That New Music!
“There are several reasons for opposing it. One, it’s too new. Two, it’s often worldly, even blasphemous. The New Christian Music is not as pleasant as the more established style. Because there are so many new songs, you can’t learn them all. It puts too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than Godly lyrics. This new music creates disturbances making people act indecently and disorderly. The preceding generation got along without it. It’s a money making scene and some of these new music upstarts are lewd and loose.”

To whom was this pastor referring?

He was referring to The Father of American Hymnody, Isaac Watts in 1723 

Yes, the same Isaac Watts that wrote, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross", "Joy to the World" and hundreds of other hymns.  There really is nothing new under the sun.  (Source: Peter Wagner, Churchquake)

New Methods?

The Seven Last Words of the Church:
“We’ve never done it that way before.”

What, try something new?
We've always done it this way
Ride your horse to church 
 -- Haiku by O’Brian –

"The Words, 'We've Never Done it That Way Before' are an invitation to try something new."
-- Pastor Jeff--

Clouds

"This evening the clouds lay low on the mountains, so that sometimes we could hardly see them, and sometimes the stars were nearly all covered. But always, just when it seemed as though the mountains were going to be quite lost in the mist, the higher peaks pushed out, and whereas the dimmer stars were veiled, the brighter ones shone through. Even supposing the clouds had wholly covered the face of the mountains, and not a star had shone thorugh the piled-up masses, the mountains would still have stood stadfast, and the stars would not have ceased to shine.
I thought of this and found it quite comforting, simple as it is.  Our feelings do not affect God's facts.  They may blow up like clouds and cover the eternal things that we do most truly believe.  We may not see the shining of the promises, but still they shine; and the strength of the hills that is His also, is not for one moment less because of our human weakness. 
Heaven is no dream. Feelings go and come like clouds, but the hills and the stars abide."

Amy Carmichael, Edges of His Ways, 44-45.

Prayer (When The Answer is No)

It was time for bedtime prayers and her father came into the room to check on little Amy.  She was kneeling at her bedside and saying over and over again, "Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo".  He couldn't help himself, so the father interrupted and asked his daughter, "what are you doing." 
She replied, "I'm praying"
"What kind of a prayer is that?" He wondered.
"I had a test in school today and I was praying that God would make Tokyo the captital of France."

Adapted from an illustration in Approaching God by Steve Brown

Ready for His Coming?

It was nearly 5:00 AM, and my Grandmother and I had just driven several hours and then spent several hours at the hospital and we were ready for some sleep.  There was a motel near the hospital and we decided to check in and get a few hours of sleep.  We were unable to get into the lobby, the door was locked.  After a considerable amount of pounding on the door and ringing the doorbell, finally a lady came to the door -- she had obviously been sleeping and was buckling her pants as she came into view.  Most notably, she had a wig--- a big one....an unusual one....and it was noticably crooked..  The lady was in slow motion and made all kinds of mistakes while she checked us in.  As we were about to go our rooms, my grandmother said to her, "We're sorry for waking you up".  The Lady replied, "Oh, I wasn't sleeping.  I was in the back auditing the books."  Recognizing the statement for what it was, we could hardly wait to get to the parking lot, so we could freely burst into laughter.  Someday Jesus comes back, we don't want to be caught unprepared...It won't be a time for feeble excuses...we need to be alert and ready.

(personal illustration-- Pastor Jeff)

Sanctification

Did your mother have a pair of "Good scissors"?  I know mine did. How many times, did I hear this:  "Don't you dare use my good scissors!". There were many pairs of scissors that could be used to cut paper and do all those important craft projects of childhood.  But we knew that there was a special set of scissors that had been "set apart" and chosen to be used only by mother when she sewing.  In a similar way, God desires us to be set apart that we may be used not for common use (the sin of this world), but for the special use of the our heavenly Father as we become "his workmanship/ his good scissors" to do good works". 

(Personal Illustration from Pastor Jeff and his experiences resulting from trying to use "my good scissors" for common use)
 

Sanctification

My father has several workbenches filled with tools (and many other things for that matter).  Growing up, we learned that it was O.K. to use those tools for common use.  But we also learned that there was a special drawer of tools in my father's tool cabinet that was "set apart" for his special projects: his "snap-on tool drawer".  These were the tools that were to be used only by him and only on his most important projects.  God wants us to be set apart and live a holy life so that he might use use us greatly for his special projects.  His "set apart ones" are not to waste their time in the sin of this world, but are to be kept for the Father's special projects.

(Personal Illustration from Pastor Jeff...and his childhood experiences in learning the meaning of sanctification by the unauthorized use of my father's snap on wrenches.)

More Illustrations
 
 
 

More Illustrations?
Still More Illustrations

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