AN UPDATE…

December 19, 2008 in Updates with 1 Comment

Allison and I went to Columbia for interviews on Monday of this week, to try and take the next step in relocating to Missouri. Allison had two interviews at Salons that she liked, and they both loved her and offered her the positions. So she is deciding which position to take currently and is good to go….

I however am having a hard time getting a decent job… I interviewed at a mortgage company and found out today that I didn’t get the position, “another candidate had more sales experience.” So I digress and will keep applying. I know God has a plan somewhere in all of this, I am just impatient.

Bible Study Method 101

December 17, 2008 in bible,life,questions,reading with 0 Comments

I had some questions on the Bible study method that I talked about during the Saturday/Sunday services at House of Freedom, so I will try to outline some of that in the entry. You can listen to the entire seminar online at thevillagechurch.net, click on the Saturday Seminars and it will be the top 2 selections.

Here are some of the basics:
20/20/20 method of studying scripture

20 minutes for Reading

  • Pray first for some revelation during your time of reading, that God might stir your heart through your efforts.
  • Read and underline what sticks out to you.

20 minutes for Journaling

  • Write down scriptures read (Matthew 1-4), and date the entry.
  • Observations: write down observations from the text, the who, what, where and possibly the why. Start writing what sticks out to you, what you are noticing and what patterns you notice.
  • Application: Jot down some notes on what tangible things you could do or pray to help you with what you have read.
  • Breathe/Listen: give the Holy Spirit a chance to teach you or speak to your spirit.
  • Title it: make a funny or appropriate title that encompasses the subject of what you just read.

20 minutes for prayer/sharing your observations

  • Pray for a time asking God to help you apply what you have read, keep in mind the heart of prayer Christ asks for, don’t just ask for him to give you stuff….
  • Share your observations with your spouse or room mate, this will help you grow together and give you insight you might not have caught otherwise.

This method of studying is just what I use, it has proved fruitful in my life and I hope will help you as well (assuming you are looking for help in the study area). Studying the word of God is essential no matter what method you use though, so dig into it.

A Night With the Edwards Family

December 14, 2008 in Random with 2 Comments






Friday night Allison and I got to hang out with the Edwards family, and had blast. We went out for Chinese food, which is always a crowd pleaser in my eyes, followed by just hanging out. During the night I took some pictures and figured I would share them with everyone.


Don’t forget to keep us in your prayers in traveling to Missouri and back for job interviews.  Allison has 2 interviews, they are both second interviews. I have an interview with a mortgage company as well.

BEN STEIN’S – EXPELLED

December 5, 2008 in religion with 5 Comments

I just watched Expelled, a documentary by Ben Stein on intelligent design and it’s epic struggle against Darwinism. I have to say that it was an excellent video and well worth taking the time to see and educate yourself on.  I had no ideal that there was this large of a struggle from mainstream scientists to aggressively and relentlessly oppose any study that could possibly allow a creator or higher intelligence to exist.


They are so desperate to oppose any thought of intelligent design that they will effectively dismantle anyones career who speaks against their thoughts (in the context of scientists, journalists and teachers). Even when Darwin’s work wasn’t the most sound and there is actually evidence against many of his findings, still his followers allow no room for any other thoughts.

They see God as a myth and a fairy tale, that ignorant people buy into to make themselves feel better. Mainstream scientists also think that removing religion completely from the world would bring about a revolution of knowledges leading to “utopia.“
Take the time to check this out, above is a short trailer for the video, bellow is a longer one.

QUAD CITIES WITH THE TORRES FAMILY

December 2, 2008 in Random with 4 Comments



Allison and I had a good Thanksgiving with family, but the highlight was without a doubt going to see Jose and Leanne in the Quad Cities.  We drove up early on Friday morning, while the rest of society was fighting over “Black Friday” bargains and stayed the night.


During the trip we got to see Jose’s old stomping ground, and of course go to Whitey’s for ice cream. It was a great trip and the only sad part about it was realizing again how much I miss them… But we will be closer to them when we move to Missouri so hopefully that will help.

Here are a couple random pictures I thought I would share from the trip… 

PRAYER

November 27, 2008 in religion with 3 Comments

I am speaking on prayer Saturday and Sunday at House of Freedom, and have had the topic on my mind for a little while. I had promised someone I would do a message on it, after they had expressed the desire to have more people break down what the word says about it. So my message will be broken down into 3 sections:

  • How to do it (what heart to have during it)
  • What responsibility do we have with prayer, in the context of when asking for things
  • And our attitude when prayer isn’t answered in the way that we think it should be
For the purpose of this blog I would like to discuss the second section, while using the text MATTHEW 7: 7-8 (ESV)
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knock it will be opened.”

When reading this section of scripture I think that it is important to note that there are 3 clear steps out lined: ASK, SEEK and KNOCK.

What I mean by this is that ASK is the part in which you verbalize your request to God.

SEEK is when you make sure that your request lines up with his will, while searching for his face the whole time.

KNOCK is a verb that implies action on our parts, a step in which we actively take action towards resolving our request ourselves.

This 3 part equation many times gets stopped at ASK, we ASK God to do something over and over, but never take action to try and help resolve the situation on our own.

God sometimes answers our requests through our actions, he doesn’t always snap his omnipotent fingers to accomplish our desires without any effort.

Any request worth granting to God, is worth trying to take action towards yourself as well…

RESOURCES

November 25, 2008 in Resources with 0 Comments

I was back in Missouri this weekend hanging out (and scouting for jobs) with my family and friends, while there I broke out the computer and showed some of my future planting partners some resources that I really liked. Websites, podcasts, blogs… stuff like that. Many of the resources where ones that they had never heard of and that is why I am going to post them here, and hope that anyone else reading the blog might be able to browse or even utilize them. Whether it be for growth of a ministry or personal growth it doesn’t matter, the bottom line is good resources help, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel all the time.

Now this post is going to (hopefully) compose of 2 parts:
FIRST: my post with links and stuff I like
SECOND: (this is where you come in) send me resources you may like via a reply, and I will add them up later in an update.  Hopefully this will yield some helpful material for all (don’t be lame, please reply).

PODCASTS:
Mars Hill Church: Mark Driscoll (audio or video)
LifeChruch.tv: Craig Groeschel (audio or video)
The Village Church: Matt Chandler (audio)
Elevation Church: Steven Furtick (audio)
Mars Hill Bible Church: Rob Bell (audio)
Creative Sweet Tv: Adobe and Design Tutorials (video)
Mosaic: Erwin McManus (audio)
North Point Ministries: Andy Stanley (audio)

WEBSITES:
Contains sermon outlines, sermon media and graphics, videos and much more (even gives photoshop and illustrator graphic files). All free and awesome.

This site has sermons, many of which have PDF’s that come with them. Also there is a resources page that has seminars as well as theological messages.

Contains great worship albums and more.

Mark Driscoll’s site, lots of good stuff.

I haven’t been able to dig to deep into this site as of yet, but sermon ideas and media, along with it looks like much more.

life and leadership resources (not free)

This whole conference is a massive resource, check it out and go if you can. It rocked me this year.

I think this will do for a little while, check those out and send me yours.  Hopefully this will be a helpful post…

MISSOURI TRIP

November 22, 2008 in missouri with 2 Comments

Well Allison and I made it to Missouri alright, luckily we didn’t hit a deer.  It’s the middle of deer season and they are everywhere. As you can see by the picture my family was captivated with my MAC and its photo  booth, we probably messed with it for a half an hour. I am enjoying hanging out with family, and am looking forward to church tomorrow. But our reason for coming is job interviews, Allison has 3 on Monday so wish us luck and say a prayer.

Also I got my new bible in on Wednesday and I love it, it has so much more as far as notes and theology.  Definitely a good investment.

NEW SWORD…

November 17, 2008 in bible with 3 Comments

It’s that time again people… time to get me a new sword.

I had been eyeing this bible since returning from Catalyst last month. It is the translation that Matt Chandler and many other pastors are raving about since it’s release not long ago. ESV stands for English Standard Version, and I purchased the study Bible version.

It features:

  • 2 million words of Bible text and insightful teaching in 2,752 pages.
  • 20,000 notes—focusing especially on understanding the Bible text and providing answers to frequently raised issues.
  • Over 50 articles—including articles on the Bible’s authority and reliability; on biblical archaeology, theology, ethics, and personal application.
  • 200-plus charts—offering key insights and in-depth analysis in clear, concise outline form; located throughout the Bible.
  • Over 200 full-color maps—created with the latest digital technology, satellite images, and archaeological research; printed in full color throughout the Bible.
  • 80,000 cross-references—to encourage easy location of important words, passages, and biblical themes.
  • 40 all-new illustrations—including full-color renderings and architectural diagrams of the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, Solomon’s temple, Herod’s temple, the city of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time and throughout the history of Israel, and many more.

    • I had held off on buying it until I saw one in person Saturday, and that was it for me. I know… I know… sounds funny but I’m super excited about my new SWORD. If you want one check out CBD.com they are half price at that site, and I’ll update this on how I like it once it arrives on Wednesday.

    Also Allison and I are going to Missouri this weekend, she has a couple interviews….!!!

    THE JOB HUNT… OH JOY!!!

    November 12, 2008 in Jobs with 5 Comments

    The job hunt has began… The next step for Allison and I to be able to get to Columbia MO for a future church plant is jobs. We are both looking, and have sent resumes out to several companies . I have spent much of the past week milling through Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com for a job that might work, but honestly I am having a difficult time with it so far.

    I had applied for two computer positions at Midway USA, about a week ago and unfortunately it looks like I won’t be getting them.  I am running head on into the issue of not having a Bachelor’s Degree. I have found that my skill sets meet the requirements but my education however does not…. depressing I must admit.
    But the hunt will continue, I am going to need some favor in this to find a position that will allow me to move. So your prayers would be appreciated while we work this whole job-move thing out.
    PEACE OUT…  
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