Tag Archive - Spirituality

If you went to John Wesley’s church would you join a small group?

May 29, 2009 in Spirituality with 1 Comment

Wesley’s small groups were formed around this command-‘confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.’ (James 5:16) To join one of these small groups you had to be willing to observe several directions. Here’s a sampling:

  1. To meet once/week.
  2. To be punctual.
  3. To speak openly & plainly about the true state of your soul. & to confess faults & temptations in word, deed & thoughts.
  4. To be desirous & open to being told your faults & open to others telling you what they think, fear or hear concerning you.
  5. To be receptive to having your heart, desires & thoughts searched out to the very bottom.
  6. To be entirely open to speak everything that is in your heart without exception, disguise or reserve.
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Understanding Why Trouble Comes

March 7, 2009 in Church, Spirituality with 1 Comment

Troubles come for many reasons. However, seeking to understand why can be a real growth point for Christians. So, when trouble comes (& it will), go to the Lord, search your heart & see if you can’t get some understanding.

3 Reasons Why Trouble Comes:

  1. Sin: Living in open or secret rebellion against God.

    This should be a no brainer. Sin kills. It puts us at odds with God-our relationship with him gets out of whack & it must be dealt with by the blood of Jesus. We sin daily, so we should go to Jesus daily. Don’t play with sin! Confess it to Jesus. Forsake it & keep coming to him for cleansing & strength.

    Question: Is there an area where you are walking in secret or flagrant disobedience against God?

  2. The world we live in is fallen.

    It was not this way at the beginning-in the Garden of Eden it was paradise.But we rebelled against God. Now, the entire world is experiencing the consequences of sin-complete selfishness, war, disease, hatred & on & on.

    Question: Is the challenge your facing simply a result of living in a world in alienation from God?

  3. Growth: God’s wanting to teach us, correct us, stretch us or grow us.

    Sometimes Oakley hasn’t done anything wrong…I’m just stretching him. For example, when we were teaching him to climb down the steps (he learned to go up no problem!) eventually I had to stop carrying him down. Boy, did he cry! I guess he felt rejected. How could I go down the steps without carrying ‘baby’ Oakley? Sure enough, he began to do what I had showed him over & over-turn around (a major accomplishment) & slide down the steps on his belly.

    Question: Is God teaching, correcting, stretching or growing you in an area of your life?

40 Day Challenge

March 2, 2009 in Spirituality with 0 Comments

Here we go again! 2 things…

  1. The men in our church are signing up to fast & pray 1 day over the next 40 days leading up to Easter (Tues Mar 3 – Sat Apr 11). With each man taking a day our men will put together 40 days of nonstop fasting & prayer. Lord, may you be pleased with our attempts to reach out to you. Don’t change, but please change us! If you want more information or would like to participate just email Bill at wirvin.forge@comcast.net & ask him about the 40 Days for 40 Men.
  2. Jill & I are also doing some personal fasting during these 40 days. Basically, we are cutting out “Pleasure Spending” & “Pleasure Eating.” Here’s what we mean…
  • No Pleasure Spending: We commit to cut out unnecessary purchases & to buy only essentials-groceries, gas & a few gifts for birthdays. (We didn’t want to show up at my brother’s birthday & say, “Sorry, we didn’t get you anything because we’re on a spending freeze!”) Otherwise unnecessary spending is on a 40 day freeze. For example, shopping, starbucks, eating out, etc. In this fast we are trying to pull down the idol of materialism.
  • No Pleasure Eating: We commit to eating what I never eat…soups & salads. This rule will be relaxed in situations when it would be rude or inappropriate to refuse what is offered. In this fast, we are trying to pull down the idol of our appetite.

Lord, help us. I am challenged to the max with your 1st commandment. I feel like a spiritual 1st grader. Help us to have no other gods before you.

PS. In case you’re wondering, the photo has nothing to do with this blog. We were just thrilled that it finally snowed! Oakley lasted 2 minutes before he came inside & cried for 15 (frozen fingers)!

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