Posts from 2018 (Page 4)
Obstacles
All of us have obstacles in our lives. There will always be problems that pop up, but we can overcome them. Let me give you 10 tips for overcoming obstacles in your life: Be prepared like a Boy Scout. That means you are always in a state of readiness to take action. Problems will come, so be ready to deal with them. Always seek God’s guidance through prayer when an obstacle arises. Be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Some…
Our lives are made up of chapters just like a book. Some of those chapters are difficult, some are exciting and some flow right into the next. Church life is much of the same with so many stories intertwining within a church and interacting with each other. For the past 2 years my story with Emmanuel Baptist has been intertwined with Pastor David Lawrence. It has been the beginning of my story with Emmanuel and the end of his (Within…
I have put off writing this article for the past 2 days. Part of the delay was that I have been cleaning and resting up from last week at Falls Creek, the other side was that I really don’t know what to say. The quick turn around from Falls Creek to Fall School planning is so quick but we really had an amazing week at Falls Creek that I really don’t want to move on yet. Last week at Falls…
Notes From Mark
As we witnessed the baptisms of those who made professions of faith at Falls Creek we saw the picture of Christ’s ministry. Christ gave up EVERYTHING to come to earth and live among us, knowing that we would betray Him and eventually kill Him. We talk of Jesus being nailed to the cross and the Roman Government putting Him to death. We even mention the Jewish leaders part in His crucifixion. Really it was Christ’s conviction that held Him to…
Temptation
Every day we are tempted to sin. In Matthew 26:41, Jesus said, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” We need to be on watch…we need to be aware of temptation when it comes our way. We need to make good choices. The great thing for us is that God wants to helps us overcome temptation. We often like to hang around with the wrong friends or go to the wrong places. Solomon understood this and…
Notes From Mark
As we spend the week at Falls Creek our theme is FINISHED. Philippians 1:6 talks about God being faithful to complete the work began in us as followers of Christ. It is a reminder to me that I am a work in progress and will be until I take my final breath. Yet further in the chapter Paul writes: And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you…
Ownership
Today, many people don’t take ownership of their mistakes. They want to blame anyone and anybody for their mistakes except themselves. Evading and hiding never work. Sooner or later, we have to “face the music.” Someone once said, “To confess a fault is the next thing to being innocent of it.” That is almost biblical! In 1 John 1:9, John says “If we confess our sins (to God), he (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.”…
The next 10 days are the roller coaster of Youth ministry year. The highs and lows of emotions, energy and excitement, with all that I know is coming. I still struggle with one thing during the summer season that I fight with. You would think it would be sleep, planning, getting Junior High Boys to bathe regularly, or something like that. What I struggle with during camps, mission trips and even on things, like Family Vacation is “Being Present”. Verses…
Notes From Mark
With whom are you least patient? Is it a family member? A Friend? The government? I would guess if we are honest with ourselves that this person would be you. We tend to be hardest and least forgiving of ourselves when we falter. This might be particularly true in our spiritual life. Have you ever questioned your salvation because of a sin you committed? Maybe you have been fighting desires or fears and the same ones keep throwing up roadblocks…
Unity
An old adage says, “United we stand; divided we fall.” That is so true with churches. In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul writes “I appeal to you, brothers…that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.” In unity, we can accomplish so much for God. The writer of Hebrews said, “We should not cease assembling together…but encourage one another.” We need each…