The most informative web site regarding the current situation in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti is www.cnn.com. I just visited with a missionary friend of mine who informed me that a lot of American medical personnel living in Haiti are in route to Port-au-Prince to assist in meeting the urgent medical needs. Medical supplies are going to be an issue so please pray for the foreign shipments to arrive in the ports of Port-au-Prince in a timely manner.
As you know Southland has been actively involved in serving the people of Haiti for over 30 years. We have a lot of Southland members who work in Haiti on a full-time and part-time basis and as of this morning, everyone we are affiliated with is safe and out of harm’s way. Most of our mission efforts are located in the Northwest region of Haiti and though they did feel the earthquake and several aftershocks, there is no visible damage to the ministry facilities (hospitals, schools, orphanages, churches, etc…) that many of you have labored to build over the years. The concern right now is for our Haitian brothers and sisters in Christ who have family members and friends who work or go to school in and around Port-au-Prince. There is currently no way to communicate with their loved ones, so we are currently in a wait and see pattern in terms of our outreach plans. We will respond to this disaster in some way and in due time. I will use my blog and our weekend services to communicate our intentions as a church family. The best option for all of us at this point is to pray.
“If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” (Isaiah 58:10)
My good friend Matt Proctor wrote this and sent it to me today. It’s timely because all of us struggle with sin and what to do with it.
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A minister came upon a group of neighborhood boys surrounding a dog. Concerned lest the boys were hurting the dog, he asked "What are you doing with that dog?" One of the boys replied, "This dog is just an old stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we've decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog." |
| It is human nature to want to appear to others better than we actually are. So we lie, hide our failures, manage our image and pretend to be something we’re not. But eventually, as Numbers 32:23 warns us, “your sin will find you out.” Yesterday Mark McGwire finally admitted to steroid use. Over the last few months, other public figures have been forced to admit extramarital affairs: South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanborn, David Letterman, Tiger Woods. |
The fact is: we all have things we’d rather not have brought out into the public eye. But hear the amazing promises of Scripture:
The paradox of the gospel is this: Only when we come clean can we be made clean by the blood of Christ. So let us resolve to live honestly—to practice humble confession of our sins with God and a few trusted Christian friends. Let us commit to keep our failures uncovered so that His grace can cover them. A genuine pursuit of holiness doesn’t mean we won’t sin. It just means that when we do, we’ll take the first step toward overcoming it: be honest.
Do you love hearing the music of your generation? Do you get a good laugh when you think about what you used to wear when you were a kid? Do you remember your favorite movie or television show growing up? Do you remember where you were when JFK was killed, when Nixon resigned, when the Space Shuttle exploded, when two planes flew into two towers? I want to invite you and your friends to join me and our team as we take a humorous look back at previous decades in hopes that it will help us make sense of the decade that just started a few days ago. Come early, because you won’t want to miss a minute of this new series!!!
With God’s help I want to love others in the name of Jesus. I want to love my family and friends with a selfless love that focuses more on meeting their needs than my own.
With God’s help I want to serve the poor the way Jesus did. I want to be attentive to the needs of others, filled with more compassion and courage. I want to sacrifice my time, talent, and treasures with joyful generosity.
With God’s help I want to enjoy life at a manageable pace. I want to talk less and listen more. I want to be an encouragement to those I come in contact with and carve out more time for meaningful conversation.
With God’s help I want to grow in my understanding of the Bible. I want to know Jesus personally, deeply, and reflect more on his crucifixion and resurrection and the implications of those two realities in my daily life.
With God’s help I want to learn how to pray. I want to talk to God with honesty and humility. I want to be more focused on gratitude than personal gain.
With God’s help I want to heal from past pain and learn to live a life free of guilt and shame. I want to have victory over the sin that has robbed me of the freedom that Jesus died to give me.
With God’s help I want to believe that I am who he says I am, replacing my insecurities for the security of his love and grace and acceptance.
With God’s help I want to take a risk in 2010 and live by faith and not by sight.
How are you going to ring in the new year? I spent the day drinking an old school Pepsi, playing with my kid’s “new” old school toys (legos, a slinky, and tinker toys), and we ate at Gatti Town where I played old school Galaga and Ms. Pac Man! Does it get any better than Galaga!!!
Before you ring in a new year and a new decade, take a walk down memory lane and reflect on what you’ve experienced and learned over the past 12 months…the good, the bad, the ugly! Make a quick list and thank God for what He’s done in your life and in the life of Southland in 2009 and remember…tomorrow is a new day in a new year in a new decade! So enjoy your time with family and friends tonight
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You do not want to miss our kick off weekend for 2010! We’re going to reveal the total from our year end offering (You’ll be blown away!!!) And we’re going to set the stage for your role at Southland in 2010 and beyond! I love you and I can’t wait to see you this Saturday or Sunday!
The results are in and based on your response to our online question regarding the greatest Christmas movie of all time, the big winner was…”It’s a Wonderful Life” winning 27 percent of the overall votes! Only three votes separated the 2nd and 3rd place finishers with “Elf” barely beating “Christmas Vacation”. Coming in 4th place was “The Christmas Story” followed by “Home Alone” and “White Christmas” in last place.
My vote…”Christmas Vacation”…hands down one of the best movies ever! If for no other reason other than all of us have a “cousin Eddy” in our families!
Merry Christmas!
As I read through the narrative surrounding the birth of Jesus I’ve done my best to take one trait from each of the characters in the script and I’ve asked God to show me how to live with more of Joseph’s obedience and more of Mary’s joy and less of Herod’s jealousy. And like a magnet, God keeps pulling me into a conversation with John the Baptist…no matter how many times I read about him, I learn something new and I’m drawn to his raw faith and passion. His line about Jesus—“He must increase; I must decrease.” (John 3:30)—has been rolling around in my mind for a few days now. More of Jesus and less of me. More of Jesus in my conversations. More of Jesus in my interaction with Allison, Ava, and Silas. More of Jesus in my preaching. More of Jesus in my schedule. More of Jesus…less of me. If you haven’t spent a few hours on the site www.iamsecond.com you need to carve out some space between now and Christmas morning to live in the in the truth that more of Jesus is always a good thing. You can never get too much of Jesus…never…ever…”He must increase; I must decrease.”
I’ve been reflecting and thanking God a lot this week for what has taken place around Southland in 2009! In our elders meeting last night we spent over an hour talking about all the amazing things God has done through you! Your surrender, your sacrifice, your obedience, your joy, your love, your generosity, your enthusiasm, your passion, your repentance, your courage, your humility, your hunger…wow! God has really used you to make a difference in the lives of others! You’ve changed my life in so many ways! So “thanks” for following Jesus with everything you have and everything you are!
As of today 973 people have given their lives to Christ and been baptized at Southland in 2009! 973 people!!! And that’s only the beginning!!! 10-7-5 is here! I can’t wait to reveal the total for our year end offering…be here January 2/3…You won’t want to miss it!!!
This morning I put together my top 10 Southland moments for 2009. Here’s my list...