Spark2Flame

Last night was the beginning of our conference and was exceedingly blessed with God's presence.  I believe people were deeply touched by what God was speaking there (I know I am) so I wanted to share it with you!

Here's the message that Paul Hollifield gave last night and we'll continue tonight with more- higher and deeper!

Be blessed as you listen and if you are in Juneau, make sure you come at 7 PM to Breakthrough Church for the Thursday and Friday services.

Don't forget that the Re:Charge worship conference is this week! Wednesday through Friday we'll have meetings every night at 7 PM at Breakthrough Church.  It will be tremendous so come if you can and pray for us if you can't!

I can't say I normally do much with all the email forwards I receive.  Many are beautiful, some are silly, while still others are just odd.  I read this one today and thought it would be nice to share.

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written.  My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16.. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Just some quick thoughts for today:

Why is it so easy to abuse authority? By “abuse authority” I mean the person in authority abusing, not the other way around (though the other is prevalent as well).

In the Church, we have no excuse for such things. We are called to consider Jesus, His attitude and life, and be like-minded. He had every right to call a legion of angels to destroy the Roman armies and get Him off the cross, but He didn’t. His love overrode His rights. The King of the ages made Himself a servant of all and died on a cross that was ours to bear.

He didn’t throw His weight around because of His incredible anointing, gifting, talents, wisdom, etc. He didn’t abuse His authority just because He could. He was tempted to (because scripture says He endured the temptations we all do), but He didn’t.

We should be embarrassed that we command people or demand things because of our gifting when Jesus who had it all in fullness never did such a thing.

The truth is every authority to accountable. This is not just for the church leader, but every employer, parent, or in anyone in another position of authority. Understand who Jesus is, how He lived and how He died.

We may feel a little shame, but then we can move on in love and obedience.

Hebrews 13:20-21

Now may the God of peace—
who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the sheep,
and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
may he equip you with all you need for doing his will.
May he produce in you,
through the power of Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to him.
All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

Friday I offered some of my thoughts about Videoteaching.com, where you can download free teaching videos from a variety of speakers on a variety of subjects. If you didn’t get to read that post, it’s a good place to start.

Here are a few more thoughts on this resource:

• Doesn’t mean you can neglect your gift—if someone is called to preach and teach, it takes lots of practice, prayer, and study. This is not an easy way out or a reason to get down on yourself that you’re not good enough and should let the “pros” handle it. We are each responsible to obey, which means standing up to fear, doubt, or any number of enemies. The guy with one talent in Matthew 25 buried what should have been invested out of fear. He messed up and the Master told him so. This is not an easy button that lets you off the hook! Obey God!
• Doesn’t mean someone else carries the vision—Mark Batterson, as great as he is, does not to my knowledge have a vision for my church and my city. Craig Groeschel does not have a specific plan that takes into account our context and local needs and abilities to reach my community and neighborhoods for Christ. Someone has to be the man or woman on the ground. Someone has to carry the vision and pay the price. This can be a great tool, but it is a tool nonetheless.
• It’s a great sign that the Body of Christ can work together—I love that this is free, not only from my own small church limited budget standpoint, but because for so long, many ministers have tried to make a buck off the Bride of Christ. I’m not judging anyone in particular because only God knows the motivations of people’s hearts. This being free though points to the fact that we are all in this together. The abilities I have I can share. The great teaching that’s going on in these fine churches, I can freely share with my local body. We need each other and we need to be more accessible. If that happens through travel, wonderful. If it happens through technology, great. Just as long as it happens, we’ll all be strengthened for it.

With that, if you are a pastor or leader, I encourage you to check out this resource and consider using it. There are plenty of applications beyond a Sunday morning as well, but you owe it to yourself to investigate it and find out for yourself whether it will work for you. Just keep your heart open to the Holy Spirit and follow His voice!