Personal Bible Study

Curtis posted links to a few helpful resources for Personal Bible Study at his Blog @ Ogletown.

You can access his post by clicking here.

Here is a link to another Bible reading plan that I have found helpful as well (Personally, I like the book at a time plan).

-Mark

Every enemy of joy is overcome...

I came across this quote recently from Charles Spurgeon (an English Baptist from the 19th century) as posted on a blog called "Of First Importance" and I thought I would pass it along.

“Here in the cross is where every enemy of joy is overcome: divine wrath, as he becomes a curse for us; real guilt, as he becomes forgiveness for us; lawbreaking, as he becomes righteousness for us; estrangement from God, as he becomes reconciliation for us; slavery to Satan, as he becomes redemption for us; bondage to sin, as he becomes liberation for us; pangs of conscience, as he becomes cleansing for us; death, as he becomes the resurrection for us; hell, as he becomes eternal life for us.”- C.H. Spurgeon


-Mark

PowerSource Prayer Focus - Pastor Search Committee

Tonight in PowerSource (our Wednesday evening prayer service) we spent time in focused prayer for our Senior Pastor Search Committee.

Whether you were able to make it or not, please take a moment and pray specifically for each of the members of the committee.

Here are their names:

Richard B.
Mike K.
Bill S.
Corey H.
Peggy P.
George S.
Todd W.

Pray that God would give them wisdom as He guides them in their search.

Planning to Pray

I recently began reading a book called A Call to Spiritual Reformation (Priorities From Paul and His Prayers) by D. A. Carson.

In the first chapter (pg 19), he said something that I found challenging,

"Much praying is not done because we do not plan to pray. We do not drift into spiritual life; we do not drift into disciplined prayer. We will not grown in prayer unless we plan to pray. That means we must self-consciously set aside time to do nothing but pray.

What we actually do reflects our highest priorities. That means we can proclaim our commitment to prayer until the cows come home, but unless we actually pray, our actions disown our words."

As I consider my weekly schedule, I have found what he says to be true. I am prone to fill my week with so many different activities all while leaving out time for focused prayer. Often in the hectic pace of our lives, we forget just how much we depend on God and continue as if we are capable of handling things on our own.

Just as this is true in our individual prayer lives, it is also true as we pray together as a corporate body of believers. With this in mind, we are looking forward to a renewed emphasis on prayer in our Wednesday evening prayer meeting (henceforth known as Power Source). As we meet together, we hope to spend time in planned and focused prayer as a corporate body of believers.

I plan to post more about prayer in the coming weeks, and hope that you will join us on Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm for Power Source if you are able.

-Mark

Blogging at Brainerd Baptist

I set up theBBCblog back in January and have had some fun with it. I thought I would share some things I have learned about blogging at BBC:

1. Many people DON'T read it. That's OK! I am somewhat addicted to reading blogs, but I know there are a gazillion other worthwhile pursuits.
   
   
2. Many people DO read it. That is great too. I have had people mention things to me that they have read the blog. So, that has been neat.
   
   
3. My fellow BBCbloggers STINK at blogging. Just kidding. Seriously, I hope you feel shamed into blogging more.
   
   
4. Blogging is instant communication, and has become a good place for me to think "out loud."

Having said that, my bbc blogging days have come to a close. If you want to read more of my thoughts (scary as that may be), you can keep track of those by visiting this blog!

Thanks for reading,
Curtis

10 Questions with Mark Mims

Hey, recently we polled some of our staff for some info. Here are some of the answers for Mark Mims!

When did you come to Brainerd?
August 2003

Where have you lived?
Warner Robins, GA and Chattanooga, TN

What`s your favorite magazine(s)?
Whatever looks interesting on the table at the doctor's office

Who`s your favorite artist/musicians?
Andrew Peterson, David Crowder Band

What websites do you access at least once a week?
amazon.com, timesfreepress.com, theologica.blogspot.com (Between Two Worlds)

Mountains or the beach?
Mountains

Who is the most famous person you have met?
When I was little I got an autograph from one of the cast members of The Dukes of Hazard

What is your favorite team?
Georgia Bulldogs

What was your first car?
1991 Nissan Pickup Truck (Yes, that was the official name)

Publisher`s Sweepstakes gives you 1 million dollars, what is the first thing you do?
Call my wife....order everything on my Amazon.com wish list

What has been your best vacation ever?
New York City in 2006

I came to Him and I remain with Him

Here is a quote from a book I am reading...

I came to Him because I did not know which way to turn. I have remained with Him because there is no other way I wish to turn. I came to Him longing for something I did not have. I remain with Him because I have something I will not trade. I came to Him as a stranger. I remain with Him in the most intimate of friendships. I came to Him unsure about the future. I remain with Him certain about my destiny. I came amid the thunderous cries of a culture that has three hundred and thirty million deities. I remain with Him knowing that truth cannot be all-inclusive.


How powerful!

Curtis

from Ravi Zacharias, Jesus Among Other Gods

You gotta love this...

From the "Smile You're Saving Even More" Department comes this.


This was taken at you're friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart this morning. I think Wal-Mart is the one smiling with this kind of price "rollback."

Curtis

Cravings, Conflict and the Check Engine Light

I have found this sermon by C. J. Mahaney helpful in thinking about how to do deal with relational conflict.

It is called “Cravings and Conflict" and is taken from James 4:1-2.

I listened to the sermon a while back on a trip that our family took out of town (after everyone else had fallen asleep in the car). I saw a link to the transcript of the sermon posted on a blog today and was reminded how important the truth of James 4 is.

Here is a highlight from the sermon:

“Cravings underlie conflicts” is an excellent summation of the wisdom found in James 4. Why do we fight? Because we don’t get what we want. It’s that simple. Wherever there’s a conflict—whether it’s between two people or two countries—there’s a sinful craving that hasn’t been satisfied yet. There’s no deeper reason.

Take James 4 with you into your next conflict, and you will be able to identify the source of the problem. Ask yourself, “What do I want that I am not getting right now?” The answer will help you recognize the specific sinful craving that is fueling your quarrels and fights.

Despite the unflattering nature of this discovery, we can be grateful for the clarity and specificity of God’s Word. In his kindness, he has provided us with precise and practical wisdom for understanding our hearts in the midst of relational conflict.

By contrast, we often live in a world of unhelpful generalities. For example, you’re driving along and a light appears on the dashboard: “Check Engine.” That’s all it says. What are you supposed to make of that? The first time it happened to me, I dutifully complied. I pulled over, opened the hood, and stood in front of the engine, thinking, Wow, there’s a lot of stuff in here. But there were no blinking lights, no tiny flags waving, nothing at all to tell me what exactly I should be checking. Within moments I had determined beyond any doubt that the level of the windshield wiper fluid was just fine. Having exhausted my checking abilities, I got back in the car and continued on my way, clinging to the vague hope that such checking had been sufficient........

.........I am so glad that when it comes to relational conflict, God doesn’t provide mere generalities. He gives us so much more information than, “Sin has occurred” and “It’s worse than you think.” Now that is accurate and even quite valuable, but it doesn’t suggest a solution any more than does “Check Engine” or “Error has occurred.” No, God provided James 4:1-2 so that we can identify and confess our specific cravings, receive forgiveness, and begin to weaken our cravings and cultivate righteousness.

You can read the entire sermon here.

You can download and listen to the sermon here.

Mark

Some resources

I live in kid-land. From the toys on the floor to the cartoons in the morning, that is where we live. And, I LOVE it. But, with having kids comes an enormous pressure of training them and encouraging them to love God with all their hearts. I also feel especially challenged to ingrain in our kids a love and knowledge of God's Word. So, with that in mind, here are some resources that the Hill family uses.

SEEDS MUSIC - These Scripture songs are designed to help kids learn the Bible. And yet, they are not so "kiddie" that an adult cannot use them to worship and enjoy God as well. I love the CD's. Some of the songs are pretty much aimed at kids, but I think a lot of them could be used in worship services as well. I can personally recommend the Praise and Courage CD's.

HIDE 'EM IN YOUR HEART - Steve Green, who was singing praise and worship before it became a genre, has put together a collection of songs on a CD and DVD that comes straight from Scripture as well. Our son knows so many of the songs (which translates into Bible verses) because he has a slight addiction to the videos. He refers to "Steve" like he is one of his buddies. They are great. Maybe a little dated, but a 3 year old could care less (me too!). If you go to this website, they have a great deal on the DVDs and CD's (I don't get any commission for the recommendation). NOTE: I especially like the song that says "Do everything without complaining or arguing." I have gotten lots of mileage out of that song!

The Big Picture Story Bible and The Jesus Storybook Bible are both great tools in teaching the overarching plan of God beyond individual stories. We use the first and I have skimmed the second. They are awesome and reliable.

I mentioned in another place about Foundation memory verses. Great tool. We are working through the 5th verse in that list (Isaiah 30:15b - In quietness and in trust will be your strength).

Another GREAT resource for helping your child walk with God is Brainerd Baptist Church. Seriously! Our church is here to equip you for ministry for your child, and we work hard to accomplish that goal.

Curtis

We can be humbled in more than one way...

I think most people have a general appreciation of humility. I have reminded myself in the past, that "a little bit of humility goes a long way."

God talks about humility in the Bible. He reminds us to humble ourselves. If we do that, He works in our lives. If not, he opposes us! Who would ever want to be opposed by God?

And yet, I am reminded that God often DOES humble us. Sometimes that is in a painful way. Our sin is exposed, our independence is crushed, or our strength (add wealth, position, authority or whatever makes us happy) is taken away.

But God humbles us in another way. It is through His gracious work in the lives of others and their kindness to us. I was humbled in that way this morning. I got an email just as my day was starting. It was so kind, so encouraging. My initial thought was, "God, I don't deserve this kind of encouragement." I realized that my initial thought was right on target. I DON'T DESERVE IT. And yet God is kind enough and so gracious to give it to me.

Thank you God for humbling me!
Curtis

A statement made nearly 2000 years ago...

This morning my Bible reading took me through Acts 5. It details the boldness of the apostles in their message of Jesus Christ. They are confronted, thrown in prison, and forced to give an explanation of their actions. In the midst of a heated interrogation, a man named Gamaliel
reminded the people of some current events, and what they might mean in relationship to the followers of Jesus.

• There was Theudas - "For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing."
• There was Judas the Galilean - "After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered."

Gamaliel does not commit to saying that the same thing will happen with Jesus and his followers, but suggests a "hands-off" approach. "So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!”

When I read those words, I was reminded as to just how many people have come and gone claiming to be God's chosen one. And yet Jesus has validated his claims. He has been talked about for 2000 years, and trusted in nations around the world. That One is the One who we worship for eternity. Isn't God awesome in the work of the Son, Jesus Christ!

I am not sure Gamaliel even had a clue as to Who he was talking about.

Curtis