Up to Date Blog at Wordpress

My blog is running over at Wordpress, please come for a visit at www.millervillage.wordpress.com

Thanks, Steve

I'm blogging at Wordpress, come on over there!

I frequently get viewers who have been referred from this abandoned blog, so I have left you guys this message that just happen to be browsing by:

check out my latest at www.millervillage.wordpress.com

Thanks

Switching to WordPress

I'm blogging over at WordPress now, so visit me at
www.millervillage.wordpress.com

Obey

Blogger, the Foulkes family, found our "Obey" video archived at www.centergrovebc.org, and shares it on their blog. We love it too. Once we put it on the website, my kids would watch it on loop for at least 30 minutes straight. Some other pastors and I developed it for a sermon series that played off of the name,"Ebay" EBay...Obey...get it?

I decided to put it on my blog too... and uploaded it on YouTube, since we all liked it so much.

Sermons Boring???? Ya gotta be kiddin'!

Recently, I asked what someone thought of a particular sermon...
"Boring," came the straight-faced reply, "It was boring."

Of course, I thought he was joking...He was not.

"Boring," but why? Other than simply being that my preaching was in fact boring, there are a myriad of factors to why someone can become bored with a sermon. Why, couldn't even the greatest preachers become bored with a good sermon?

One blogger lists a number of things that the listener has to do with sermons hitting their mark or driving you to dreamland.

It may be a lack of Preparation: The listener should have arrived having prepared prayerfully, thoroughly (getting enough sleep, reading the passage of Scripture ahead of time), and expectantly.

It may be poor listening skills: The listener should listen worshipfully, attentively, critically, and submissively.

It may be underdeveloped response: The listener should regularly respond thoughtfully, and fully. Rather than having "roast preacher" for lunch, try having the sermon for lunch.

Please link back to this wonderful article. It will help becoming bored with sermons.

My Mind

Over the past month I've been reading a popular Bible teacher's bestseller. Here are a few points about my "mind" that I would like to remember and practice:

• My mind may not be as focused as it could be because it hasn't been disciplined for concentration. Train it, keep at it.
  
• My mind may be often confused because I'm trying to figure out the "Why?" behind everything. Am I tempted to disregard it if it isn't logical? Some things are only spiritually discerned.
  
• Doubt is like being stuck at the crossroads, uncertain of which way to take. The "double-minded man" doesn't decide; he gets his direction like a wind-tossed wave. God gives me a measure of faith, but not doubt. Faith is a gift, doubt is a choice.

Christian Perfection

Here's a written exchange I had with a fellow "theologian"--which I think is excellent. He wrote a brief talk about Christians attaining to perfection, and I wrote comments back (in blue caps).

"Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect. . . ." Philippians 3:12

It is a snare to imagine that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do; God's purpose is to make us one with Himself.

EXCELLENT, SIMPLE. WHATEVER HE WILLS, RIGHT?

The emphasis of holiness movements is apt to be that God is producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum. If you go off on this idea of personal holiness, the dead-set of your life will not be for God, but for what you call the manifestation of God in your life. "It can never be God's will that I should be sick."

I KNOW SOME “WORD OF FAITH” CHURCHES THAT ACTUALLY SAY THAT IT IS NOT GOD’S WILL FOR THEM TO BE SICK. THE BACKGROUND FOR THIS IS IN ISAIAH WHERE JESUS BORE OUR STRIPES, SO “WE DON’T HAVE TO.” I HAD A WORD-OF-FAITH PASTOR TELL ME THAT IF YOU SAY THE RIGHT THING OR HAD THE RIGHT FAITH THEN YOU WOULDN’T BE SICK OR ULTIMATELY DIE.

If it was God's will to bruise His own Son, why should He not bruise you? The thing that tells for God is not your relevant consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your real vital relation to Jesus Christ, and your abandonment to Him whether you are well or ill.

REFERENCE THE BOOK OF JOB

Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection.

WE FORGET THAT HIS WAYS ARE NOT OUR WAYS, HIS THOUGHTS NOT OURS.

Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship to God which shows itself amid the irrelevancies of human life.

WHAT I AM DOING IS IN STARK CONTRAST TO WHAT I FEEL CALLED TO DO THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD. EVEN THE NORMALCY OF LIFE IS HEIGHTENED TO MISSION AND MINISTRY WHEN GOD IS IN IT, SUCH AS A MOTHER FEEDING CHILDREN NOW BECOMES “AS UNTO THE LORD” (COL.)

When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that strikes you is the irrelevancy of the things you have to do, and the next thing that strikes you is the fact that other people seem to be living perfectly consistent lives. Such lives are apt to leave you with the idea that God is unnecessary, by human effort and devotion we can reach the standard God wants.

WHAT THINGS HAVE I DONE IN MY OWN POWER? NOW…WHAT COULD THOSE THINGS HAVE BECOME IF I HAD DONE IT IN THE POWER OF THE LORD? (SCORED A HIGHER SCORE ON DONKEY KONG????)

In a fallen world this can never be done. I am called to live in perfect relation to God so that my life produces a longing after God in other lives, not admiration for myself.

OUCH!!

Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God is not after perfecting me to be a specimen in His show-room; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He likes.

Thanks Mr. Whaley.

Echo-location

A year ago I saw something incredible on late night television, a blind person using echo-location. I told some friends, and they wouldn't believe it. Well, here's another guy...just awesome!

Why isn't God there?

Preaching through Habakkuk, I find that the Old Testament prophet feels frustrated with what he thinks is God's absence. I've been there, too, wondering why God let's false religions to prosper, hunger to spread, and evil to go unpunished. So, why does God sometimes feel distant and silent just when the world needs Him?

Habakkuk would never live to really understand that it was grace that kept God from getting too close. If God would have come any closer, He would have had to judge their sin completely, snuffing out the nation of Judah. If Judah was gone, then there would be no ultimate expression of grace through Jesus Christ. Instead of coming close in wrath, God withdrew in grace so Judah would eventually repent and bear the Christ at the appointed time.

We often can’t conceive of how God is working in our lives. What feels like a void is really God’s patience. And when God feels like He's not there, we may need to realize that God's grace absolutely is.

Kershaw's "Fork in the Road"

A friend told me that he reported on the "fork in the road" back in October. He runs the site, www.seelancaster.com, and here is the breaking news on the story of century...

One local resident, that asked that his name (Eddie Adams) not be used said, "I moved here about 10 years ago, I saw it and picked it up and threw it away every day for about a week, I just figured some old timer was playing a joke on me by replacing it everyday."

The fork in the road...who'd of thunk it, right here in Kershaw, SC?

Digital Sermons

I would really like to archive my sermons on digital audio. It was suggested to me that I could get a digital recorder and voila!
Here's one Friar's recommendation for digitally recording.

http://www.bustedhalo.com/features/HowToPodcast.htm

Here's another guy who suggests the same equipment.
http://www.churchcommunicationspro.com/2006/12/05/digital-audio-recording-kit-for-sermon-podcasting/

SPACEPETS?? They Came from Above

Paul Fritz, a contributor of over 1300 sermons on www.sermoncentral.com caught my attention when I read the term "SPACEPETS," while researching. Turns out this heavenly term is an acrostic for applying Biblical truth...far out!

To personalize the interpretation and application of any scripture use the following acrostic: S-P-A-C-E-P-E-T-S

Sin to Confess
Promise to Claim
Attitude to Change
Command to Obey
Example to Follow
Person to Imitate
Error to Avoid
Truth to Believe
Something to praise and thank God about

Each Scripture that you read should have one or more of the above applications. Give it a try.

Opening Pandora's Family Tomb

This blogger had me hooked and rolling... Jesus' underwear???

"Ah, gentlemen, excuse me. But isn't that a Macy's box."

Solving the Rubik's Blindfolded

You know that commercial with the guy solving the Rubik's Cube blindfolded? My wife really bursted my bubble last night when she said it was obviously played backwards--that is he is really mixing it up and they reversed the tape. "Obiously?" I became quite suspicious.

I went to the net to find the video to put it through my rigorous inspection. Instead of the commercial I found Tyson Mao. Is he the real deal? After seeing his blindfolded solving video on the net, CNN put him to the test on the air.

I don't know about the commercial guy, but after seeing Tyson Mao, I'm a believer!!!



And by the way, I came across a website that is right up my alley, http://www.Commercials

The Prostitute Who Became a Queen

Here's an illustration that I preached today that made an impact on me...

Knowing that you can change doesn’t always motivate you enough to change. Knowing you could stop disobeying God doesn’t mean you will.

That’s like a story I heard about a king that decreed in his land that there would be a blanket pardon extended to all prostitutes. Obviously that was great news if you were a prostitute. No longer would you have a criminal record; all past offenses would be wiped off the books. But with all that new freedom, and your way of making a living legitimized, would it be any motivation at all for you to change your lifestyle? No, not really.

Now let’s take the illustration a little further. Let’s say that not only is a blanket pardon extended to all prostitutes, but also the king has expressed his eternal love for you and asked you in particular to become his bride.

So, what happens when a prostitute marries a king? She becomes a queen. She has no problem leaving her old lifestyle behind, and quickly understands what it means to be a chosen and precious bride in the eyes of her adoring king. She freely elevates to the lifestyle befitting her new royal identity.

What is the difference between the two scenarios. In both scenarios freedom and complete forgiveness were granted. But only in the second do we see that love motivates real life change. A queen would gladly give up her old lifestyle for the love of the king, and would never want to go back to her previous life.

In the same way each Christian has been offered freedom and complete forgiveness and a part as the church, The Bride of Christ, but so often we just see Christians who are very thankful they will not be judged for their sins, but who have no significant self-motivation to match their lifestyle with their new identity.

When we understand that not only has blanket forgiveness been extended to us for our sins, but that Christ genuinely loves us, offering to us an intimate relationship as part of the Bride of Christ, our actions will gladly change.
(adapted form Bob George, “Grace Stories: A fresh look at God’s unconditional love”)

OCD & the Tomb of Christ

I must admit that I have been caught up a little in the drama surrounding the Jesus Family Tomb.

I like what was reported by one resident in Jerusalem's East Talpiot district, where the tombs were discovered...

Local residents told the BBC News website they were pleased with the attention the tomb has drawn. "It will mean our house prices will go up because Christians will want to live here," one woman said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6397373.stm

Hmmm...would there still be Christians if the bones of Jesus were truly found?

Anyway, we heard Paula Poundstone say today on the radio that her favorite part of the Easter story was that the cloth used to wrap the body of Jesus was folded. She said that it has always appealed to her OCD nature...but, what bothered her was that while the cloth was put up, the stone was left rolled away?

Ministry is like herding cats

I love this commercial...

Meat and Potatoes Sermons

I found this guy, Jim Thomas, out there who is writing for the small rural church. I think he has a great insight to this culture.

Practical Preaching Required
My best friend is a gourmet chief. He loves fancy restaurants and fine dining, but we live in what he describes as a “feeder” town. There are dining towns and feeder towns. Rural ministries are “feeder” towns when it comes to preaching. They like things plain and simple (think meat and potatoes). They will travel great distances for a good meal – but they measure it in quantity (think buffets), not quality. They need something they can apply today – and spelled out in very specific ways.

I need to know how to prepare meat and potatoes...family style.

Words, if Necessary

I have always liked the idea in the phrase attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach the gospel and if necessary use words." Why? Because I don't like preaching? Well, maybe, but it is mostly because I have found our actions often speak louder than our sermons.

But I have found that the Scripture says that words always necessary for belief. The Romans 10 passage clearly makes preaching important:

14How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

15How will they preach unless they are sent?

Preaching is important, but the last statement shows that actions are just as important, and must coincide with words, maybe precede them. I don't think of "sending" as some country church sending out preacher boys to seminary. Sending is the the moving out of the Christ life.

Preaching must go hand in hand with going. (Matt. 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples...") Going, sending, living out.

Maybe it's not that we don't need less verbal preaching, and maybe we don't need any more muted social gospels. Perhaps it takes both working together.

Better Never than Late

So, here's my version of more of the same kind of blogging you find all over the net. Maybe this will be of more importance than waste...just maybe.