1 Chronicles 16:1 “So they brought the ark of God and set it in the midst of the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.” Two things you notice from this passage. First is that they brought the Ark, and second, who were the “they?” […]
1 Chronicles 16:4 “He appointed Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord and to celebrate [by calling to mind], thanking and praising the Lord, the God of Israel” Ministering to the Lord. Now there’s a concept that’s out of this world -literally and figuratively. Several months ago our church’s mother’s day out program […]
2 Chronicles 15:12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, and to yearn for Him with all their heart’s desire and with all their soul; Where did they go to look for God? Many scholars suggest that the covenant that was birthed from this passage actually aided in the […]
Oswald Chambers reminds us of what should be happening as we seek God through fasting and prayer: our death. Jesus and the devil have one thing in common – they’re both out to kill us. Have you truly identified with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, and Lord? It’s all about control […]
Mark 4:10, 34 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable… And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples. Oswald Chambers has the following insights worth noting: Our Solitude with Him. Jesus doesn’t take us aside and explain things to us all the time; He explains […]
Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one who cries: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord [clear away the obstacles]; make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God! I just wanted to let our church family know that of the 9 Affinity Groups six of the nine have been committed […]
More from Dr. Bill Bright on Fasting: Expect Results If you sincerely humble yourself before the Lord, repent, pray, and seek God’s face; if you consistently meditate on His Word, you will experience a heightened awareness of His presence (John 14:21). The Lord will give you fresh, new spiritual insights. Your confidence and faith in […]
Once again I choose to defer to the wisdom of Dr. Bill Bright to be our guide regarding fasting: Your time of fasting and prayer has come. You are abstaining from all solid foods and have begun to seek the Lord. Here are some helpful suggestions to consider: Avoid drugs, even natural herbal drugs and […]
The following is taken from Dr. Bill Bright, former Campus Crusade leader, who has fasted for 40 days or more: How you begin and conduct your fast will largely determine your success. By following these seven basic steps to fasting, you will make your time with the Lord more meaningful and spiritually rewarding. STEP 1: […]
When Jesus was asked a question on the subject of fasting as recorded in Matthew 9, he answered in a way that God’s people should well understand. He used a wedding metaphor: Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we […]
Genesis 22:9 “When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there; then he laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar on the wood.” Oswald Chambers: This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the […]
Just wanted to update our Bethany Church Family that Kristy Whittington’s Surgery went well. She is resting at her house with her Dad, and step Mom, while Lauren nurtures her back to health. Thank you for praying! Just got an update on Kim Kiker. She is out of surgery and recovering. The Doctor said, She […]
In 2005 John Mark McMillan wrote and released the song, “How He Loves” and thousands were divided over one verse in the song: “So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss,..” Awakening imaginations to the idea of kissing Jesus. How wrong and weird is that? Yet it shines light on something lurking just beneath […]
Has Everyone Made a Reminder Card Like This?
I trust that following last Sunday’s message everyone has had the opportunity to edit and rewrite their personal testimony. Until this week our challenges have been to see people the way God sees them, loving them from an eternal perspective. The other was to seek to obey the Lord in the area of sharing your […]
The Third commandment: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Remember the days of “Your Mama” jokes? Yo mama’s so stupid…She stared at a cup of orange juice for 12 hours because it said “concentrate.” Yo mama’s so ugly…She threw a boomerang and it refused to come back. Yo mama’s so fat…When […]
Pastor Chuck Smith: Life exists on two planes: the vertical and the horizontal. The vertical axis on which your life revolves is your relationship with God. The horizontal is your relationship with others. There is a fixed center point so that if the vertical axis is out of line, your life is doomed to become […]
There was an old song from the band Chicago Transit Authority back in 1969 titled, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” There’s a line in the lyrics that says: “People runnin’ everywhere, Don’t know where to go, Don’t know where I am, Can’t see past the next step, Don’t have time to think […]
It is my great pleasure to introduce a new staff member to Bethany Church: Lincoln Lawing has accepted an invitation to work with our youth part-time beginning September 5. His efforts will be focused primarily on Wednesday evening ministry with youth until the new year when he completes a prior ministry commitment with another church. Please be in prayer […]
Colossians 2:6-7 “So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.” Today Jackie’s heart and mine overflow with thankfulness as we think on how God has blessed us with the staff, […]
1 Timothy 2:8 I desire therefore that in every place men should pray, ….without anger or quarreling or resentment or doubt [in their minds], ….lifting up holy hands. People are having face lifts, neck lifts, chin lifts, forehead lifts, mid-face lifts, eye lid lifts, lower face lifts, mini face lifts, to their bodies. But what about […]
Do you know God’s phone number? Missionary to America, Zac Lyons, challenged us this Sunday to know God’s 411. There was a time before google that if we didn’t know the phone number for someone or a place of business that we called 411 information, and they would tell us what we needed to know. […]
This morning while reviewing my emails I saw one that I thought I should share with you. During the service the Lord released a word of knowledge that someone’s lower back was in need of healing. I asked if anyone in the service was having lower back pain and several hands shot up. The challenge […]
1 Chronicles 29:17 I know also, my God, that You try the heart and delight in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things. And now I have seen with joy Your people who are present here offer voluntarily and freely to You. As summer time is in full swing […]
“How often do you get a chance to reach deep into history and bring something back?” –Rick Brown “Raise the Roof” was a PBS documentary regarding the reconstruction of an 18th century, Polish wooden synagogue by acclaimed artists/educators Rick and Laura Brown, in the country of Poland. After working for ten years with hundreds of students, educators, […]
I don’t know if you’ve noticed the landscaping that has been done around the church lately – but it’s looking pretty good. This did not happen by itself. Last Friday Kent Lee, Vic Medlin, and Jake Donofrio mowed grass and edged for several hours to achieve a look exemplifying our care for God and His […]
Back in the “eighties” a pop rock group called the Alan Parsons Project released a song titled, “Where Do We Go From Here?” It’s lyrics were: “Where do we go from here now that all other children are growin’ up And how do we spend our lives if there’s no one to lend us a […]
Yesterday for the National Day of Prayer Robert Russell and I joined Ron and Lisa Drogan at Red Classic Transportation for the National Day of Prayer. We had a great time of prayer and intercession.
Is it enough to “be saved?” Is there something deeper we are all called to? Do you only see what Jesus has done for you; what He can do for you? How big is your God? Is He big enough; bigger than your circumstances? John 15:1 “I AM the True Vine…” Vine in the Greek […]
Could you forward this to those you know aren’t necessarily reading the blogs or signed-up to receive them? What were the results of our Transformation Discovery Meeting? What are some ideas that I have regarding how to “flesh” these out over the next several months and year? Following our Transformation Discovery Meeting with Dr. Bob […]
