Our Church band does rock - THEY WON!!!
Congratulations to the many people who make up Return. WTG!!
One of the songs from the Return Worship CD by our own Southbrook worship team is in a contest on 91.9. If the song receives the most vosts then it gets played on the radio next Monday afternoon. This would be really cool for Southbrook and our hard working worship team. We are currently in the lead but not by much. Go to this link and vote. I think you can vote once every 30 minutes. Once you vote you'll see if we are still ahead.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
America Bless God
After taking a much deserved vacation in Charleston, SC we returned home the other day by way of the mountains in Western North Carolina. We traveled across the entire state of South Carolina to Lake Lure, NC this past Sunday. What a trip! I thought it was so cool to say that we drove from the beach to the mountains in the same day. It reminded me of the lyrics from the song "God Bless America".
...From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam....
We are so fortunate to live in a country that affords us the freedom to travel as we wish and see such amazing sights. Our forefathers also recognized not only the beauty of our nation but the vital importance of God's word in our minds and in our hearts. Here are some examples;
"The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?" - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of Government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart." - PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON
"The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests." - PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON
"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior (Jesus) of the world is communicated to us through this book." - PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." - PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON (on September 17th, 1796)
God Bless America and America Bless God!
...From the mountains, to the prairies, To the oceans, white with foam....
We are so fortunate to live in a country that affords us the freedom to travel as we wish and see such amazing sights. Our forefathers also recognized not only the beauty of our nation but the vital importance of God's word in our minds and in our hearts. Here are some examples;
"The longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?" - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of Government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart." - PRESIDENT THOMAS JEFFERSON
"The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests." - PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON
"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior (Jesus) of the world is communicated to us through this book." - PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN
"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." - PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON (on September 17th, 1796)
God Bless America and America Bless God!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Make Us One
After hearing Craig Groeschel speak about his one prayer for unity in the church this weekend at Southbrook, I wanted to blog after a month + long hiatus. In fact I have been and I continue to be so busy that I decided to "borrow" a unity related article I found on the internet as the post for the month. Enjoy!
Proverbs 6:16-19 says,
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush to evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Let me comment on this proverb. It is striking to me that if I were going to make a statement like the one he makes, I am not sure I would have chosen exactly this list. Granted, it makes sense that he began with haughty eyes, because we all know that is one of the most detestable and ridiculous sins. But the one that really surprised me was the last one: “one who stirs up dissension among brothers.” I think as Christians we are very quick to recognize the sins of others and point them out, and yet this is one we can fall prey to easily because the tongue is so difficult to control. We may not always have a lying tongue, but we are pretty good at stirring up dissension among brothers. And that is the seventh, and in a sense, the ultimate thing that is detestable to the Lord. The list begins with pride and ends with dissension. In some of Paul’s lists of heinous sins—drunkenness, orgies, etc.—right there in the middle of the list is dissension. I would encourage you to reflect on this. There are of course other sins that the Lord finds detestable, and yet these are listed for a purpose. This is a sampling, and that one surprised me. We should pray that God would enable us to be those who, by God’s grace, control our tongues. This is especially necessary in the church. Christ is directing the church in the way He wants her to go. But He has appointed human beings, His servants, through whom He has chosen to lead His church. That is, the leadership of a particular church. It is very tempting for us to want to help lead. Now good leaders are delighted if you are consulting the Scripture and making suggestions in a constructive way. That is good. It is our responsibility as Christians to do so. But it is not our responsibility to try to take control where it is not our place to do so. Sometimes there are power struggles in a church that lead to dissension and belie what Jesus said: “They will know we are Christians by our love.” So give attention to the prevention of dissension and recognize that God has appointed these people who lead us. Pray for them, be diligent readers of Scripture, and make suggestions. If you read Scripture and conclude your church is going in the wrong direction, then you can try to earn the right to lead. You may perhaps need to join a different church. But you do not want to conduct a mutiny. What is detestable to God is dissension and discord.
Reference: Summer 2006, V. Philips Long & Covenant Theological Seminary
Proverbs 6:16-19 says,
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush to evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Let me comment on this proverb. It is striking to me that if I were going to make a statement like the one he makes, I am not sure I would have chosen exactly this list. Granted, it makes sense that he began with haughty eyes, because we all know that is one of the most detestable and ridiculous sins. But the one that really surprised me was the last one: “one who stirs up dissension among brothers.” I think as Christians we are very quick to recognize the sins of others and point them out, and yet this is one we can fall prey to easily because the tongue is so difficult to control. We may not always have a lying tongue, but we are pretty good at stirring up dissension among brothers. And that is the seventh, and in a sense, the ultimate thing that is detestable to the Lord. The list begins with pride and ends with dissension. In some of Paul’s lists of heinous sins—drunkenness, orgies, etc.—right there in the middle of the list is dissension. I would encourage you to reflect on this. There are of course other sins that the Lord finds detestable, and yet these are listed for a purpose. This is a sampling, and that one surprised me. We should pray that God would enable us to be those who, by God’s grace, control our tongues. This is especially necessary in the church. Christ is directing the church in the way He wants her to go. But He has appointed human beings, His servants, through whom He has chosen to lead His church. That is, the leadership of a particular church. It is very tempting for us to want to help lead. Now good leaders are delighted if you are consulting the Scripture and making suggestions in a constructive way. That is good. It is our responsibility as Christians to do so. But it is not our responsibility to try to take control where it is not our place to do so. Sometimes there are power struggles in a church that lead to dissension and belie what Jesus said: “They will know we are Christians by our love.” So give attention to the prevention of dissension and recognize that God has appointed these people who lead us. Pray for them, be diligent readers of Scripture, and make suggestions. If you read Scripture and conclude your church is going in the wrong direction, then you can try to earn the right to lead. You may perhaps need to join a different church. But you do not want to conduct a mutiny. What is detestable to God is dissension and discord.
Reference: Summer 2006, V. Philips Long & Covenant Theological Seminary
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