Here is a link to a great Bible reading plan given out in church a few weeks ago.  It gives you a bunch of different options for reaching - all lasting about two weeks.  It's about 5-10min of reading each day, so it's very manageable.

Just click to download it in  Word format!  Have fun!


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There have been times in my life that I have wondered how God could be so faithful to me while I actively disobey His Word.  A great example of this is found in Numbers 11 (click HERE to read the chapter).  In this story the Israelites are complaining to God that they have nothing to eat - even saying that they were better off in Egypt as slaves!  They were complaining that God was not giving them enough.  God's answer was to give them manna.  The Israelites continued to complain that they did not have meat to eat - again, saying they were better off in Egypt.  Once again, God gives them their meat - so much that they learned not to complain!

This is Jeremiah's cry to God concerning the rebellion of Judah and Jerusalem.  God has the same concern for the nations today.

My soul, my soul! I am in anguish! Oh, my heart!
My heart is pounding in me;
I cannot be silent,
Because you have heard, O my soul,
The sound of the trumpet,
The alarm of war.
20 Disaster on disaster is proclaimed,
For the whole land is devastated;
Suddenly my tents are devastated,
My curtains in an instant.
21 How long must I see the standard
And hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “For My people are foolish,
They know Me not;
They are stupid children
And have no understanding.
They are shrewd to do evil,
But to do good they do not know.”

This past month we have been in a sermon series called "Honoring God's House."  We've been talking about the need for disciples to honor God's house through giving to the church.  

This past week we talked about the practical and spiritual benefits of giving.  I taught that giving is not just about giving, it's about receiving as well. Here is what I gleaned from Scripture:

1. Giving is in antidote for fear - when we trust God through giving to the church we defeat the fear that we have as we misplace our trust in our bank account.  Our bank account may go up and down, but God's love for us remains constant (1 Timothy 6:17).

2. Giving strengthens our faith - When we give and trust that we will have enough our faith is strengthened.  When God is faithful one time, we can trust that He will be faithful again (Malachi 3:10).

3.  Giving is an investment - when we invest in the church we invest in the Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom of God is expanding with the work of the Holy Spirit and our investment allows us to partner with the Spirit and be a part of the Kingdom; it is an investment with great returns.  We are commanded to invest in the Kingdom of God (1 Timothy 6:18-19).

4. Giving draws me closer to God - When we give we are exercising a communicable attribute of God - generosity.  We are more like God when we act like God; when we allow the fruits of the Spirit to act in our lives (Matthew 19:24-27).

So as we give to God through the church we receive these things along the way!

I drive to work everyday from Hampstead on rt. 121.  When you drive a road as often as I do you learn all of the curves and bumps - I'm sure you've had the same experience.  Another thing I learn is where the sun will be relative to the direction of my car.  In other words, I learn the spots on my journey where I will be blinded by the light as a drive.

Hey all - hope you are doing well today!

I'm often asked what I read to keep up with my faith, religion, etc.  So I thought I would list the top web sites that I frequent.  I'm not getting paid to promote these sites; I'm hoping that posting these will help you become better educated and  informed about your faith, religion, church, etc.

www.christianitytoday.com
www.christianpost.com

www.huffingtonpost.com/religion
www.sojo.net
www.conversantlife.com
www.outreach.com

Each of these sites has it's own flavor - some more "conservative", some more "liberal" - all have been helpful for me.

What sites are helpful for you? List them in the comment section!

Lately I have been thinking a lot about difficulties; not the small difficulties, like the interminable time spend at the DMV, but difficulties that shake you to the core: health problems, financial problems, etc.  I have noticed that we spend a lot of our time reacting to difficulties, perhaps most of our time.  The ubiquitous nature of difficulties or trials begs us to ask the question - "what is the meaning of all of this?" or "what is going to come of all this?"

Today our entire church fasted and prayed over their lunch hour.  It doesn't seem like a big deal (skipping one meal), but it can make a huge spiritual impact.  The point of fasting is to take the focus off your physical needs and put focus on your spiritual needs.  Prayer accompanies fasting as you pray for God to "feed" your spiritual needs.  We don't have time or space here to go into the proofs of fasting, but suffice it to say that fasting is considered a spiritual discipline by the Bible and its authors (Isaiah 58; 1 Samuel 7:6; Acts 9:9).

For my Scripture reading I read, meditated, and journaled on Luke 15,16.  I love these chapters as they contain parables that express how much God loves humanity, including myself.

After reading my prayers took the direction of thanking God for all He has done at our church.  In 11 years throughout the growth of the church He has provided buildings that could house us and give us a home.  He has blessed us with countless great memories here - Christmas and Easter celebrations, children's events, outreaches, etc. 

After being thankful my prayers moved to requests.  The constant refrain in my prayers was for God to take something small that we offer and turn it into something big for the Kingdom of God.  Oftentimes as pastor I see the negative or challenging things that we have in our community: I'm too close to the situation to see the great things that are happening.  So I prayed for God to use our small things and show me how He is working to accomplish big things.  I prayed for our Sunday worship that it would be not only pleasing to Him, but also that He could use it to break the hearts of those who were in attendance.  I prayed for the simple things to become Kingdom impacting things; nothing is too small for God.

It would be great if all BRCC would be in prayer for the little things to make a huge difference in community around us. It would be great if all BRCC had a vision for what God is doing in their life and what He could do in the future!

Luke 7:40-50New International Version (NIV)


40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[a]and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

I was playing some of my old worship CD's this week  and I came across a Rich Mullin's album.  It was very influential on me in my early colleges days as I struggled to make my faith my own.  This is a video of Rich (now deceased) performing a signature song, "Step by Step."  Enjoy!