Most of our culture is struggling to ?nd roots.  We are so transient.  Most of us are from other parts of the country.  You seldom hear of anyone working at the same job for more than a handful of years.  And even marriage is no guarantee to bring stability.  This same philosophy has carried over into the church.  Join us on Sundays this summer as we translate the timeless truths of early church beliefs and see how these roots can provide a great foundation through the chaos of life.  Bring your family and join us at 10:30 on Sundays.

Hosea was one of God’s last messengers to the northern kingdom of Israel to warn them of the upcoming punishment of God that would be doled out by the nation of Assyria. The people of Israel were at a time of peace, comfort, and relative prosperity. This condition made them lax in their relationship with God so gradually the began to worship idols and the created things of life rather than the Creator.

God told Hosea to marry a prostitute that would continue in her ways even after her marriage to show Israel that He still wanted to redeem them even after their spiritual adultery.

But one thing is central to this book that is brought up in every study written about it. It is the idea that “God loves His people so much, He will allow no rivals!”.

Today take a few minutes like I was prompted to by the Holy Spirit and ask yourself, “Are there any rivals to the importance and preeminnce of my relationship with God?”. As I listened here were a few of my rivals the Lord revealed to me that needed to be surrendered…my wife, kids, church, even tv. What rivals do you hve today? Surrender them and thank God for His love that is so encompassing it won’t allow any rivals!

 I bet you came up with some funny things about which people could be afraid.  Some of the things people are afraid of just doesn’t make sense.  But did you know that Jesus looks at all fear the same way?

 Read Matthew 8:23-27 as a family.

 ”23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

 Did you see Jesus’ reaction?  Here are the disciples and their boat is about to sink.  If there was ever a time where it looked ok to be fearful it was then.  But Jesus asked them why they were so afraid. The disciples had just seen Jesus heal people and cure them from their diseases, feed over 5000 people with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish, and perform numerous miracles.  They knew Jesus was in charge and that He had ultimate power.  Jesus basically said, why in the world would you be afraid of anything when you know how strong I am and how much you can trust Me.

 Take a minute and talk as a family about some real fears that you have.  Mom and Dad, maybe share what you were afraid of when you were your kids ages.  Then, take a moment to pray together to tell Jesus you won’t be afraid anymore because you trust He is stronger than your fears!

Worship the King!

Michael

All of you know of the devestation in Haiti after the most recent earthquake. Our church like so many others responded through a special offering for Haiti to meet both physical and spiritual needs.

I wanted you to hear and see some of what the Lord is doing as a result of a country being shaken to her knees and see how God can move in the midst of an sometimes because of a tragedy.

Take two minutes to watch this clip about a national fast in Haiti and imagine if you would see the leadership of our nation respond in the same way. I was blown away! Pray for the Haitian people and that revival would continue to spread, and remember in whatever circumstance you find yourself today, “God works all things together for good to those that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)”

Click here to view the embedded video.

3 Days of Haitian Fasting & Prayer

His point steps up where the songwriter’s grammar steps out. He is saying that without someone to share your life with, even the “great and prosperous” times can seem desert-like.

I look back at my life with Katie, and I can’t believe how far we have come together. We were married when I was 21 and Katie was 20. She was still in college and I had just graduated. Times were tough financially and tough in a lot of other ways, but I would never change a minute of it. Those times brought us to a great point today and made us appreciate the gift of each other.

The Bible says that a great wife is hard to find, more valuable than precious stones (Proverbs 31:1-31).

So today, if you are seriously dating, engaged, or married, realize how blessed you are that God has placed someone in your life with whom you can share it. Whether it is a great or difficult time, be thankful today that you can “live on love”.

Today, think back about some tough times and some great ones in your relationship and spend some time praying to thank God for your partner. Commit to no longer take this precious relationship for granted. Then if your spouse agrees, take some time to pray for your single friends and your divorced friends together that the Lord in His timing would bring a “precious jewel” of a person to their lives.

One of the greatest ways we can model being a servant-lover is to follow the example of Jesus in meeting people’s needs. Jesus met people’s felt needs and also their spiritual needs!

What does your spouse or the person you are dating really need today? Are they having a tough day and could use some verses of encouragment? Is she tired and needing a break from the kids or a day away? Does he need your encouragement through some physical touch? Do you need to go grocery shopping or tackle that project you’ve been putting off? Does she need someone to pray with and help her through a worry or anxiety?

Today I want to challenge you to be a servant-lover and meet your partner’s felt needs and lead them to Jesus to meet their spiritual needs.

Nothing kills a relationship quicker than apathy. When both partners stop trying, stop growing, stop pursuing, stop pleasing, stop serving, you find yourself in a rut where you’ve become more like roommates than helpmates!

Today, get your relationship out of the same old rut and back onto the highway of growth. Kick apathy out of your way and be a servant-lover today by bringing some variety. Show your partner you still care and want to grow by praying together, do a household chore your spouse hates, sit beside each other at dinner, snuggle and hold hands while you watch tv, write a sexy email to your husband telling him you can’t wait for tonight when you can share God’s gift of intimacy (after all God made sex for marriage). Bring some variety today and spice up your life!

This event, called Gladiator Night, was a fun filled night of activities and we saw about 250 teens there. A short gospel presentation was also given and I have to say it was a very fun night from start to finish.

I always encourage our youth to invite their friends to events and we have an Invite event each month. So I wanted to share with you the power of the invite.

Three of the four teens that were invited by our youth group accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior tonight! Sometimes all it takes is a personal invitation for someone to come to church and we never know if that might be the time that the Holy Spirit calls them to accept Christ.

So a big shout out to the youth group for inviting their friends to share in not only the fun and friendship, but also in the eternity! May you have an opportunity this week to invite an unchurched or lost friend and watch the amazing things God gas in store!

Gary

Every battle has casualties becase every battle has an enemy. The problem in relationship conflicts occurs when we forget the true identity of our enemy which causes us to inflict casualties on the wrong person.

Paul said that we “fight and wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities…”. Our war and battle isn’t against our spouse or the person we are dating! We need to war against Satan and make sure any casualties of war through the arena of conflict are against him.

Today, or the next time you have a conflict, make sure you don’t say anything that attacks or wounds the other person. Battle Satan by warring as a team agaisnt the problem. Attack the problem and Satan rather than each other. When you work things out without wounding each other, you thwart our real enemy and go on the offensive against him.

Jeremiah was God’s messenger to tell the nation of Judah to examine their lives and turn back to God. He wanted them to learn from the nation of Israel’s punishment and avoid the same mistakes. More than anything, God wanted His people to interact with Him personally and let Him lead and orchestrate their lives instead of allowing circumstances and other gods to steal their worship.

Do you see in the verses above, God’s heart’s desire is that we hear, we listen, and we obey. That is what Him being Lord means. It is ignoring our own selfish ways, thoughts, and desires, and being led by the Spirit to in every moment.

Today I want to challenge you to listen for God’s voice about your dating relationship or marriage. What is He trying to say to you about your relationship? What needs to grow? What needs to change? How do you need to encourage today? What act of love or words or time do you need to excercise today as you listen and obey His voice instead of your normal way? Today, after you have heard from Him what you need to say or do, go for it with all you have!

Amen

One of the greatest ways to neutralize an argument when you are fearful, hurt, or wronged is to switch your focus off of the issue and onto what you love about your partner. This is an awesome perspective builder when you are caught up in the moment.

So don’t wait! Today, make a list of the things you love about your partner and why you are glad God gave him/her to you. Then, you will be prepared with ammo the next time you are in a conflict. You will be able to take a minute, reflect on that list, get perspective of your whole relationship and not just the immediate conflict, and address your concerns in a healthy way!

The future bride in this relationship is looking at their current and future life together and she has some concerns.
The word fox there is imagery of something that would come in and cause hurt, wrong, fear, and if unchecked, ruin in their bidding relationship.

She is challenging him to examine their relationship and see problems when they are small and to reject passivity to address them head-on. This way the small foxes don’t turn into big foxes.

In your relationship today, are there any foxes you need to address? Maybe they are small, but they can turn into big things. Address them head-on in a spirit of love today with your partner, having the goal of reconciliation, not just to get an apology. Then be on the lookout, ready to spot conflicts before they start so you can catch foxes like Solomon.

“This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love the more they give, the more they possess.”

by Rainer Maria Rilke

One of the greatest ways to grow a lifelong love is to display your love for one another. The quote above is so true, “the more you give, the more you will possess”. So today be bold in displaying your love both in public and in private.

Men: Find a way today in public and in private to declare your love for your lady. Maybe you could have your own “I love this woman” screaming moment from the commercials a few years ago. Then find a way to display your love in private. Maybe you write her a note, give a backrub, or bring a little present home with no strings attached.

Women: Find a way to appropriately display your love today. If you are married, nothing is off limits, in fact, the Lord said every physical expression of love between a husband and wife is good! So show him you love him in a way that will speak volumes to him and make the rest of the world and it’s problems fade away. If you are dating, show your love with a hug, a kiss, or some cuddle time. Then do a thoughtful gesture that shows you care deeply and were thinking of a way to make him feel special.