5 Minute Countdown Prayer

The other night I set the timer on my ipod for 5 minutes. For 5 minutes I did nothing but ask God to speak to me and form my soul. I didn't ask for anything. I didn't ask for a blessing. I didn't ask him to help us financially. I didn't ask him to help Living Hope. I just asked Him to speak to me, to form me.

I took out my notebook and wrote down any thoughts that came to mind.

If any action came to mind I wrote it down quickly, did not think about it, and went back to praying God speak to me and form me.

If someone came to mind, I quickly said God help them and immediately went back to praying God speak to me, God form me.

That 5 minutes went by quick. The church bells sounded on my ipod and I was not finished and God was not finished. So I set the timer again. That 5 minutes went by fast as well. So, I set it one more time.

It was a great time of prayer. It was an important time of prayer. I encourage everyone to give this a try.

What's Your Sign

I am very proud the say I have never started a conversation with, "What's your sign?" The Internet and western world has been up in the air with the changing of the horoscope signs. My guess is lots of people are highly upset their horoscope sign changed from one sign to another.

My personal thoughts about horoscopes are they are fake at best and evil at worst.

I know several sweet ladies who put a lot of stock in horoscopes. Do I think they are evil, no. Do I think they are misguided, I do. Do I think relying on horoscopes could cause them some real problems, yes I do.

Isa 40:26 26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

We should stop looking to the stars for direction and look to the one who created the stars for direction. Elohim(the eternal Creator God) has been around longer than the stars. Apparently astrologist have misplaced a couple of stars, but Yahweh has not.

Isa 40:31 31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Those who hope in the Lord will be guided through life not those who check their daily horoscopes.

I don't know my sign and I don't care to know my sign. I do know God and desire to know Him more.

Deed of Ownership

Let it be known by all those present that:


For good and righteous consideration, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, as Todd Smith(created being), as Servant, hereby conveys and deeds to Adonai (Lord and Master God),: as Owner, the following described real property, all that the created being is in possession of: Said created being will remain steward of all real property for the glorification of said Adonai. Adonai in turn per se: will supply all acquired needs of created being and supply all strength to maintain said stewarded property.


Hereby on 18th day of January in the year 2011

___________________________________________________
(signature of the second part; i.e. created being)

____
Initial

How To Start A Church Service?

This goes out to any person who has ever opened up their church's celebration service. It is not the easiest thing to do. People are coming in with all different mindsets. Some people are refreshed and ready to go. Some may not have slept well the night before and are tired. Some may have had an argument with their spouse before arriving at the church building. Others just saw a friend they have dying to talk to all week. So how do we get everyone focused on worshiping God in song?

A good way to start is by asking the congregation questions. Ask, are you glad to be together again to worship God? Make sure you are sincere and that you are truly glad as well before asking that question. Ask, are you ready to give God praise today? Ask, do you believe God is here today? Ask, do you believe Jesus deserves all our praise? Be creative in your questions. Ask questions that go along with the song choices for that morning or from that day's sermon.

The point is, worship is not a spectator sport. The congregation is not there to be entertained, they are there to praise God. Asking questions gets the congregation started in the involvement of worship. Whether they answer the questions out loud or to themselves the questions get the family of God focused on the worship of God.

Good of the week- laughing with your kids

I was at a conference this week. The meetings were fine but what was really good was hanging out with my daughter at the swimming pool. I don't like swimming but I do like to hear my daughter laugh. She laughed when I came down the pitch black death casket water slide. She laughed when I held her up on the lily pad water obstacle course across the rope bridge.

My daughter and I laughed at Wendy's this week. We were sitting below the music speaker and an old 80's song was playing. I started singing the song and E picked up on the words quickly. We were both singing out a song by the Human League. We were having fun, Monica was embarrassed, and Elizabeth was laughing. She has a great laugh.

When did you last laugh with your kids? How about setting up something this week that will give you the opportunity to laugh.

Just For Laughs- Ceiling Fan Storm

A married couple is sitting around a mom and pop restaurant enjoying their meal. It is kindof stuffy in the restaurant and another table asks a waiter if he could do something about it. The waiter springs into action to solve the problem of the stuffy restaurant. He looks all around and notices the ceiling fans, "Ahh Haa, problem solved," he thinks to himself. So he turns on the fans. Now there is a bigger problem, you see those ceiling fans had not been used or cleaned in quit some time. A huge dust storm begins to fall on every one's double cheeseburgers and house salads. Customers start covering their plates with their unused napkins. It almost, almost, made the food uneatable.

Moral of the story. Sometimes a little dust falls into our Dr. Peppers. Try, try not to let it ruin your day.

Thanks Brad for the story.

12 Ways to Help You Pray

1. Better to pray for short periods of time often, than for long periods of time rarely.

2. Say your prayers out loud.

3. Pray the Scriptures.

4. Write out a daily prayer list.

5. Let people know that you prayed for them.

6. Keep a prayer journal.

7. Change locations for your prayer time.

8. Pray with someone.

9. Learn from someone who you think prays well.

10. Pray until you pray.

11. Pray in the Spirit. Rom 8:26-27

12. Always look for fresh ways to pray.

iPray sermon

Life is Full of Lumps

As my wife was putting my daughters hair in a ponytail earlier this week, my daughter told her, "It has a lump." My wife in her straight forward brilliant way replied, "Life is full of lumps." She completed the ponytail and we walked my daughter to school. My daughter's hair looked good even with the lump(wish I could say the same).

"Life is full of lumps" has stuck with me this week. Life has lumps, unemployment lumps, doctor's reports lumps, deadline lumps, tiredness lumps, family lumps. But our life can still look good with the lumps.

Paul says in II Cor 12:7, Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Paul had a lump in his life.

In Verse 8 he says he pleaded 3 times for God to take it away

God's reply, Vs. 9 My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.

So every time there is a lump, there is grace, which leads to God's power and not my own. I am no good at living under my own power anyway, lumps or not.

Practice

-Matt 7:24-27 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

-I will specifically practice part of the Jesus life today, that's the only way to make my life strong.

-Jesus will help me practice part of his life today, he is a great teacher.

-I know I must practice a specific part of Jesus life everyday, you see I have not perfected any of them. But Jesus, the good teacher, will guide me on towards completeness.

-I will practice joy today, that is a main part of the Jesus life. He even faced the cross, joyfully. Although there are many parts of the Jesus life to choose from, peace, love, prayer, faith, giving, patience, grace, service, giving, gentleness, and on and on. I will practice another tomorrow.

-I will cover all of my actions today in a specific part of the Jesus life, joy. I will study, joyfully. Make phone calls, joyfully. Mail some letters, joyfully. I may get everything done, I may not. But joy will cover it all.


-I will practice the Jesus life in private in hope's of taking the Jesus life to the public. I want to show the world the love, joy, peace, faith, grace, etc of Jesus. I guess I better practice.


Practice sermon

2011 Good, Ehh, Bad

2010 ended for some with things going really good, (you got the new car, the promotion everyone is healthy). For some it just ended (same old car, same pay, but at least you have your health). For others it ended like a nightmare (I know people who have lost their jobs, lost both parents to the grave, even faced the death of a child)

2011 will end the same way, some good, some ehh, some bad. I make no promises for 2011 except that Jesus said he would never leave us or forsake us, that he would be with us always.

So everyday of 2011, good, ehh, or bad, he is with you. Praise him for the good. Seek him during the "ehh" for guidance. Rest with him during the bad. Cling to the good shepherd during the bad, you must know he is with you to fear no evil.

You have to work this out everyday in 2011 with fear and trembling. I don't know what 2011 holds, I guess I better just focus on tomorrow, which is part of 2011

Oops, just noticed it's after midnight, it's 2011. Everyone is healthy, thank you Jesus. Job situation in Michigan kindof ehh, so Jesus guide. My stepfather's health is bad, help him Jesus, minister to him, care for him, help me to do so. In Jesus name, Amen.