The Gospel Recall!

Check this out, it's provokes some thought!

RECALL NOTICE
The Maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to a serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart. This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units, code named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units. This defect has been technically termed "Subsequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

Some other symptoms include:1. Loss of direction 2. Foul vocal emissions 3. Amnesia of origin 4. Lack of peace and joy 5. Selfish or violent behavior 6. Depression or confusion in the mental component 7. Fearfulness 8. Idolatry 9. Rebellion

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this SIN defect. The Repair Technician, Jesus, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs. There is no additional fee required.

The number to call for repair in all areas is:P-R-A-Y-E-R.

Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure.
Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.
No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will! replace it with:1. Love 2. Joy 3. Peace 4. Patience 5. Kindness 6. Goodness 7. Faithfulness 8. Gentleness 9. Self control
Please see the operating manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believers' Instructions Before Leaving Earth) for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING: Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties, exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list and will result in the human unit being permanently impounded. DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped in the furnace. The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility.
Thank you for your attention.

GOD
Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by "kneemail" - I AM available 24-7, no voice-mail, no waiting.

Make sure you take care of your heart!!

PJ

Learning to Commit

Today is a very cold day. Officially it is the coldest day of the year. When it get's this cold it reminds me of my favorite winter pass time - Snowboarding - I used to do alot of snowboarding an I even was put on a team at one time. I have some great memories, good friends and good times. My favorite memory was when I was at Whiteface mountain in New York state. We had gone off trial as we usually did and we found ourselves in a tight spot. The only way we could continue our journey down the path that we were on was to jump a 11 foot cliff. There as no other way,(except to walk back up the trail). We had a choice to make, we had to decide to commit to running this trail all the way down the mountain, because once you start going you can't stop. So with a deep breathe we hit it. It was scary, exciting, difficult and wonderful all at the same time. I'll never forget the moment we arrived at the end of the trail. We looked back at what we just rode, and then screamed about how awesome it was. We felt so powerful because we had conquered the Mountian, we took a chance and we were victorious.

Listen to this quote from a playwright named Johann Wolfgang von Goethe;

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way, Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power ... in it. Begin it now.

Don't let your dream stay in the inactive world of good intentions. Even if you fail you will have tried and that is what life is all about. The journey.

If I hadn't gone down that ski path. I would never have had that awesome moment!

Live it, act on it, do it.

PJ <><

Soak yourself!

So we have started our once a month SOAK prayer times here at Life Church and the first one was great! However people have been asking me what they should do until the next one. Because SOAK is only once a month, it isn't frequent enough to be your only prayer time. (That's the point) SOAK is designed to add to your already existent prayer life, not to be your prayer life. So this morning I wanted to give you some tips on how to have your own personal SOAKing time everyday:

- Find a quiet place - A peaceful environment helps you to become peaceful on the inside.
-Listen to worship music - You may want to use quiet instrumental or quiet worship music.
-Quiet down your busy thoughts - Initially your thoughts can be racing all over, but know that the Lord is with you. Turn your attention to Him. Wait for your thoughts to settle.
-Invite the Holy Spirit to come and soak you in His presence - Surrender your mind, body and soul in prayer to the Holy Spirit. Humble yourself before Him.
-Focus on the Lord’s presence - Open your heart to God. You are learning to abide in Him. You are learning to focus on Him and His presence.
-Rest in faith and believe that God is working within you - It isn’t about what you can accomplish through your efforts; it’s about what God is doing in you.
-Give time to soaking in God’s presence - The more time you can spend in His presence, the better. Start with 20 minutes in His presence. You will find as you do this, in a very short time you will want to spend more time in His presence.
-Watch as God changes you - You will leave refreshed and full of the Holy Spirit. Your life will be different because God is changing you through soaking in His presence. You will have an impact on the world around you as you carry God’s presence with you wherever you go.

If you spend time SOAKing in God everyday it will transform you:
“Intimacy with God is the key to fruitfulness in every area of our lives. As we become more aware of His presence in us… so do other people. As we become more affected by His presence in us… so do those around us. By taking time in the secret place with God, we start to walk by the spirit in everyday life. We find that rather than striving to achieve things for God, He is building His kingdom through us.” CTF ministries

So what's stopping you? Go ahead and have your own time with God, it really is life Changing. Oh and by the way, our next Life Church SOAK prayer is February 25th at 6:30pm with the worship team from Mondays in Hamilton.

PJ <><

A Lesson From Lightning McQueen

OK I'm a Dad, and my son loves the movie Cars. Alright so it's not just him, I love it too. Even though this movie is incredibly entertaining there are some good life lessons in the movie as well.
If you've seen the movie, you know that the movie is set in the little town of Radiator Springs, this little town a one time was busy because it was located on the famous route 66. But an innerstate had been built near the town and so they lost the traffic and now the town is basically a ghost town, except for a few locals.
This is where Lightning McQueen gets stuck and he has to learn how to live in this small town environment. At first he hates it because he has his eyes only on one thing Winning the Piston Cup. But over time the local personalities grow on him and soon he learns to live and love in Radiator Springs.
Do you know how to live and love. Do you know how to embrace you life now, rather than always trying to look for the next win. Before you know it, you may miss your life. John 10:10 says "Jesus came so you can have life to the fullest..."

Slow down and smell the roses before they are gone, Maybe you need to get off the Highway and take route 66. Live and Love now because you never know if you have tomorrow.

Kur-Pow!!!!!

PJ

Why Men Hate Church.

This week I'm doing a lot of reading, on the topic of Why Men hate Church!. In Canada my experience has been that Church is something that is popular with Women and children but not really with the Man of the house. The Last Church I was at was over 70% female.
The story is all too common. Mom gets up on Sunday morning and gets the kid's ready for Church while Dad stays home and watches football. Even if you watch TV shows like the Simpsons or That 70's Show, Marg and Kitty are taking the kids to church while Homer and Red stay home because that's what REAL MEN do?
Now a lot of the reason why men don't go to church is in them. Rebellion, laziness, as well as apathy are personal issues that men need to overcome. However there are some other reasons why men don't like to go to church.
In the church we have become quite a feminine culture. We have implied that the most spiritual men in the church are the nice guys. You know the guys that don't cause any trouble, they are humble and patient, and loving. Yes it's true, all those those attributes are important, but we leave out the other half. When was the last time you went to church and heard a sermon on how to be bold, courageous, How to take risks or how to be tough for God. We have feminized our faith, in fact we have even feminized Jesus. We have shown the gentle Jesus meek and mild, but we often leave out the masculine Jesus that has moments of anger and is even sarcastic at times.
If you want to teach a pure gospel, then you need to show all the sides of Christ.
One of the books I'm reading is called "No more Christian Nice Guy", by Paul Coughlin he says this:
"When we are free from the myths that Jesus was the Supreme Nice Guy, that the Father is a cosmic teddy bear, and that the Holy Spirit is a docile, breezy presence, men will find the church more compelling and relevant."
So over the next few weeks we are going to look at Jesus, our theology, and even church culture and we are going to examine the masculine side of Christianity. So that we can have a Church full of Good guys that live for and love Jesus. Oh and by the way for all the ladies at Life Church, this series will help your marriage, (if you are married), and your view of what a man of God should be. Sound interesting? Check it out this Sunday at 10:30.

Let the Good Guy Revolution begin!

PJ

A Life Church Manifesto

Often in Church we talk about Vision statement. These are phrases we come up with that describe a goal or a dream that we have. That's cool but often we never get there. Today I want to provide you with something different, I want to provide you with a manifesto to live by. What is a manifesto you ask? A manifesto is a publicly printed declaration of intent. This is something you can start today and it can change your life. I'm calling this the Life Church Manifesto. (A lot of it is taken from the book Chasing the Lion by Mark Batterson)
Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Grab life by the horns. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Consider the lilies. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshipping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze a new trail. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Live your life to fullest today!!

I encourage you to print this off and read it everyday, to remind yourself that you have today to live.

Be Blessed!

PJ

Just Checking

Hi everybody, it's great to be back from Christmas holidays. We had a great time and lot's of R&R. This week I'm doing a Blogotional check. From time to time we want to see who's out there reading our blog, and hear some comments on how we could improve it. There are two ways that you can help us.

1. Please leave a small comment if you are reading this post on the blogotional. The reason why we are asking you to do that is because we want to know how many people are still reading this blog.

2. If you can think of any way to improve the blog and don't mind sharing it with everyone, you can just leave it in the comments section. If you have a comment but you don't want everyone to read it you can email me at jmcmillan_life@rogers.com.

Thanks for you help everyone, we want to make sure that we are using our time as your pastors efficiently.

Happy 2007

PJ