have sin that was creating these things, it was a flood that God had brought into his life.

From Victim to Victor

How many of you would like to go through what Joseph went through?

He was sold into slavery. He was a stranger in a strange land. He was sent to prison for something he didn’t deserve.

Lets look at Joseph’s life from the end, looking back

How old did he live? 110 years

How old was he when Pharaoh took him out of prison and put him in charge of Egypt? 30

He faced adversity from ages 17 or so to 30.

Sometimes we need to understand that our trails are for a season and are to produce something better.

If Joseph’s grew up in today’s world his story would have been a great episode of Oprah!

He came from a really dysfunctional family.

• Great Grandfather – Abraham: He had a child with his handmaid. Lied to a king to save is own hide, Twice!
• Father – Jacob: Steals his brother’s birthright. That was a big deal! He felt entitled, he was a deceiver and a thief. He got deceived by his uncle Laban and ended up with the wrong wife. He finally got the “right” wife but found out that she couldn’t have kids. This kicked off a tug of war between Jacob’s two wives and their maid servants. Joseph had a bunch of brothers with four different moms and one dad.
• Brothers: Eventually his brother’s try to kill him, but instead sell him into slavery. They make up a story to deceive their dad.

But Joseph is on his way to Egypt – 300 miles. Probably took about 10 to 20 days. He gets to Egypt, doesn’t speak the language.

Genesis 37:28, Genesis 39:1-4

The Lord was WITH Joseph.

BUT!!

Then Potiphar’s wife gets him thrown in prison.

In both of these situations he could have said, “If I hadn’t grown up in this dysfunctional family this wouldn’t be happening”

He could have been looked at what was going on and blamed those around him

We have a tendency to do this. What we need to do is to look around and say, “God what are you doing here?” instead of blaming our circumstances on everyone else.

Adversity comes. Not necessarily because you have sinned.

God was with him

God prospered him

The principles of God are true through out scripture regardless of when they are revealed.

Proverbs 3:3-4

If I love you regardless of what you do to me then I will find favor.

What is the word of God that was given to Joseph? There will come a day when your brothers and father will bow down to you.

What is the love of God to Joseph? He was with him. Regardless of what happens with anyone else, God was with Joseph.

What is the key to moving from moving from victim to victor? FORGIVENESS

I believe that forgiveness for Joseph started on the way to Egypt. I believe this because we see that Joseph won favor in Potiphar’s house. He wouldn’t have won that favor if he hadn’t forgiven his brothers and refocused his attention on God, he wouldn’t have been walking in love and wouldn’t have found favor.

HOMEWORK: Read Genesis 36-50 once a week as we go through this study.

Click HERE for the Full Audio for this message.

(notes typed by PJ)

The NEW CrossTrainers teaching series based on God Build by Steve Farrar starts on March 31.

Our world is in desperate need of bold, passionate men of integrity. Yet such men aren’t born, they’re built, shaped and formed by God to enrich their families, church, and community. But what does this process look like? And how do we get started?

The answers are found in the story of Joseph, a humble shepherd who overcame tremendous odds to become an influential leader. It’s here we discover the process that creates true men of God, where He works

Providentially, supplying everything we need in our journey
Strangely, often in ways that we won’t understand
Slowly, building our patience and trust

God Built explores the defining spiritual process that makes men of God. You’ll uncover the Biblical pattern for growth, gain insights into common frustrations and difficulties, and get equipped for the journey ahead.

Surrender yourself to Him. And become a man that’s built to last.

CrossTrainers

Date: March 24th 2010

Speaker: Bob Stouffer

Title: God and Time

Psalm 90:4

This week Bob closed out the book “Infinite Impact” by Stu Webber.

He began with the riddle from The Hobbit

This thing all things devours:

Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;

Gnaws iron, bites steel;

Grinds hard stones to meal;

Slays king, ruins town,

And beats high mountains down.

What is it?  TIME!

Bob wasn’t planning on doing this message but God took him on an about face to look at God’s perspective on time.

The question was asked, “What is God’s perspective on time?”  Bob asked us to discuss this, deeply, not on a surface level.  We were to discuss what we know is doctrinally true about God and time.

God is Eternal

God alone is eternal, believers in Jesus Christ will experience “everlasting” life but we are not ETERNAL beings like God

Dr. Wayne Grudem, in his book Systematic Theology, defines God’s eternality as follows:

“God has not beginning, end, or succession of moments in His own being, and He sees all time equally vividly, yet God sees events in time and acts in time” (Grudem p. 168)

God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit — All three persons, dwell as one ETERNALLY

“…Time does not change God, it has no effect on His being…” (Grudem p. 169)

Jesus was fully human when on this earth, but, since He was fully God, time did not change His divine nature.  Time contstrained His human essence, but His divine nature was not changed.

“…the passing of time does not add to or detract from God’s knowledge: He knows all things past, present and future..” (Grudem p. 169)

God has NEVER ceased to exist

He alone can say, “I AM” !

“The fact that God never began to exist can also be concluded from the fact that God created all things and that He Himself is an immaterial Spirit” (Grudem p. 169)

GOD IS IMMATERIAL SPIRIT.

“Before God created the Universe, there was no ‘time’ at leas not the sense of succession of moments one after another.  Therefore, when God created the universe, He also created time.” (Grudem p. 169)

God views the past as vividly as the present and as vividly as the future.

Psalm 90:4 shows that God views a thousand years as yesterday.

“… all of past history is viewed by God with great clarity and vividness: all of time since the creation is to God as if it just happened” (Grudem p. 170)

“..any one day seems to God to be present in his consciousness forever” (Grudem p. 170)

“..in God’s perspective any extremely long period of time is as if it just happened.  And any very short period of time (such as one day) seems to God to last forever..” (Grudem p. 170)

God is Timeless

“.. God is Timeless..” (Grudem p. 170)

“..God created time and is Lord over time..” (Grudem p. 171)

“..Thus God somehow know stands above time and is able to see it all as present in His consciousness.” (Grudem p. 171)

Some theologians “have objected that God cannot be ‘timelessly eternal’ in the sens described aboe, because the moment He creates something, He is acting in time and therefore He must exist in time.” (Grudem p. 172)

God uses time for His own purposes (Grudem p. 172)

God uses time to display His glory (Grudem p. 172)

“..as God’s peopl we will experience the fullness of joy in God’s presence for all eternity – not in the sense that we will no longer experience time, but in the sense that our lives will go on forever.” (Grudem p. 173)

This thing all things devours:

Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;

Gnaws iron, bites steel;

Grinds hard stones to meal;

Slays king, ruins town,

And beats high mountains down.

This thing – time -all things devours – but this thing – time – DOES NOT DEVOUR GOD!!

Makes your head hurt doesn’t it?  Our heads should hurt when we are attempting to discover new truths about God.  We are told to love the Lord our God with all of our MINDS.

According to Bob, the best sentence in Stu’s book appears on page 3.

“..God is the lor of our entire timelines.  At the same ‘moment’ He hovers over our present, He also walks in our past and goes before our futures.” (Webber, Infiniate Impact p.3)

Bob closed with the following:

CS Lewis once said, “The future is somethign which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.”

Bob’s timeline started in August of 1958

How will  your earthly timeline end?  When will your earthly timeline end?

How will we use our lives?  In his book, Stu Weber point out that the decisions we make about how we live our lives “shapes our destiny and the interlocking destinies of many, many other people” (Webber,  p. xix)

I want my life to count for something!

I want to make the Infinate Impact of which Stu Weber wrote about.

I want to share the sentement of Mr. Kenneth P. Bowles “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid broadside, throughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow, what a ride!’”

Flame on!!

Click HERE for the Full Audio for this message.

(pj quoting Bob’s notes for Crosstrainers 3/24/2010)

• StoryTellers – Because one man’s story can change another man’s destiny.
  • Sunday March 28th @ 6:30 pm. Northpoint
    • Storyteller – Jim Mars – Jim is an executive at Holmes Murphy Financial Services and has rendered many years of service to Valley Church as a teacher, elder, and campaign chairman.  But Jim’s most important contributions have been to his family.  Come hear Jim’s story, from life growing up as a pastor’s son to his current role as husband, father, and grandfather.  Jim will share some of the experiences that have shaped him, as well as his commitment to Christ that is making an impact on generations to come.

• Spring Retreat ADVANCE – April 16th and 17th (Friday Night – Saturday Morning)

Keep your calendars open guys for this year’s annual Spring ADVANCE (Men don’t retreat, they ADVANCE!)  We will be going up to Hidden Acres again this year for some a great time of hanging out, recharging and refocusing.  You don’t want to miss this!!

Our theme this year will be “REDEMPTION: Purchased with a Price for a Purpose.”  Our speakers will be sharing their own stories of redemption from pain and failure to a place of restoration and impact.  We hope to see you there.

The cost will be $40 per person which covers food, lodging and use of the facilities (scholarships are available). Sign ups will begin on the website and in the community card soon!

• theUprising is ONLINE!!

What to stay up to date on what is going on for MEN at Valley Church?  Bookmark this link

www.theuprisingonline.com

You will find everything you need to know about theUprising here.  It is the first place information is deposited and the best place to connect to theUprising leadership team.  For all my tech guys out there you can even subscribe to the RSS feed so you’ll know as soon as we add something to the website.

In the coming weeks and month we look forward to making this website not just an opportunity to share events and news but to also share resources and create connections for guys.

Check it out TODAY!

• CrossTrainers – Wednesdays @ 6:30am in the Chapel

If you miss a morning of CrossTrainers or if 6:30am is just to early for you then head over to www.theuprisingonline.com each week for copy of PJ’s notes from that day’s talk.  You will also find a link there for an audio version of the talk

• Resources for Bible Reading – Check out these awesome customizable reading plans at YouVersion.com.
• Sign up to receive our monthly briefings here along with other news and information on special events for men. (Click Here)
  

Each month theUprising sends out a summary of everything you need to know about what is going on for men at Valley Church.  If you do not receive our monthly briefings you can find copies of them here or click here to sign up to be on our mailing list.

Email List:  Not only do we send out our monthly briefings  but we also special emails  if there is an event or item of special interest to the men of Valley Church.

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Spring ADVANCE was AWESOME!!  Stay tuned for pictures and details of the great time had by all.  If you haven’t had an opportunity to pay yet and wanted to do so online the link is below! 

Payment: You can pay by clicking HERE

Valley Disaster Relief – “Cutting Straight to the Truth”

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35

Guys, two words – chainsaw teams! Be part of a team from Valley Church to respond to natural disasters. A fully equipped trailer provides the necessary tools to have an effective impact. Training is provided. The work is physical; the impact eternal. And seriously, chainsaws are involved! For more information, check out their website by clicking here.

CrossTrainers

Date: March 17th 2010

Speaker: Mike Swaim

Title: Trail Markers

Mike started by asking every guy to pray for 2 military couples that will be coming to the Military Marriage Conference as they get in their cars after CT.

Erecting a Marker as a Remembrance: 1 Samuel 7

1 Samuel 7:3 The children of Israel had been worshiping other gods. God said that if you put away the symbols of the foreign gods and remember who the God of the universe is God will deliever them.

There are plenty of foreign “gods” in our world today. There are probably a few guys here who need to lay down their “god” and receive deliverance.

1 Samuel 7:10 – How many shots were fired? How many shots were fired? NONE!

1 Samuel 7:11 – What happened here? Bloodbath! The philistines were their enemy, who is your enemy? The devil. What does a fight against satan look like when the Lord fights for you? Bloodbath.

1 Samuel 7:12 – What did Samuel do after the battle, he set up a marker.

What markers are in your life?

“Last week I heard about a marker in the life of my friend Bob Stouffer. He was awarded the Excellence in Education Award at Drake. Upon receiving his award, Bob referenced a marker in his life, coming to Christ at age 36.” (Read the full acceptance speech here on Bob’s March 10, 2010 blog post.)

Picture the Timeline

“Whenever we become aware of a situation where God, who is above and beyond time, steps into time on our behalf, we ought to place a marker on the timeline, even if its only a deep scratch in our memory”

What is the significance of the marker that Joshua put up at Mizpah?

It was permanent and it was there for everyone else to see.

Do your kids and grandkids know about the markers in your life?

Some of Mike Swaim’s Markers:

• Memories of early life in Panama running around the military base
• Memory of first prayer, at 5 years old crying about going to school, sitting at a small table with Dad. Prayed to be able to go to West Point one day. 5 years old
• Memory of a church in Fort Wayne, Indiana (Emmaus Lutheran Church) at third grade. “I didn’t realize that my grandfather had planted the church, but all of my extended family was there. I remember sitting there looking at this little red candle. I thought a lot about God as I looked at that candle.” That is a marker.
• Memory of memorizing scripture in California. Trying to memorize more than the other girl in the class. Remembering
• “You can drive by my marker in Des Moines. When you drive by Rosevelt High School, under the walk way that goes over 235. That spot is where I used to live, the first house I lived in Des Moines, where I started to grow in my faith”
• I remember when I was nominated as choir director, that meant that I had to be at church on the Sunday morning when this guy gave his testimony. He said that he had met Jesus Christ that week and he had been so impacted by it that he bought a bible for every person in the church. He said, ‘I don’t know about you but if you haven’t met Jesus Christ I want to help you do that today’ On that day I came to Jesus Christ. I still have that Bible, it is a marker in my life.”

What are the markers in your life?

Turn to one guy and talk about those markers, particularly those markers of redemption in your life.

The marked doesn’t do us any good if we don’t tell someone.

The marker is only significant if you share it with succeeding generations.

How we engage the past identifies our present and shapes our future

Have you placed any markers on the time line and would succeeding generations understand their significance?

Click HERE for the Full Audio for this message.

(pj’s notes for Crosstrainers 3/17/2010)

CrossTrainers

Date:  March 10th 2010

Speaker: Jerry Foster

Title: Why are you here?

Take a look at Acts 17:24-26 notice the last phrase “the exact places where they should live”

God has chosen for you to live exactly where you are on this time line of human history.  He chose you for this time, this place.

Q: If you believe that, what does that do for you?  What are the ramifications of this?

What is amazing about this time line is that it goes on and on but we are only one little part of it.

1.  We are not accidents

Look at Psalm 139:1-16

Think about what it means that you were “knit together” by God.

David realized that God cared enough for God to “knit” him together and to be near him where ever he could go.

David’s confidence was based on the fact that he was created by God and he was special to Him.

We need this confidence as we look back on our time line.  These things are not accidents.

2.  Our place on the time line was determined by God Himself

God is sovereign over whole time line.  All the good, the bad, every experience is used by God and has a reason.

Jerry talked about when he was at his deepest part of despair, He brought someone along to bring $50 to help him out, it was just the right time on his time line.  It made a huge impact and began a change in him that only God could do.  It was one little dot on one short part of the time line of history but it was a critical point.

When we look back through our experiences we it often becomes painfully clear why God did those things to bring us to this point.

Q: When you look at your life, what evidence do you see that your life is meant for this place and this time?

Q: How do you live your life in the moment?

3.  We are called to a special purpose at a specific time in God’s sovereign design.

Look at Ephesians 2:10

We need to be constantly asking why we are at this point in the time line and what we can do to impact the time line going forward, future generations.

Each one of us is unique and designed for a purpose

We believe that we were created by God, so we can believe that God did so with a purpose, not just for now but for generations to come.

God has a design on this day, this moment, this very second.  He has a design on what is going on in your head right now.

Q: Do you believe that to be true?
Q: How would you describe your unique design
Q: What should you be doing to satisfy that purpose?

(PJ’s Notes from CrossTrainers on 3-10)

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