The Living Saviour - Elim Bible Chaple

Easter 2012

Self-Examination ~ Daily Reflections April 20

.....we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives.  ~Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 86 ~

When said sincerely, this prayer teaches me to be truly unselfish and humble, for even in doing good deeds I often used to seek approval and glory for myself.  By examining my motives in all that I do, I can be of service to God and others, helping them do what they want to do.  When I put God in charge of my thinking, much needless worry is eliminated and I believe He guides me throughout the day.  When I eliminate thoughts of self-pity, dishonesty and self-centeredness as soon as they enter my mind, I find peace with God, my neighbor and myself.

The Gospel Message

When serving God, listen to your heart

Wednesday December 30 2009 Posted by Rick Warren A man's heart reflects the man. Proverbs 27:19 (NIV) The Bible uses the term "heart" to describe the bundle of desires, hopes, interests, ambitions, dreams, and affections that you have. Your heart represents the source of all your motivations -- what you love to do and what you care about most. Even today, we still use the word in this way when we say, "I love you with all my heart." The Bible says what is in your heart is what you really are, not what others think you are, or what circumstances force you to be (Proverbs 27:19). Your heart is the real you. It determines why you say the things you do, why you feel the way you do, and why you act the way you do. Physically, each of us has a unique heartbeat. Just as we each have unique thumbprints, eye prints, and voiceprints, our hearts beat in slightly different patterns. It's amazing that out of all the billions of people who've ever lived, no one has ever had a heartbeat exactly like yours. In the same way, God has given each of us a unique emotional "heartbeat" that races when we think about the subjects, activities, or circumstances that interest us. We instinctively care about some things and not about others. These are clues to where you should be serving. Another word for heart is passion. There are certain subjects that you feel deeply passionate about and others that you couldn't care less about. Some experiences turn you on and capture your attention, while others turn you off or bore you to tears. These reveal the nature of your heart; listen for inner promptings that can point to the ministry God intends for you to have. When you were growing up you may have discovered that you were intensely interested in some subjects that no one else in your family cared about. Where did those interests come from? They came from God! God had a purpose in giving you these inborn interests. Your emotional heartbeat is a key to understanding your shape for service. Don't ignore your interests; consider how they might be used for God's glory. There is a reason that you love to do these things. Listen for inner promptings that can point to the ministry God intends for you to have.

Trailer - "A Christmas Carol" - Charles Dickens

A dramatic reading of Charles Dickens' - "A Christmas Carol"

Presented by; Christ Church Forest, CBC Radio, The Forest Florist, Fisher Electric, and The Forest Standard

In Support of Contact House.

2 hour DVD is available for $10. through Christ Church Forest

Order Now for Christmas

Proceeds go to Contact House

A Christmas Carol

I'm looking forward to video-graphing this!

The Four Laws of God's Blessing - by Rick Warren

November 09, 2009 The Four Laws of God’s Blessing by Rick Warren "I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you . . . and you will be a blessing to others" (Genesis 12:2 NLT).

The Bible teaches that we should use our blessings to bless others: Our blessings should flow to others The Bible teaches us that we are blessed not just so that we can feel good, not just so we can be happy and comfortable, but so that we will bless others. God told Abraham, "I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others" (Genesis 12:2 NLT). This is the first law of blessing: it must flow outwardly. When we bless others, God takes care of our needs God promises that if we will concentrate on blessing others, he'll take care of our needs. There's almost nothing that God won't do for the person who really wants to help other people. In fact, God guarantees this blessing. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth . . . no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life" (Luke 18:29-30 NIV). When you care about helping other people, God assumes responsibility for your problems. And that's a real blessing, for he's much better at handling your difficulties than you are. Our blessings to others will come back on us The more you bless other people . . . the more you help others, the more God blesses your life. Luke tells us, "Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back--given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity" (Luke 6:38 MSG). You cannot out give God. The more you try to bless other people in the world around you, the more God says, "I'm going to pour blessings out on you. We'll play a little game here. Let's see who will win. Let's see who can give the most. The more you bless others the more I'm going to bless you in return." The more we're blessed by God the more He expects us to help others. Jesus said it this way: "Much is required from the person to whom much is given; much more is required from the person to whom much more is given" (Luke 12:48 TEV). Would you agree that based on the blessings of your life you probably have a greater responsibility than other people in the world? If you live in the United States, I'm sure you’d agree, because it's obvious we've been given freedom that many people don't have. We've been given opportunities that many people don't have. We've been given material and physical and spiritual abundance that a lot of people around the world simply do not have. Think this through with me. If I've been blessed more than the rest of the world then it would stand to reason that God would want me to care about the rest of the world. Does that make sense?

Christ Church welcomes Michelle

Beautiful day, beautiful people, beautiful music.

Great food and drink. 

Thanks be to God.

(video 7:30 minutes)