Raising the Bar - Connecting In-Network

Last week we talked about what it means to be connected to the Tower - on any cell phone there’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to hold a connection, nothing more frustrating than losing that call, losing that connection - not being able to connect with the Tower. When you cant connect with the tower it shuts down communication, so even though you may want to call out you’re unable to - have you ever needed to make an important phone call and were unable to call out - it’s very frustrating.
Last week we talked about how that Tower represents our relationship w/ God and how many times in our journey we’ve hit dead spots, we hit dead zones where we just don’t connect w/ the Tower like we used to or should and we go weeks at a time w/ out connecting to the Tower.
We learned that the Tower never moves, it’s set, but we move in a million different directions. So the issue is never the Tower, it’s always us.
In our lives God is always there, Heb. 13:5 - there are times in our lives we just don’t connect w/ God for a # of reasons.
How do we develop a strong and lasting connection? Through Intimacy, developing intimacy w/ Father God.
Luke 22 - Time, Trust, and Transparency

Well as we continue in this I could boil today down to this one statement, ‘God did not create us to be alone’
God did not create you to live alone - God created a community for you to do life with, we were not created to live life alone, God has created a network for you and I to identify with - turn to Hebrews 10
All through the New Testament from the book Acts, after Gospels completed, Jesus had ascended back to heaven
within the Word of God, the word brother or brothers and sisters which refers to the family of God that God created for the church is mentioned over 147 times b/c God considers the Church as a family important.

Look at outline you see that ? that says, Is this true of me?
I want you to answer this question, “I live life around many people, but I experience life deeply with none.”

You know it was George Gallop who said, “Americans are among the loneliest people in the world.”
The most advanced society, the most technologically driven people ever created, yet we feel all the time, that we’re in this thing alone, doing life by ourselves.
Although we work in offices and people are around us all the time, we drive into our neighborhoods full of houses, our head can hit the pillow at night and we feel like we’re all alone. Ever felt that way?

How many of you would agree life is confusing at times - raise hands? how about difficult at times?
Then why in the world would we want to try to figure it all alone - why try and do this journey by ourselves? So often in life we think, I’ll just go at it alone and that is not how God created it to be.
God created this network w/in the church to help us do life.

We believe here at FOCUS* that the church must grow larger and smaller at the same time. (Always reaching out to others growing the church and at the same time doing life together in a multitude of small community groups)

Explain Heb. 10 start reading v.22 - circle every time you hear ‘Let us’ - read 22,
back then they had the High Priest and before they went into the Temple they would do this ceremonial cleansing, cleaned there hands and so on.. they could not be defiled in any way - what the writer of Hebrews is saying, we should never lose that focus, that intentionality when we go before God, we go in with clean hands and a pure heart.
We should draw near to Him w/ a sincere heart, the “cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water” is approaching God humbly, saying I’m bringing all of me to all of You - that’s what he’s saying.

v.23 - I love the imagery there, “hold unswervingly to the hope” meaning we hold onto what we believe with all we’ve got!
Ever find yourself doing that, b/c everything in this world tells you not to, but you know you have to - everything in the world tells you, “you don’t need God, you can do it w/out Him’ - almost like you’re out there by yourself sometimes and you hold unswervingly to the hope - v.24
All of sudden he moves from more of a personal talk to more of a corporate talk - this group of people you’re doing life with, let’s consider how we can encourage one another to spur on, meaning to urge and admonish one another on
toward love and good deeds - v.25
It had sort of become customary during this time that you have a relationship w/ God and all’s been done on your part so really you don’t need to gather together anymore, you don’ t need to gather in groups, you can just do it yourselves and what he says in Heb. 10:25 is let’s not give up meeting together, not only corporately but together from house to house in small groups (Acts 5:42)
I’m not real sure how you walked in here felling this morning and when I mentioned Gallop said Americans are some of the loneliest people it may have resonated with you or maybe you have thought I have a lot of friends but the
relationships are about this deep.
Ladies and gentlemen God did not create you to live alone - He created you to do life with other people
What’s the big deal about connecting in network - we all have needs:

1. I NEED OTHERS TO KNOW ME.
Beyond the superficial, I need others to know me - not know who I am, I want others to know me. (it has been one of the frustrating things to deal with in moving here to Houston - left tight knit group of back in Cali.) I want that deep relationship, not just business, not just let’s go play hoops once a month, someone to know me. And there’s not 1 of us in this room that does not have this desire w/in us to be known.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing… Hebrews 10:25a
It’s interesting that the writer continues to make this a plural assumption, ‘Let US not’ - God created us for community - for others to know us. Doing life with others is God’s answer to loneliness

Community is God’s answer to … LONELINESS.

2. I NEED OTHERS TO WALK WITH ME.
I need to know I’m not doing this journey by myself.
What a shame, when we hit difficult spots in life and wish we had someone around to tell us what’s next - God put this process in place, this network called community w/in the church for us to do life with to know were not alone.
Maybe parenting issues arise, were not sure how to handle something, “I wish we had some others in our lives to help”
Maybe a job/career change, “I sure would like some input from a close friend” We feel like we’re in it all alone.

Community is God’s answer to …
SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY.

Do you know what we learn from others in our lives that we cant get from a seminar or a book, real life experiences, been there done that. Some of the greatest lessons I’ve learned in life didn’t come from a book or seminar, they came from another persons life b/c they help grow you up.
Ever hit that phase in life where it's all about you - it’s all about me, my stuff, my life and in that
there are times I need others to walk w/ me so I can grow up.

3. I NEED OTHERS TO CARE FOR ME.
Let us consider (think about)how we may spur (encourage, urge) one another on toward love…Hebrews 10:24

Let’s just talk, there’s just times when we get down, isn’t there? Isn’t there times when you just hit a wall -
you just need someone to come along a put their hand on your back and say keep your head up, keep going, you’re gonna make it - do you ever get that? Do you need that? I know I do, even recently

But you know what, we cant get it just coming here for an hour on Sunday - not even if you do lunch occasionally
We all hit a crisis, there are times where there’s just no answers and life is not easy - those days are comin’ and when they do we are going to want someone in our lives walking w/ us and caring for us.
Listen folks, no one will just walk in if we haven’t cultivated that relationship - it happens spending time together -
the best way is to get hooked up in-network, get plugged in to a community group (guys thur, girls tue.)
You see the enemy knows, if he can keep you isolated he can keep you down - look at God’s answer

Community is God’s answer to … DESPAIR.

From feeling like you’re going down and there’s nobody there to help you - there’s just something about being there with other people - Christianity, this journey is not meant to be done alone, it’s a team game.

We could have an amazing time together on Sundays, great worship, God’s Word may pulsate within you, I’m talking you walk out of here different - which is incredible and only by God’s Holy Spirit, but that alone is not enough, that is not how God created us. God created us for community.

4. I NEED OTHERS TO SERVE WITH ME.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward … good deeds. Hebrews 10:24
B/c we are selfish-driven people our lives tend to focus only on our needs, our wants, our desires so I need other people around me to remind me that it’s not all about MUAH!
We are to serve others
It’s one of the reasons we’re involved in the Montrose Street Church -
we just give, we just serve... together

Community is God’s answer to … SELFISH LIVING.

It’s His answer to ‘it’s all about us’


5. I NEED OTHERS TO WATCH OUT FOR ME.
…but let us encourage one another… Hebrews 10:25b

Community is God’s answer to … SPIRITUAL ATTACKS.

If you were going out to war and the battle is looming, one of the 1st things we want to know is, “who’s got my back?”
Would you agree?
The Bible tells us in Ephesians we are in a war, and the battle is not on the ground, it’s in the spiritual realm.
We need others to have our backs, to pray for us, lift us up, keep us in mind.

Here’s the deal guys, I know that you know God, I know that you have Christ, I know you have your bible... you need someone with skin on who can talk about your value & the significance of your place, your person, somebody who understands how you’d love to pinch the heads off your kids, somebody who understands what it feels like to work for that pushy boss - life can be hard, it can be a battle, we need others who will be there for us -
you’ll find them in-network... get plugged in, don’t pull out, stay connected,
Make it a PRIORITY.

A sign of growth in the world of nature is change - change in the dimensions of a tree, fruit appearing on the vine, flowers blooming - in a similar way, change for us means new levels of maturity, of understanding, of the way we relate to family and friends in-network - But what does it take for change to occur?
GET CONNECTED

Raising the Bar - Connecting to the Tower

Is there anything more frustrating than when were on a call losing that phone call - or it’s just breaking up constantly?
Has that ever happened to you before?
You’ve had that connection then all of a sudden you hit a dead spot and you lose that connection - they think you’re still in conversation, but you’ve hung up, you’re trying to re-dial but you can’t get them b/c they’re still talking.
There’s nothing like establishing good connection and then keeping that connection.

You see the issue is never the tower - the issue is us.

The tower is set, the tower is in place, the issue is our phone -
and we all know living in Houston where some of the dead spots are - here’s the thing

we have dead spots in our lives too, we have those spots that we hit we can’t keep a connection w/ the Tower.
We can’t keep a connection w/ God, we want to, we try to but we hit those spots where we lose that connection and there’s no bars showing and there’s nothing more frustrating than when you feel like you’ve lost that connection.

Turn to Luke 22
How in the world do we keep a better connection w/ God?
(on your outline draw a line, 1 on left, 10 on right
a 1 means there’s absolutely no connection, maybe every no and then you come out of a cell and you connect with God but only for a few seconds - 10 means you are intimately connected - I mean you and God are hummin, smokin’ right together
all’s good, all’s well God’s right there by your side all the time. On that chart from 1 - 10 I want you to write where you think you are right now, this is just for you, do not cheat, do not look on the person next to you. On a scale from 1-10 where are you? this is just for you - it’s between you and the Lord, I’m not gonna ask you, and don’t ask me either.

How many of you would say, as i look at this I really would like my connection to be a 10, raise hand -
we all want it to be a 10 - what keeps it from being that? What happens to us that this connection that we want, that we desire, we know the Tower is there, we know it’s been established, and yet why do we keep hitting dead spots, why do we go month’s at a time where’s there’s no connection with God?)

What are some things that hinder your relationship with God? write them down on your outline, it may be work,
but you gotta work, it may be family, or hobbies. Basically wherever you are and that space to 10 you could write the word LIFE which would incorporate all those things wouldn’t it?
I know I’ve thought in the past that whenever I finished school or got a job promotion that life was gonna get easier - ever thought that? Who sold us that bill of goods?
We lose our connection with God for whatever reason, and really it’s us who were hurting the most - God is hurt that we are not hanging out with Him, but He doesn’t need it -
WE DO
God desires a connection with you
If you don’t know that, if you don’t think that’s the case, then you’ll never seek it or yearn for it, but God does -
He desires a connection with you and even more than we desire a connection with Him.
Now we can’t do anything about life can we, I can’t do anything about your job, I can’t do anything about your family,
and all those things, but we can establish some connections to help us remain strong with the Lord.

Luke 22 - Jesus knows the Cross is emanate, He knows it’s just around the corner. v. 39 circle ‘as usual’ it was normal for the Son of God to connect with His Father, it was the norm, it wasn’t an aberration, it was not something that happened every once and a while, it was the norm that He had a time that He connected w/ His Father. Jesus went out as usual, it could be said for us, Cole went to Starbuck’s as usual, Josh went to Kolache Factory as usual, Julie drank her Dt. Dr Pepper as usual, it’s a part of everyday life, it’s a pattern.
Jesus went out as usual, so what’s the big deal? Here’s this God-Man, who knows everything that’s to come, yet He understands and models for us how important it is to connect w/ Father God - it was a pattern in His life,
maybe there's something to it

read v.39-41, underline knelt and prayed

Remember we’re talking about the Son of God who scripture says could have called down 10,000 angels to whisk Him away yet He took time to connect w/ His Father, I think that’s a big deal.

Somehow we are more sophisticated and modern and we just don’t need to do that anymore - you and I have become so independent and strong and so all-knowing we don’t need that connection w/ our Father, do we? U better believe we do

See for all of us, life can be hard - get up early, scurry off to work, a full schedule, get home get dinner, take care of kids and their homework and showers and baths and bedtime - LIFE happens - read v.41-43
Jesus had something that you and I want, we all want a 10 - we want our relationship to be as strong as it can possibly be
we want it to be a 10, for that to happen there has to a word that sort of describes our relationship w/ God and that word is INTIMACY
We have to become intimate with our Heavenly Father -
here’s what it means:

Intimacy is to know fully & be fully known.

(15 yrs. ago Cathleen and I said, I DO - we thought we knew each other -
thank God there were no photos of here’s what this guy looks like in 15yrs.
but what we had at the altar 15yrs. ago - Who we are today and how we know each other pales in comparison)

Intimacy is to know fully & be fully known
It’s when you really know someone, you know everything about them, and you like ‘em anyways
But here we are 15 yrs. in and intimacy doesn’t just happen, it takes work - the 1st 4 yrs. no kids - then we had a kid - and now 2 - look at schedule now with the kids activities
and if you don’t work at intimacy you lose it -
just because you have a relationship does not mean you have intimacy
just because you have a relationship doesn't mean there's a spark there.

You know Joe, I’ve got this relationship with God, but no spark - I know that I know God,
but there’s just not that passion, I want that - I want it to be a 10
How do we do that - here’s some mile markers for us

The Road to Intimacy…

Mile Marker #1: TIME

there’s nothing that can develop intimacy greater that time.
it doesn’t happen in the home if hi, bye at the door
Intimacy is only developed thru time - if it’s that way here on earth, you can bet it’s that way our Heavenly Father.
How can we do that? I mean we give Him an hour or 2 on Sunday, but during the week I’m busy, I can’t give Him much.
Intimacy is developed thru time. scrip. 41 there was

· ONE-ON-ONE communication
He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed... Luke 22:41

Jesus w/ His Heavenly Father - we will never establish a healthy connection w/ God if we don’t put in time w/ Father God -
1 on 1, not sitting in a group, you and God together
to connect - there’s no magic pill, there’s no magic potion
It is only in developing the habit or pattern of TIME spent together.
We stop connecting w/ God when we stop spending time w/ God -
The Tower never moves, God never moves, us on the other, in a million different directions

Be still, and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10
how long has it been since you were still before God?

We have to find time to remind ourselves that the God of all creation wants to be with us.

You know what ‘Be Still’ means, to let go and ease up.
I’ve had to do that - how about you?



· Communication in the DAILY FLOW of life
it’s developing the habit daily - purposely spending time, scheduling time, what gets scheduled gets done -
how important is this to you? Do you want a 10?

We’ve talked about in the past giving God our 1st and best time
What to do? talk to God, read bible, find some sort of devotional to help guide you along - in dev. habit,
then when something happens crucial in our lives, God is the 1st one that comes to mind

‘Daily Flow’ is just what’s happening during the day (Cathleen and I didn’t dev. intimacy by just schedule time and talk only then - we talk all day, little bits here and there) - I want that w/ my Creator, don’t you?
…making the most of every opportunity, Ephesians 5:16

Mile Marker #2: TRUST

Time is important in dev. intimacy then time dev. trust.
“When we stop connecting we stop trusting”
Aren’t you stretching it a bit Joe, I mean I still trust God even if I don’t connect w/ Him on a reg. basis - well let’s think about this for a moment - when I don’t spend time going to God to help me make decisions and depending on his wisdom, who am I depending on? ME
So in reality, when we don’t connect w/ God and stop going to Him in all things we stop trusting in Him and banking on ourselves. The only problem with that is I don’t know what tomorrow holds, do you? But I have a Heavenly Father who knows the beginning, the end, and everything in between
that wants me/ you to trust Him.
… not my (Jesus) will, but yours (Heavenly Father) be done. Luke 22:42b
This is a faith thing, which is what, obedience.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; (why? cant see tomorrow)
in all your ways acknowledge him, (here’s what He’ll do) and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
(He will give a light for your next step)
Cathleen and I have developed a great trust in one another, why? b/c we have spent 15yrs. in developing intimacy

Mile Marker #3: TRANSPARENCY

Transparency is when you see thru to the inside - it’s when we acknowledge who we really are.
Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me… Luke 22:42a (most of us are just not that intimate with God are we?)

We tell God, or better yet, if we tell God anything, we say, It’s all good, I’m fine - but quite often we tell our friends just how rough we got it. We just are not that transparent with God -
“God I’m really struggling in this area, I need some help”
“God this really ticks me off - why is this happening?”

You do know that He already knows how you feel - He loves you anyway.
God desires for us to take those masks off - not so He can see who we really are, but so that WE can see who we really are -

Intimacy is developed when we take off our masks and say God this is who I am, this is what I feel, this is what I think and God says, good, now we got something to work with.

We will never keep a strong connection with God w/out developing Intimacy through Time, Trust, and Transparency
(Tower has never moved)
God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

Those things that hinder, that stand between us and that 10, they sure rob us of a whole lot.
God desires to connect with you

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

Desperate Households - Desperate Finances

George Gallop took a poll and found the #1 reason for arguments in the home is finances/money -
65% of marriages argue about finances - in fact it’s the leading cause of divorce in America today -
54% of all divorces are are related to money issues - maybe we should change the vows to ‘til debt do us part’ -
Would you agree if you don’t manage your money, your money’s gonna manage you?

Today we’re gonna take a look a one of the wisest and wealthiest men to ever live - Solomon
He gave us 2 books, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes - and w/in these 2 books there is a wealth knowledge for us to take in.
So ofcourse he speaks of money and finances - did you know the Bible speaks more about money, and finances, and giving and treasures than any other subject? I think it’s b/c God knew we were going to need some help

I. How we get into trouble
Human desires are like the world of the dead—there is always room for more. Proverbs 27:20

Someone once asked Howard Hughes,
(wealthy man - ‘Aviator’), “How much does it take to make a man happy? He said, ‘Just a little bit more’
Why is it we feel like more will make us happier?

What we hope having more will bring:

- More Satisfaction

We think more will bring satisfaction - all advertisement tells us that, “If you get more you’ll be happier” Americans are known for Life, Liberty, and the PURCHASE of happiness.
The problem is our Yearning will always exceed our Earnings
“If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless.”
Ecclesiastes 5:10

Why? b/c the desire to acquire is always growing.

- More Significance

Somehow we’ve bought into the lie that more stuff equates with importance and prestige and significance, but the Bible tells us otherwise.
“...your true life is not made up of the things you own, no matter how rich you may be." Luke 12:15

Your net worth is not the same as your self worth.
We must never confuse our valuables with our Value.
? - Is there a problem with acquiring wealth? in having alot of things? - I believe the answer lies in our motivation
Where’s your heart? To show off, or no - there’s absolutely nothing wrong with possessions as long as they don’t
possess us. I would have to ask myself, “Is my desire to get more stuff more important than my relationship w/ Cathleen, with my girls, or my walk w/ God” - that’s what we have to ask ourselves, is it the focus of our lives, are the truly
important people and matters suffering in my pursuit of CASH?
More stuff does not equate w/ significance.

- More Security

How big of a pile do we need to feel secure?
We can never really have enough, b/c we can lose it all overnight in a million different ways. (MSN Money:
"Winning the lottery isn't always what it's cracked up to be," says Evelyn Adams, who won the New Jersey lottery not just once, but twice (1985, 1986), to the tune of $5.4 million. Today the money is all gone and Adams lives in a trailer.
William "Bud" Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988 but now lives on his Social Security.) AND
the same goes for huge corp. Enron/ Kmart

“Your money can be gone in a flash, as if it had grown wings and flown away like an eagle.” Proverbs 23:5
Right here in God’s Word - our money can be gone in a flash!


What Having More Really Brings Us:

- More Expenses

The more we make, the more we spend - the more our income increases, the more our expenses increase.
It always cost more to have more - we look over at the ‘Jones’ and think the grass is greener over there, yeah and the water bill is higher too!
“The more money you have, the more you spend, right up to the limits of your income.” Ecclesiastes 5:11
We can relate to that.

- More Worries

“A working man... can get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay awake worrying.
Ecclesiastes 5:12

We worry how are we going to save it, how are we going to protect, can I get a good return on it, how to insure it, how to avoid paying taxes on it - worry, worry, worry

- More Pain if Lost

“...risky investments that turn sour, everything is lost...
and everything will be swept away....Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud – frustrated, discouraged, and angry.”
Ecclesiastes 5:14-17

Notice it says, if I have a whole lot and lose it, 4 pains are comin’ my way - 1st off I’m gonna be gloomy, “living under a cloud”, feeling distressed b/c I lost what i had - then frustrated, how many would agree that our finances can become quite frustrating? About the time you catch up with the Jones’, they re-finance - then discourages, huge
disappointment - finally comes anger, which is what? bitterness -
(Chiro. put wallet in front pocket - the bigger the wallet, the more pressure it puts on you - how true)

Always wanting more is the cause of many problems, we just looked at 4, not only that it can be immense pressure on our marriages - Money is not a bad thing, it's heart issue, is God in control?

II. Financial Freedom

1. Keep Good Records - principal of accounting

You know where your money is going, you keep track of it.
“Riches can disappear fast... so watch your business interests closely. Know the state of your flocks.” Prov. 27:23-24

Have you ever used the phrase, “I just don’t know where my money is going” or something like that?
That’s a troubled statement by the way, The Bible says, “watch you business interests closely”,
in other words, keep good records.
Many of the financial problems we have is due to the fact that one of the partners in marriage does not know what’s going on financially, they’re in the dark, they need to know. When you don’t know where your money is going, you’re headed for trouble.

In keeping track of our finances, here’s 4 things we need to know:
What I own
What I owe
What we earn
Where it goes

2. Plan Your Spending - principal of budgeting

Set some financial goals and stick with them.
We can’t do money by the seat of our pants, it only leads to misery - we need to budget.

“Plan carefully and you will have plenty; if you act too quickly, you will never have enough.” Proverbs 21:5

Solomon says, Financial freedom is not based on how much you earn, it’s how spend what you earn.
Studies show that the average american spends 6 hours a week in spending related activities -
some of us may be way above average.

“act too quickly” - impulse buying/shopping - unplanned expenditures, “i have to have that, right now!”
All advertising is geared to get us to buy impulsively - the pizza hot out of the oven, the chocolate dripping down the side of the ice cream, the Aber/Fitch model that makes you think, “I can look like that too with those clothes” -
commercials are all based to stir us emotionally, if they can stir us emotionally, they’ll get us financially.
(videos - McDLT w/ Jason Alexander - VaPooRize w/ Jack Black from "ENVY")

Ofcourse there is one word ad agencies and retailers use more than anything else to entice us to buy impulsively,
what is it? SALE.
We become like magnets, “but honey we saved so much money by spending right now, this deal is not available next month - we’d be foolish not to get it” REALLY?
The Bible says we need to plan our spending,
“Stupid people spend their money as fast as they get it” Proverbs 13:11 (JB)

This is God’s IQ Test - God says, “You’re not very bright if you spend your money as fast as you get it”
(Weekend rich)
I’ve been known to do that a few times in my life too, I guess that’s one of the reasons people call me a Big Dummy!
Spending impulsively can become very addictive - just as addictive as drugs or alcohol or eating disorders and the like.
Then with the invention of plastic money, instant credit, it becomes a whole lot easier to buy impulsively.
The average consumer carries 7 credit cards into the mall and the average balance of each card is $2347 -
in 1980 the ave. bal. of c.c was $533, in 1990, $1833
I like the thoughts of Dave Ramsey, money and business guru, “Kill the Cards” - pay cash!

How do you spell relief? B-U-D-G-E-T

A Budget is telling your money where to go, rather than wondering where it’s went -
if you want to control spending, you gotta nip it in the BUDGET.

Each family should develop a budget, see how much is
coming in, figure out how much is going out, stay within those parameters. ‘Financial Peace Univ.’

3. Save for the Future - principal of saving

“The wise man saves for the future, but fools spend whatever they get.” Proverbs 21:20

The average Japanese family saves 25% of their income, the average eroupean family saves 18% of their income,
The average american family saves less than 5% - why? b/c we gotta have right now!
MTV generation
We have to put away for the future, and not be consumed in keeping up with the ‘Jones’
If we base our lives on what everybody else has, we will never save a dime.

“...whoever gathers little by little will increase it” Proverbs 13:11

What does this say, put away a little each week, or month,
put a little away in savings.

4. Tithe Back to God - principal of tithing

It’s giving the 1st 10% of everything I make back to God.

Why do you think God asked for 10%? Does God need our money? No, God is Almighty, all powerful, He has everything - if He didn’t have it, He’d create it. So why does God ask for 10% - He wants what it represents - it represents your heart,

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6:21

3 reasons why to Tithe

1. Gratitude/worship - it’s saying God I know You’re the One who gives me all things. You’ve given me my hands, my mind, my abilities, my opportunity to work, God, I’m giving back to You b/c You’ve been so good to me and I’m grateful.

2. Priority/worship - God I’m putting You 1st in my life, and I’m gonna put my money where my mouth is -
For us to say we’ve put God 1st in our lives and not Tithe, we’re kidding ourselves.
In essence, We’re saying we don’t trust God, if we don’t Tithe. It’s an issue of trust, saying God I believe
You will take of me and my family on the 90%

3. Faith/worship - It’s an act of Faith, believing God will take of us.
We talked about faith last week, we said faith is obedience.
Doing what God has said - how do we know what He said?
In His Word.

Tithing is an act of Worship, we display that we love God

“The entire tithe... a tenth... belongs to the Lord” Leviticus 27:32

Honor the LORD by giving Him the first part of all your income. Then he will fill your barns... to overflow.
Proverbs 3:9-10

Here’s the thing, we can’t out give God - There are more promises from God about our giving than anything else.
God says, “Test me in this” - I won’t let you down, I will take of you, and give you more than you could ever imagine.

“To him who by means of his power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for, or even think of”
Ephesians 3:20

This principal goes far beyond money, it applies to every part of our lives. If you want God to bless your life, give Him the 1st part of it, If you want God to bless your family, give God your family, if you want God to bless your career, give God your career. If you want God to bless you finances, give God the 1st part of your finances, that’s the tithe in every area of life.

Some say that this is an Old Testament principal and that it’s not for today, however there’s few flaws in that thinking and one of those is that Jesus taught this principal:

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

Put God 1st in every area of your life, every area, family, career, finances, put God 1st and everything else will fall into place.

(Rockafeller way to wealth - 10:10:80)
If we have found ourselves in a desperate situation in our finances, God says, Tithe your way out.

5. Enjoy What You have - princ. of contentment

“It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.” Ecclesiastes 6:9

Isn’t it true we can get so pre-occupied in pursuing more that we don’t enjoy what we already have.

There’s this syndrome we can get caught up in that goes in 4 phases: 1st phase - Yearning exceeds Earning
2nd phase - Over-extended Financially, we buy, buy, buy and become indebted over our heads, now we’re in trouble.
phase 3 - Hustle constantly - rush through life, working 3 jobs to make ends meet
phase 4 - Family life begins to deteriorate
All of a sudden everybody’s angry, everybody’s irritable, b/c we’re working so hard just to make it - pretty soon you have absentee parents who are trying to buy their children stuff and things and toys, instead of spending time with them.
Parents listen, your kids don’t need more toys, they may be beggin, but what they truly desire is more of you. If given the choice at 1st they may say, I’d love all the toys and little
parents, but it wouldn’t take long before they’d give everything up to be with you.

“If God gives us wealth and property..., we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God.” Ecclesiastes 5:19

This is God’s message: Learn to be content. Enjoy what you have, we already have more than 90% of the rest of the world, so we need to enjoy and be grateful for what we have.

We live in a desperate world where desperate people do desperate things - for many it’s a prison of desperate
finances - God has given us the foundational truths in His Word for financial freedom.

"Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold?... it would mean I had denied the God of heaven.”
Job 31:24,28

Super Sunday - End Zone Theology

text: 1 Samuel 17
Super Bowl Sunday, plenty of hype surrounding S.S. esp. since they moved it to 2 week waiting period.
Since the Nielson Ratings of the early 70's (polling the most watched Tv shows and events)
The Super Bowl is in the top 10 of the most watched TV shows or events 4 times!
- it’s HUGE - usually the most watched event of the year.

It is an epic battle between the 2 best football has to offer.
Today I want to talk about a few epic battles, the Seatle Seahwks v. the Pittsburgh Steelers, The Israelites vs. the Philistines, and you and me vs. the daily grind.
So often we live our lives in this very comfortable zone, where most things are pretty predictable, and somewhat
ho-hum. Which is not bad in itself, It's relaxing actually.
The only problem that comes from this is we may tend to get STUCK
and not move forward in life and what God has specifically designed for us individually. This happens in a # of areas of our lives but one in particular, our spiritual life.
This is an area where we can really find ourselves not
advancing, not genuinely chasing after God
(football field analogy - between the 20’s)
We may need to move out of our Comfort Zone and into the End Zone!
Another epic battle we can learn from can be found in
1 Samuel 17 - give background

I. Causes for Living in the Comfort Zone

1. Lack of Hunger (v.16)
They just sat there, none of them eager - if we sit in our comfort zone for a while even realizing that something needs to be done, if we stay, not do something about it - eventually we’ll let it be.
And we find ourselves stuck.
Where would you say you’re lacking?

2. Unwillingness to Pay the Price (v.16)
(slide - running out to avoid hit and extra yrds)
We may know what needs to happen or that something must be done, we may even want to do it, but in our comfort zone we’re unwilling to pay the price - to step out of that
predictability. Or we know and want to but were so
comfortable that it would would create some initial
uneasiness, some temporary difficulty in life - dont wanna pay the price
We just do not like to change. As a matter of fact, the only time we really like change is when it’s our idea.
more on that later

3. Lack of Confidence (v. 24; 45-47) read 20-24
Fear is a HUGE factor in getting stuck in our comfort zone.
It holds us back from ever trying or
We may have attempted some thing before and failed miserably, fell flat on our face. Or maybe it wasn’t that severe - maybe we didn’t accomplish what we set out to, it didn’t turn out the way we planned. So now we lack the confidence to try again or to try something new.
v. 45-47 - it is the LORD! We must understand that - our strength, our confidence is not in us, it is in GOD - never
forget that!

4. They are Struggling with Personal Issues (v.25-28)
David’s brother was jealous - He had already seen David be anointed as the next King of Israel (which Dave was the youngest and traditionally that is NOT who should be in line for the throne) - Eliab got some deeper issues
If that is the case for us, we will get stuck, never moving into the end zone.

5. They Put Their Personal Agenda above the Team
(slide - pic says it all) Those who are selfish, self-centered and even talented will always be considered losers - b/c it’s all about them - What’s the value of a team player - there are a # (T.E.A.M. - Together Everyone Achieves More)
6. They Have a Negative Attitude (v. 33)
Talk about a Bad attitude - you cant do - talk about someone stuck in their comfort zone. (T.O. - all the talent in the world,
people don’t want to be around him b/c of such a neg. att. - vid.) A neg. att. will hold us back
Chuck Swindoll - ‘Attitude’
Words can never adequately convey the incredible impact of our attitude toward life. The longer I live the more convinced
I become that life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we respond to it.
I believe the single most significant decision I can make on a day-to-day basis is my choice of attitude. It is more important than my past, my education, my bankroll, my successes
or failures, fame or pain, what other people think of me or say about me, my circumstances, or my position.
Attitude keeps me going or cripples my progress. It alone fuels my fire or assaults my hope. When my attitudes are right; there’s no barrier too high, no valley too deep, no dream too extreme, no challenge too great for me.

7. They are Unwilling to Change (v. 38-39)
Often times for us to move forward, some things need to change don’t they? (slide - old photos)We get caught up in our comfort zone and we say, and maybe not aloud, but we think it, or it’s just in the way we present ourselves - “This is how I’ve always done it - it’s worked for me in the past, it’ll work now” buzzer - WRONG! You see, the times, they be a changin’ What has worked in the past does not mean it will work now - most likely it won’t. So we need to be willing to move out of our comfort zone and that usually means CHANGE.


II. How Do You Develop an End Zone Mind-Set?

Shaun Alexander was the MVP of the NFL. He led the NFL in rushing yards with 1880 (that’s alot) He’s a stud, but you know what’s really valuable about Shaun Alexander - He gets in the End Zone - He scores touchdowns! More than anyone else this year - not only that, he broke the single season record for the most rushing touchdowns in a season 28. Shaun Alexander gets in the End Zone - How do we?

1. Have a Game Plan
In order to Win - to get out of the comfort zone and into the End Zone - we must PLAN (v. 38-40)
David was prepared, he gathered what was needed to win
To prosper we must prepare - develop a game plan - we need to gather what we will need in order to win.

2. Continually Communicate
Throughout the story of this epic battle we see David continually communicating with different individuals, his Father, his brothers and other soldiers, with King Saul, and Goliath.
For us to be successful in life, to move out of our CZ and into the EZ we must continually communicate what is important to us. (talked about this in “Desp. Comm.” - say it often, say it clearly, say it every way you can - good listener)

3. Be Willing to Take a Risk (v. 48)
We need to be risk takers - how was David a risk taker - he took on a task much bigger that he was - why? He believed God would deliver! For David and for us to be a risk taker is to Live by Faith. What is Faith? one word: Obedience
Simply doing what God has said to do - it’s that simple.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

4. Score and Then Celebrate (v. 49-51)
David scored and celebrated - (Napolean Dynamite dance vid)

Hosted at MySpaceNow.com

When we plan and prepare, cont. comm. what is important, and live by Faith - we will score - we will get into the end zone - that is God’s plan - His word says in Jer. 29:11, ‘plans for us to prosper’ in John 10:10 Jesus said, ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’
We’re to celebrate life - it’s a Party Theology (last week)

It is not God’s will that we get stuck in our CZ, but to Score - get into the end zone

Be a WINNER - Go for the END-ZONE!

Super Sunday - Party Theology

Luke 5:27 - 32
I love this passage of scripture for a few reasons, but mainly b/c it’s a party. You’ve got this guy, Levi (Matthew) who was a tax collector, which by the way everyone hates. Over the years we’ve had these different professions that everyone despises, like politicians, and for a while it was lawyers and attorneys, I think now maybe it’s Insurance companies, maybe the gas and oil guys. In Levi’s case, the tax collector - They worked for the Roman Empire and they knew everyone in the community and they figured out they could make a bunch of money by taxing extra for themselves on top of what Rome expected.
People hated them - Levi was one of those tax col. - Then Jesus sees him and calls him out, which is one of those great things about Jesus, call to Himself the most unexpected of people. If you were to pick potential candidates of a top 12 for Jesus to work with, Levi wouldn’t have been on the list.
But Jesus does call him, and he responds, which I think is a wonderful reminder that we should never under estimate who is open to God.
Most of us, if we knew Levi, knew his life, his job, his crowd, we’d think, this guy would never be open to God, much less
give up his occupation, his career, his income and follow
Jesus Christ and all that He offers.
So as soon as Levi becomes a follower of Christ he does just the wrong the thing and he hosts a Huge party with all his wicked, vile friends and invites Jesus, and we all know we shouldn’t mix God in with corrupt people. But Levi doesn’t know any better, so he invites all his godless tax-collector friends and also invites the savior of the world.
Holy and unholy in the same room at the same time.
You see here, Levi seems to connect with what’s really on God’s heart -
that God wants us to celebrate what He’s done in our lives and invite everybody.
(Hence, Party Theology)

I think alot of us know God theology, Theology of the 2nd Coming, all these other theologies,
but we really have this under-developed party theology.
We’ve forgotten how to enjoy life, how to enjoy people, and how to create an environment where people who are
searching for God can find the God that’s searching for them.
People who really connect to God understand that the heart of God for all of us is to not be consumed by what’s going on all around us in the world, but not to run from it either, but to create environments where people who are searching for God can find the God that’s searching for them.
I think here with Levi he had engaged in a relationship with God that made a difference to him, something was going on inside of him and he was compelled to do something about it. Do you think that sometimes the reason people do not
engage others about a relationship with God is b/c their own relationship with God is lacking, it doesn’t appear to be doing anything for us, to us, we don’t see the power of God in our lives?
The truth of the matter is we cannot move into a Party
Theology until we are fully alive - we have to begin to enjoy our lives, a life that God and us enjoy together that’s filled with pleasure and astonishment and wonder and beauty and laughter -
Start enjoying you life
Do whatever you have to do -
If you need to make some changes in order to really enjoy the life God has given you here on this earth, then make some changes. If you need to change your career, change your career, if there has to be some dramatic changes do something pro-active, if your married and your miserable - don’t change your spouse - get some help, check out our
series, ‘Desperate Households”

We’re not supposed to live our lives miserable that we’re are alive.

No matter how much you know about God, no matter how much you know about the bible, if you’re not living a life that’s fully alive, you have really nothing to offer a person without God.
Levi found something worth sharing, worth inviting his friends into, and the only friends he had were corrupt, wicked, sinful people and he was very fortunate to discover that Jesus loves people just like that.
To have a Party Theology begins when you have a life
compelling enough that other people want to be around you.
How - we are only alive in Christ - it’s only when we focus on developing a relationship w/ Christ that we can fully enjoy life.
I want to challenge today to start enjoying your life and
creating environments where people can be a part of that life with you.

Then there’s a place in Luke 14 were Jesus begins to talk to them about a Party Theology - he paints a picture of how to relate in these party environments that honors God and affects people in a positive way.
Luke 14:7-11
Work party - people brown-nosing to get in good around the influential people.
There’s something inside us like this radar for hypocrisy - although we like the idea of people brown-nosing us for like this sense of power - in the end when it comes down to it those are not the people we are going to listen to in important matters, decisions...
What Jesus was saying was that you need to earn the right to be heard - A part of the way we begin to have influence and affect people’s lives for the good is you don’t want to push your way into this place where people are forced to
listen to you, but you actually want to live the kind of life that people invite you into a conversation with them.
I think this is where some really well meaning sincere christians have messed up - I understand the reasoning,
“Well I have the truth and I have an obligation to declare that truth to everyone, so I don’t care if people don’t want to
listen, they’re gonna hear it, it’s my job to cram it down their throats.” (guy comes up to us at work - do you know christ as savior?) (kids veggies - something inside of us that rejects what were being forced to eat, or consume, to partake of, yet at the same time we’ll eat garbage if we think it’s against the rules.)

Ironically what I think we’ve done is we’ve taken this amazingly beautiful gift of Jesus and made it like vegetables.

This is why Jesus used very harsh phrase when He said, “don’t cast a pearl among swine”
which is not a real positive image - but what He was saying was don’t try to shove this wonderful thing down
someone’s throat. Just offer food to those who are hungry.
Don’t force it, just be available for those who are searching.
So Jesus says, don’t be like this, don’t take the position where you have to be pushed down and away and
humiliated, take the lowliest position, just serve people, just love people, just be available. Then watch them pull you into conversation and pull you in closer.
(tickets at a game - better seats in a lower section)

What happens in the more important issues of life, if you don’t earn the right to be heard, but just demand to step in the other person’s space, that person will just cut you off and when they need someone in their life - they wont turn to you.
We need to earn the right to be heard.
Be a person of humility,take the lowest place and be invited into someone’s life - don’t just try and crash the party.
vs.12-14
Jesus said if want a proper Party Theology, to throw a party where God will really thrive in - you need to make friends with people who need friends.
He’s not saying not to enjoy your family and those friends you already have, but if all we ever do is throw parties for those that can throw parties for us, then were missing it.
As a follower of Jesus Christ then our lives have to be open to those we may not otherwise even care about.
The reason people are attractive and have many friends friends is b/c their relationships are not about themselves - who really wants to build a friendship w/ someone that’s just a taker. So look to those who really need to be loved, and cared about, and embraced (Montrose Street Reach).

Enjoy life - live the life that’s compelling so others want to be a part of it -
Earn the right to speak into their lives - earn the right to speak this life-changing message of Jesus Christ from your mouth to their heart.
How many people have invited you to share your life with them?

I think we get caught up spending all of our free and extra time with other christians we claim, “I’d like to be a part of non-believers lives and share the message, but I just don’t have the time or room in my schedule.”
It’s like we’re all in this spiritual jacuzzi - you know?
I’m comfortable with these people -
Think about it - Hotel jac. - people in it - you dont want to join in with strangers - your family of 4 waits for it to empty out - but as soon as it does another group of people jump in, b/c they’re thinking the same thing - you never get in by yourself and say, ‘I want 7 strangers to jump in with me” - don’t do that!
I think what happens alot of times is we live our lives in the jac. of relationships. We have a group of people we enjoy, they enjoy us, were comfortable - so we don’t have room in the jac. for other people.
We get caught up in only be inviting to parties that they know they’ll get invited back -
so when someone outside that circle invites - GO -
don’t use being a christian as an excuse to not spend meaningful time with people who don’t know God.
Then don’t go there and tell them everything they’re doing is wrong - your role isn’t to be the minor prophet -
your role is just to be a loving, caring friend. And friendship is what
invites deep intimacy and opportunity for life change.

Then Jesus continued in vs.
15When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
Which means happy is the person who is invited to the party of God. read on vs. 16-21

What Jesus is really pressing against us is, we need to let people say NO for themselves.
A lot of times what happens is we know we’ve got something really important to give away and we know there are people who really need God, but we say NO for them in our brains - have you ever done that?
I know in the past I’ve done just that - there’s no way so-n-so would even give me the time of day..
But really we have no clue, no clue... how many times they drove by a church and wondered if God was real... how many times they have screamed out into space, “God are You out there?”... and we say NO for them.
We invite folks to the party of God and everyone’s got the same excuses, this stuff is not new, ‘I have places to go, things to do, people to see’.
Right, they said, bought a field, got to go see it - got 5 oxen, have things to do - just got married, have people to see.
I do like for those that are single, the 1st 2 said ‘please
excuse, please excuse, but the 3rd said, I just got married, I’m not allowed!’

Who is it in your life right now you’ve already said NO for?

For whatever reason, their life is too good, their life is too bad, they’re very immoral, not smart enough, too smart, Who is it in your life you’ve already said NO for and in your brain you’ve already had the conversation but you never let them get involved.
Don’t say No for them

There was study done and they said the #1 reason people came and attended a church is b/c they were invited...
There are other reasons, but #1 by far - invited.
This is what Levi did - this is what Jesus is talking about here in ch. 14 and the big party
vs.21-24
I love the fact that the servants did all this yet there were compelled to tell the master. “there’s still a lot more room”
The master said, “go beat the bushes” and what He’s telling us is to never under-estimate the generosity of God.
1st they invited all the people that thought should be invited,
and those people said NO - and they went outside and thought, well.. I guess if Jesus wants a lot of people at His party we’re going to have to invite these people - then they came back and said there’s still more room and He said, no you haven’t gone far enough out. We must not under-estimate the generosity of God.
The person we don’t love, God does - the person we’re not interested in, God’s interested in that person - the person who seems the farthest away, God may be speaking more profoundly to them that we’d ever know.
Listen, we must be open and available to hear God.

To be led by the Holy Spirit.

( I pray this all the time - it goes with the prayer of I want to walk in the Spirit, not under Joe’s control, but God’s control -
so I also add that God would lead me to speak to those who I may THINK are far from being open to God, but really, I don’t know... so I ask God to direct me to the right street people asking for money or some sort of charity on the side of the road or walking down the street or any situation)
- tell story of Stephanie

I’m reminded that in life, God is always more generous than me - So I don’t want to under-estimate what God is going to do, I just can’t allow myself do that.
So I’m going to love and care for as many people He leads my way - We are just to Love them til they say WHY?
then we tell them it’s Jesus.

Success is not in results, it’s in obedience.

Write down names of 2 people/couples/families that do not Jesus Christ and pray for them until they do.

Desperate Households - Desperate Parenting by Cathleen Parks

Desperately Surviving the Kids

Transition video (I work with Monkeys commercial) - new job

Well........we are in our third week of desperate households. This week is Desperate Parenting.
I e-mailed a friend in California this week and mentioned that I was teaching on this subject this weekend.
i said this should be easy - all just give examples of everything stupid I did just this week and I’ll have the message - done.
Parenting. It is a daunting task. Our toughest job.
Our most satisfying job.
Our scariest job.

There is nothing more intimidating that looking into the eyes of a little person and realizing that his/her well-being is totally on your shoulders. Not only the simple stuff (food, clothes, a bed to sleep in) that’s easy. It’s the less simple stuff that gets you. What kind of person will she be? Will she see the good in others or enjoy the sport of locker room gossip where anybody is a target? Will he settle his arguments with patience and integrity or be quick to raise his voice or use his fists?
So what makes the difference between raising a child that makes your heart swell or breaks your heart?
Is it all up in the air or do you actually influence the outcome? Prov. 22:6 has this to say ‘Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.’

That sure indicates to me that we have a whole lot to do with the type of adults our kids become. So, what is the first step to raising adults. Expand (Not children, adults)
The very first and very hard step is to see your children realistically. This is very hard. Something happens to us when they are born. It’s like these parent eyes are implanted over our regular eyes and all of a sudden we see things about our children very differently than we thought we would before we had children. Do you remember before you had children and you would watch other people (at a restaurant, family, at the grocery store) with their children and you use to say..............& you did this, we all did.........’I would never.....’ Do you remember the first day that you realized you just did one of your I will nevers? And unless your paying attention, it may slip under your radar, until you do it the second or tenth time!
Parents, let’s face it - we really are blind. We just don’t see when these perfect, wonderful little darlings are playing us like a finely tuned instrument! I work at a private school and it is my job to enroll new students. But we have a selective enrollment process and one of the criteria would be that incoming students have grades of a certain standard or higher. Expand on parents handing report cards or telling of no discipline issues while you are on the phone with the other school. -
Parent eyes

Off the hook - born little boogers

Expand with looking at the ‘we corrupt them point of view’.

Proof that you get to get off the hook.

Genesis 8:21b every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood

1. See your kids realistically.
Realize that when your little sweet darling is batting her eyes at you she is not being sweet and cute she is manipulating you and your falling for it! Realize that those funny little white lies turn into big ugly ones.
Remember that if we aren’t realistic about where our kids are we cannot be a support to them.

2. Discipline accordingly
Let your discipline be appropriate. Evaluate the issue - where was the heart? Was this an honest mistake moment, a I made a mistake and then thought I would get in big trouble and tried to cover it up moment, or an I did it - I knew I did it and I was hoping like heck to not get get caught or to get away with it moment?
Proverbs 29:17
 17 Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul

Discipline, when done right, is not only good, it is expected. The Bible has a lot to say about disciplining our children and it is very clear that God expect us to do so. If fact Proverbs 13:24 says, ‘A refusal to correct is a refusal to love;
Never discipline in anger - tell story

3. See yourself realistically
Surround yourself with people whose opinion you value and trust. Allow them to speak truth into your life.
Explain spanking video w/ Brie and
How many of us would chose to never speak to that person again?

4. Listen with humility
Eph 4:2-3 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
You have to allow others to speak the truth in love to you. The issue is ‘how are they speaking’?
Ideas of where, building real relationship

Allow God to speak to you through others

Mark 2:2-4 A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get in or out. He was teaching the Word. 3They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four men. 4When they weren't able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher.

5. Allow others to take you to Jesus, be available to be carried

6. Be a stretcher bearer

With the friends we just spoke of &with your kids.
Take your kids to the feet of Jesus. Explain biblical principal to them. Remember the scripture we looked at earlier?
Pr. 22:6 ‘Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.’

This is part of that training.
Tell story of fruit.
She needed to be lead to Jesus. That is my primary job as a parent - to lead my kids to Jesus.

Desperate Households - Desperate For Intimacy by Cathleen Parks

Series: Desperate Households - Desperate bedrooms - desperate 4 intimacy
(basic outline)

8 steps to intimacy

The look
The flirt
The handhold
The hug
The kiss
The make out
The Touch
SEX

Where will you draw the line?

Bible says sex reserved for marriage
Thess. 4:3-4  "It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable"

Wanting line drawn for you = how far can I go & still be pure?

Wanting to go right to the line, take it to the edge
such as,

- Speed limit
- Taxes - loophole
Sex like taxes - how much can I get out of this without going too far? Is there a loophole? Is there a way to get around the rules?

It’s not just sex, but many areas of our lives.
Bible calls this our sinful nature - Gal. 5:16-17   "If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires. The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should."

Gal. 5:19-21 "People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom."

Old Testament - people wanted lines drawn for them
God made it simple - He gave the 10 Commandments
Define a sabbath = define sex

Pharisees came up with literally 100’s of rules just concerning the sabbath. 1000’s of rules of how to live overall
God never intended us to live by a rule book but instead by a heart that desires to honor Him, and in that desire, to seek purity

Stop taking all of the Galatians issues and playing with the lines. Instead consider the moments. In this moment of conversation - with my words - in handling my anger - in my relationships - in my finances - with my body -
am I honoring God?

In all of these areas, you must decide where your line is. Especially regarding sex.
**Establish your line ahead of time!

Heat of the moments, heart racing, brain shuts down - sexual autopilot

Your line is your manual override switch

Single - figure out where your line is - establish it ahead of time

Married - your line is at the look

What is someone tries to go past the line? Look at Joseph - RUN!

8 steps for single people - but 4 steps that married people need to be keenly aware of

Talk
Time
Trust
Touch

Expand
Story of Pastor having affair with another woman - it was too late before sex ever happened. Married people - RUN -
stay away

So what do you do if you think it’s too late? Single or married - you look at your steps and you think ‘It’s too late.
I know where I am or where I’ve been and it’s too late.’

Know that it’s never too late.

We serve a God of great mercy. Mercies are new every morning.
Our God did not come to condemn us but to save us.
How are we saved from our sin? Repentance. Turn and go the other way.

Repentance leads to maturity. God’s will for each of us is maturity in Him
What if you had a baby that refused to eat? (Allison)

Nature course of maturity
(CONFESSION VIDEO - Desperate Housewives)

1 Peter 2:2 "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation"

Today - God is calling you.

Calling you to stop being desperate for intimacy as we’ve evaluated it. But start being desperate for intimacy with Him.
Intimacy with God comes as you drink of His pure spiritual milk. Seeking purity, ingesting into your spirit that with is pure.


If you wish to grow up in your salvation - drink of His purity. Put aside your spiritual junk food. Christ didn’t come to condone our sin - He came to die for it. He died for it. That’s why His mercies are new every morning. Because He so desperately wants you to repent - go the other way and in that become intimate with Jesus.

Desperate Households - Desperate Communication

‘Can We Talk?’

Jesus was very clear, that Father God sent Him His only Son to the world so that anyone anywhere anytime who believed in Him would not perish but they would have eternal life.
Jesus said in John 3:17 - God didn’t send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him. You know what this means?
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

It means you’ll never look into the eyes of any man or woman who doesn’t matter to GOD. Which means we can never look into the eyes of a friend, family member or spouse thinking they don’t matter to God. They do.
They’re loved by God, they’re precious, valued, treasured, they are so important that God sent His Son to pay for their sin, to redeem them, to rescue them - they matter to God.

We should do the same
1. People matter to God so they should matter to us.

We too should value everyone, treasure all, we should treat everyone like they’re precious, b/c they are precious.
And you know what, shame on us - we treat strangers better than we treat our spouse. We’re more polite w/ people we’ve never met, than we are to the one whom we pledged our lives.
We communicate to total strangers they are worth dressing up for, speaking correctly for, cleaning up for, preparing for.
Do you treat your spouse that way? What are you
communicating to the ones that matter most?
Everyone matters to God, they do, so that’s what we’ve been trying to communicate here at FOCUS from the beginning - People matter to God - you have extremely high value.
In all that you and I communicate, wouldn't it be great if we could all get that, understand that, communicate that.
But sometimes in a pace of life, in a desperate world, where desperate people do desperate things sometimes we get a bit off-track in our communication. We begin to communicate in what we say, how we act, what we do, we begin to
communicate that our spouse doesn’t matter, kids don’t
matter, friends don’t matter, we begin to communicate things that aren’t even true. Often we don’t even realize it while it’s
happening - we do later though, in others reactions towards us.

Patrick M. Lencioni a business guru says, there are 3 steps to practical, effective communication - which works in the home by the way are:
repetition
simple messages
multiple mediums

3 things, they have nothing to do w/ presentation style, speaking ability, none of that - they are just critical practices to communicate well.

Say what we mean often -

2. say it often
it’s all about repetition.

3. say it clearly - it’s just simple messages

are you saying it clearly that you love your spouse/ are you saying clearly that they matter? are you saying clearly to your friends that they are important? that they’re valued?
cherished?
You see the way you get to this point is step by step, really the way you get anywhere in life is step by step - how do you get to this place? step by step
How do I do that? 5 love lang.
Lencioni says you wanna communicate well you have to say it alot! and you better be clear!
Often times we’re not clear - I know I mess up in this area at home - (Joe Jibberish) we don’t listen carefully and we don’t say it clearly

Say it often, say it clearly - we all know what it’s like to be misunderstood - we all know this happens, this happens, and we argue, but it doesn’t get fixed by going up the stairs or out to the garage or to the computer
We must take time for each other - whether it’s a friend, or a child, or it’s your spouse - we must take time for each other.
If you want to be understood, you’ll have to communicate over and over again and make sure it’s clear.
(drive - thru confirmation)
We need clarity - too many of us in our relationships think we can move on w/out getting clarity and more often than not it bites us in the butt. We need to say it alot as a simple clear message.

4. Say it every way you can

Around here we’ve got only one message -you matter to God, Jesus died on a cross for you, if you come to Jesus it will change your life here and for eternity.
That’s pretty much the message we communicate every week. Many of you are thinking, “why can’t we have shorter sermons then?”
It’s b/c we’re trying to say it every way we can - so we say it w/ music, we say it w/ media, in teaching, in small group
discussion, we say it by the way we treat every person that walks in here, ‘you matter to God’
Many ways, every way we can, over and over, simple and clear message, and it drives me crazy that we can’t do it even better. This is how bizarre I am.
B/c it’s a message that matters so much! What better news is there? You can be forgiven your sin, you don’t have to live in shame and or guilt any longer, you can come clean
before God and live a new life now and forever!

So I go home and think about how can I say it even better - maybe I could stand on the other side of the TV

Don’t you think about this stuff, about the people that matter most in your life and how do I share and let them know how much I love and care for them?
How can I get this through? How can I communicate this?
This is important message to important people, like your kids, you say how can I tell them, so you grab their cute little cheeks and make them look at you - you think maybe if you look at me it will help, then you try something else, and you just keep trying all kinds of things.

So all of us need to keep repeating the message, making it simple and clear in every way we can.
Are you doing that in your marriage? How about the kids? Other family members, friends?
You matter, you’re important

Often problems in our communication are due to a lack
of thought given. We just don’t think about it - when we do we really are not putting a lot of thought into it - we rush off, we don’t communicate like we should - soooo...

let’s Stop and THINK

T ruth - Is what I am about to say true? Zech 8:16 “These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other”

before you speak, or erupt, or defend, or correct, or redirect, or discipline ask is it true? don’t say, “well I think so” what do you mean you think so... “well my mother’s brother’s
plumbers neighbors wife, she said...” What! that’s heresay
I don’t know if that’s true or not - you gotta know it’s true.
If it’s not true, you don’t want anyone to shape their life around it. “speak the truth to each other”
If we lie, not only does it do no good in the moment, but we lose our influence, as soon as we become liars in a relationship, our influence diminishes greatly, b/c trust is eroded.
(clip - lie son and mom)

door off hinges
you see trust is eroded - you lose influence

H elpful - Is it helpful?
will it make a difference, will it add value eph. 4:29
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
even if it’s true, if it’s not helpful, then what’s your motive?

I mportant - Is it Important?
“But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.” Philippians 1:8

So the ? is in your marriage, your family, your friends stop and think is this making a contribution to them - if it is, they see how much you value them - were commun. love, that they matter - is it important?

N ecessary - Is it necessary? Do you need to say this? at this time? Is this critical to the cause? Your timing is critical to your communication. How many times have you been in an argument w/ spouse, child, parent, or friend and you said something - it just popped in your mind and shot out of your mouth! And by the look of the other persons face you know,
“Oh man - I shouldn’t of said that” do you know what I mean? Hey, it may be true, but not necessary, not now.
Is it necessary?

K ind - Is it kind?
“Be kind and compassionate to one another” Ephesians 4:32
“Kind words heal and help” Proverbs 15:4
That’s a good thing - especially after those stupid words that just shot out of your mouth.
Is it true, is it helpful, is it important, is it necessary, and if it’s all those things - can you say it in a kind way?can you be kind?
Be kind to your spouse - we have to teach our children to be kind and compassionate, so they need to see it in you - so stop and think - before you say something, before you blow up - teach our kids to be kind
(clip - table)
The very fact that the boy survived that dinner seems to be a miracle to me - now men, some of us spoke to our mothers like that - this is not about the boy, this is about us and we spoke that way and if we teach our boys, our children to
disrespect their mother -
then we’ve done a great disservice to them and our spouse. You say, ahh he’s just a boy, boys will be boys - no no boys will be men - that’s your job dad, that’s your job mom - and the same goes for our daughters will be ladies. Here’s the thing, that’s not a message you start when your son, your daughter is 17, that’s a message you start when your son/daughter is 2. We are kind to each other in our family, we love each other, we display it, we follow Christ’s example to love one another.

Before you speak, stop and think (review)

It’s not enough in a relationship to know how to
communicate - we must also know how to listen
(communicate vid)

What Did You Say? How to be a Good Listener?

1. Look at the Speaker
The whole listening process begins w/ giving the other
person your undivided attention.
Don’t try to catch up on unfinished work, do the dishes, stare off/ zone out in front of the TV (Cathleen; Commercial)

2. Don’t Interrupt
Most people react badly to being interrupted - how about you? You feel disrespected. Why do we do it?
- don’t place enough value on what other person has to say
- want to impress by showing how smart & intuitive they are
- too excited by convo to let them finish
Periods of silence gives a chance to reflect on what’s been said so we can respond appropriately.

3. Check Your Emotions
Don’t let your feelings overcome you - anger, excitement, needing to vent - It will cause you to not pay attention b/c you want to speak.

4. Suspend Your Judgement
Have you ever begun listening to another person tell a story and you started to respond before he or she was finished?
I think we all have. We cannot jump to conclusions and be a good listener at the same time. As we talk w/ others we have to wait and hear the whole story before we respond. If you don’t you may miss the most important thing they intended to say. (guy/girl do that in love story movie) (we say, S.Y.J)

5. Sum up
Listening is most effective when it active. So comment at a appropriate break in the convo. It lets the other know your actually paying attention, it reassures them that your not asleep. This avoids the ?, “What did I just say? Were you
listening to Me?

6. Ask Questions to Clarify
Ever notice that top news reporters are excellent listeners?
They ask follow-up ?’s to dig deeper. We need to do that in all of our communication.
You want to be a good listener, become a good reporter - gently ask follow-up ?’s and seek clarification.

Are 1st Things 1st?

Are 1st Things 1st
The New Year is a time of renewing, reevaluating, and reprioritizing. It is a time to start over again. But if you are like me, the best intentions for a new exercise regimen or a new improved devotional plan seem to fade as quickly as they are made.
So we looked at possible causes for failure, then found out “HTBAEB”
Today were going to look at six symptoms of a life that's out of balance. You see here's the deal, if your life is crazy out of whack, that impedes your witness. People look at your life and wonder if Christianity is real and that's a lifestyle controlled by God, I'm not sure I want that!

How many of you remember the story of Abraham & Lot? Gen. 13-19

Gen. 19:14 So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters. He said, "Hurry and get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

Lot had lived so long and so contented among ungodly people that his life reflected as one of chaos and he was not a believable witness for God.
If our lives are out of whack - we become like Lot.

So to help you evaluate your life, I want to share with you a little test that will help keep us headed in the right direction. I'm going to give you six symptoms of a life that's out of balance, and you can determine whether you identify a lot or a little with each one. By the end of the test, you'll have a good feel for whether or not you're on track.

Symptom #1: Busyness.
People who are busy are always in a hurry. Time is their enemy because they never seem to have enough of it. Are you always running out the door, arriving just in time or a little late? Is your desk or house a mess? Is your car dirty? Is it because you just don't have time?


Don't get caught in the activity trap. Remember, it's not how much you do that's important, but whether you're accomplishing the things that are really important.

“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:30




Symptom #2:Stress. Burnout
Do you often feel pressure and anxiety? Do you have trouble sleeping or waking up? Are you frequently uneasy, restless, indecisive, unhappy, irritable, or worn out? Do you lack connectedness in relationships and keep conversations at a superficial level? Do you feel hopelessly overwhelmed?

Richard Swenson, a medical doctor, wrote a book in which he disusses one of the major maladies of our time - anxiety & stress. He calls it "overload," & says that people are just plain overloaded.

1. We’re overloaded with commitments. We’ve committed ourselves to go here & there, to take part in this activity & that social function. As a result we soon begin meeting ourselves coming & going because we have overloaded ourselves in the area of commitments.

2. We’re also overloaded with possessions, he says. Our closets are full, & our garages are overflowing. We’ve gone into debt to pay for all of these things that we "simply must have." And now we’re so afraid that someone will steal them. We are overloaded in the area of possessions.

3. Thirdly, we have an overload in the area of work. We get up early, fight traffic, & experience intolerable working conditions because we have to if we’re going to pay for all those possessions that we’ve accumulated.

4. There is also an information overload. He said that as a doctor he has to read 220 articles a month just to keep up with all the changes in his profession. And now with the internet there’s an information superhighway. But the problem is that we can’t possibly absorb it all. So we feel an overload in this area, too.

Those symptoms of emotional stress are all indicators that you're doing a whole lot more than God designed you to do or that you're doing it in the wrong way.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philip. 4:6 (NIV)



Symptom #3: Low Grade Nagging Guilt.
Do you feel guilty because you're not accomplishing everything you think you should? Have you stopped liking yourself? Do you feel like you don't measure up?

Nagging guilt indicates that something is wrong.


let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22 (NIV)

Symptom #4: Mounting Financial Problems:
Are you spending money you don't have? Are you going out to eat because you're too tired to cook? Are you shopping because you want to feel better? Are you working harder and longer but still can't keep up with the bills? Have you stopped giving to God because you just can't afford it? Do you seem to have a hole in your checkbook?
God may be using your financial struggles to get your attention.

The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets. Proverbs 21:20 (Living)

Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never, never fail you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5 (Living)

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of contentment in every situation, whether it be a full stomach or hunger, plenty or want; Philip. 4:12 (Living)


Symptom #5: Spiritual Leakage.
How is your devotional life? Have you set aside quality time for God, or are you running out the door in the morning and crawling into bed exhausted at night with hardly a thought drifting God's way? If you treated a friend or a spouse the way you treat God, how good would your relationship be?

Here's a funny letter to a Pastor from a member:

Dear Pastor:

You often stress attendance at worship as being very important for a Christian, but I think a person has a right to miss now and then. I think every person ought to be excused for the following reasons and the number of times indicated.

Christmas Holidays (the Sunday before & after) 2
New Years (the party lasted too long) 1
Easter (get away for the holidays) 2
July 4th (national holidays) 1
Labor Day (need to get away) 2
Memorial Day (visit hometown folk) 1
School closing (kids need a break) 1
School reopens (one last fling) 1
Family reunions (mine & wife’s) 3
Sleep late (stayed up too long Saturday night) 9
Deaths in family 2
Anniversary (second honeymoon) 1
Sickness (one per family member) 5
Business trip (a must) 1
Vacation (three to four weeks) 6
Bad weather (ice, snow, rain, clouds) 2
Ball games 2
Races 2
Unexpected company (can’t walk out) 2
Time changes (spring & fall) 2
Special on TV (superbowl, etc) 3

Pastor, that leaves two Sundays per year. So, you can count on us to be in church on the 4th Sunday in February and the 3rd Sunday in August unless we are providentially hindered.
Sincerely,
A Faithful Member

The amount of time spent with the Lord in prayer is one of the greatest indicators of where your heart is with God.


I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (NKJV)

Symptom #6: Escapism Behavior. Do you sit down and mindlessly watch television for hours even if there's nothing in particular you want to watch? Do you grab something from the refrigerator, even if you're not hungry? Do you go shopping even when there's nothing you need? If you're doing any activity just to turn your mind off or get away from the pressures of life, you're practicing escapism behavior. Your life is out of balance.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV)




So how did you do? If you're like me, you probably didn't score as well as you would have liked on that test. Keeping priorities in line isn't easy, and as I thought about those questions, I realized that even now my life isn't exactly where I would like it to be.
But be encouraged-everybody's priorities are constantly in flux. I don't know anybody who has their priorities perfectly together and everything in line. But wherever you are right now, you can determine in your heart that you're going to take a step in the right direction.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:25 that “everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.” It's a process. You're not going to run a marathon the first time you put on your running shoes. But if you want to run a marathon, you have to start running.
So if your life doesn't have the balance you desire right now, let me encourage you to do two things.
First, commit yourself to taking control of your time,
because you can't control your priorities until you control your time.

“So be careful how you live. Live as men who are wise and not foolish.
Make the best use of your time...” Ephesians 5:15-16

And second, commit to giving your first and best time to God.
Even if you're not a morning person, I'd encourage you to start your day with God. If you give God the first minutes, He can transform the rest of your day through His Spirit, Who will help you discern when to say yes and when to say no.
Then also give Him your best time.
What time of the day or evening are you functioning at your best?
Whatever that is, block some of that time to talk with God, get into His Word...
Spend some of your best time with God.
And before you know it, you'll experience the peace and power of a prioritized life.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

Take the TEST:

ARE 1st THINGS 1st
"Consider your ways!" Haggai 1:5TEXT: GENESIS 19:14

Six Symptoms of Misplaced Priorities

1.___________________________________________
How to know: People who love you are saying "slow down" (1 point). You feel held hostage by time; your clock has become the enemy
(2 points). Your kids are clinging to your leg right now (2 points).

“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:30

2.___________________________________________
How to know: You are uptight, experiencing chest pains, having trouble sleeping (2 points). You are restless, uneasy (2 points). It's hard to make decisions (1 point). You're not very happy (3 points). You have a feeling of being totally worn out (4 points).

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

3.___________________________________________
How to know: You feel bad about yourself, unfulfilled. There are a lot
of things you know are important (that you even tell others to do), that you're not doing. It's getting to you, robbing you of peace, and you're feeling like a hypocrite (5 points).

“let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22

4.___________________________________________
How to know: Money's tight for you. Credit card bills are piling up, and debt continues to rise (5 points). There always seems to be too much "month" left at the end of the money (3 points). A budget, to you, is a "good idea," not something you're practicing right now (3 points). You're doing research on the difference between Chapter Eleven and Chapter Thirteen (8 points). You're not giving your first portion to the Lord, and you can't see any way in the world to do it? which adds to your guilt
(5 points).

“Stay away from the love of money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, "I will never, never fail you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
5. ___________________________________________
How to know: Your prayers consist mostly of quick, one-sided conversations in the shower or the car (5 points). You pray mostly with others, but not much alone (4 points). You don't feel close to God (3 points), you feel like you're on a spiritual roller coaster (3 points). Your Bible reading is hit and miss - more miss than hit (5 points). You feel like you're drifting spiritually, but can't find time to turn things around (5 points).
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

6.___________________________________________
How to know: You find yourself finding ways to "get away," not to relax, but to escape responsibility. You're developing habits of impulse buying (2 points), thrill seeking (1 point), purposeless driving (1 point), lots of eating out (3 points), excessive television (4 points). You recently took a vacation you couldn't afford, just because you couldn't "take it" anymore (7 points).
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27
Scoring: Add your total from each category:
Excessive Busyness _______________________
Stress/Burnout __________________________
Low Grade/Nagging Guilt __________________
Mounting Financial Pressure ________________
Spiritual Leakage ________________________
Escapism Behavior ________________________
0-3 points Congratulations! You should teach a seminar.
6-15 points You're off to a good start, with only some minor corrections to make.
16-30 points It's time to make some major changes in your life. Get ready!
31-50 points The trends in your life have you headed for disaster, and you need to make radical changes.
51 + points Danger Zone! Do not proceed without getting immediate help.
As you can see, misplaced priorities can be destructive in multiple areas of our lives. Symptoms that may seem "temporary" concessions on the front end, appearing as minor aberrations, are the gateways to disaster. But don't be discouraged! God has given us clear directives on how to find genuine peace, fulfillment and productivity in our lives.

Two Commitments to Regain Balance

1. ___________________________________________
“So be careful how you live. Live as men who are wise and not foolish.
Make the best use of your time...” Ephesians 5:15-16

2. ___________________________________________
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

The "LOST" week of the Year

I first heard about the "LOST' week about 10yrs. ago - it's a spoof of "last" week.
The holiday season begins a week or two before Thanksgiving - from that moment
on up until the main event Christmas Day - we are hurried, rushed, overloaded,
with packed schedules.

This December Cathleen and I attended two Christmas parties, 1 of the Church, 1 work
Christmas party.
Our girls attended 2 diffrerent birthday parties, not to mention Cathleen's
b-day is the 21st oF DEC.
Family in from out of town most of DEC.
Added onto all of the regular Christmas preparations of shopping, traveling,
children's plays and the like...
Come the main event - Christmas Day - we get about half way through the day and crash!

The next day, the 26th onto the 31st becomes the last week of the year, a week
that often becomes LOST - we have hit a brick wall and zone out! We think to ourselves,
"I did it! I made it through another holiday season alive with all my limbs attatched!"

The only problem is that when we zone out of the last week, we begin a New Year behind.
Behind physically, mentally, and spiritually.

To avoid that I'd like to share a few things I do to stay FOCUSED


The "LOST" Week of the Year
(December 26 - January 2)


"Act like people with good sense and not like fools.
...so make every minute count." Ephesians 5:15-16


Five suggestions to keep your FOCUS:


1. REFLECT, FAST, & PRAY

Grab a notebook and pen then take some time to reflect on the past year, the
good, the not so good, the fun stuff, the annoying things.
Talk to God about the year, ask what He has to say.
Take some time to fast this week. I fast New Years Eve into New Years day.
Think about what could work for you.

"Examine yourselves..." 2 Corinthians 13:5


"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. Jeremiah 29:12

"And when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, who try to look
pale and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting." Matthew 6:16


2. Read a large book in the Bible

A couple of years ago I was reading the gospels, this year it's Acts. Pick a
good size book, Dueteronomy is a fabulous Old Testament book, Psalms or Proverbs, or maybe
1st or 2nd Corinthians. It will definetly get a head start on reading the Bible in a year
if that's your route.

"Never stop reading The Book of the Law he gave you. Day and night you must
think about what it says. If you obey it completely, you will be successful." Joshua 1:8

3. Undress the House

This is simply using this week to take down and store all of your beautiful
Christmas decor.

You may say why? It's just the thought that come January 2nd you still have
Christmas decor up and it avoids the feeling of "Im already behind, I still have to put
away last year's stuff"

"let us strip off every weight that slows us down,... And let us run with
endurance the race that God has set before us." Hebrews 12:1


4. Set aside time for "Refreshing"

This is differernt from zoning out - this is purposed relaxation and refreshing.
Take some time of solitude and invite the Holy Spirit to come and renew you spiritually.
With palms up just say,

"God, I'm here willing to just sit and soak up whatever you have for me."
Then watch how God loves on you.

"I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my
whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God." Psalm 84:2


5. Summarize... Prioritize... Organize

Go back to the time of reflection, what did you come up with? What did God say? ...Summarize

Make a list of what you want to accomplish in '06 - from small to big - lay it out & ...Prioritize

Now that is done, how are you going to accomplish these things? What's your plan ...Organize

"Lead me in the right path, O LORD,... Tell me clearly what to do, and show me
which way to turn." Psalm 5:8

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be
given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

That's just a few suggestions, you may have more. Whatever the case, don't let
the last week become the LOST week.