The Four Aspects of Love Sermon

The Four Aspects of Love: Unconditional, Fearless, Fruitful, and Shared.

I was asked to be a guest speaker in a local church. And today was the first time I ever delivered a sermon. As a public speaker and trainer I have no problem speaking in front of large groups of people. But when I was asked to deliver the sermon, I have to admit it was a little nerve wracking during the preparation process! I had 30 minutes to speak, and for me that is not hard to fill. I got down to 29 minutes in my practice sessions, and I felt relaxed and at peace about the message. And, I was very excited, because sharing the word of God is so exciting! But I remember thinking when I was first asked that I had not ever prepared a full sermon before. I’d done devotionals, but nothing like this. PANIC! No, I prayed and asked Him for guidance! When God asks you to do something, He equips you, and I found myself writing the message and diving right on  into His word.

Several individuals I know who couldn’t be there had requested to hear the message even though they couldn’t attend. So, as promised,  it has been recorded and posted below. During the service, the recording was unable to take place due to unforeseen technical issues. So, it was recorded right after I finished it the first time. I just did it all over again, so I could make sure those who wanted to hear it could.

I am honored to have been asked to speak and teach into the lives of this congregation  This is truly the work of God, because his guidance for this message was incredible and it came together beautifully-without thorns I might add! (You’ll understand that comment as you listen to it.) I pray he continue to grow and stretch me while he teach me how to reach those with His word. I pray that He be honored and glorified for His works and His wisdom. And I have a whole new appreciation for those who write sermons each and every week. WOW! That is a HUGE responsibility and much, much work!

For a first time opportunity to preach a message in church, I am grateful and blessed.

Follow the following link if you’d like to listen to the recorded version:

The Four Aspects of Love: UNCONDITIONAL, FEARLESS, FRUITFUL, and SHARED.

You Can Preach, Too (A soup kitchen devotional)

Image by kevindooley via Flickr

One of my favorite things to do is give the devotional at our local soup kitchen ministry. I have learned that there are multiple ways to feed an individual. People are hungry. And sometimes it has less to do with their stomachs and more to do with their lives. Their souls are hungry for the truth about God’s word. Their hearts are hungry for understanding and acceptance. Their bodies are hungry for the food cooked with much love and labor in the kitchen. And their minds are hungry for an encouraging word and coaching to help them live out the lesson they heard in the evening devotional and prayer.

I wanted to post the devotional I just did and tell you about the inspiration and lesson God provided to show me exactly how to teach this lesson. And trust me. Every time I teach and I know what the topic is and start focusing on God’s word related to it, He teaches me something first hand. Some lessons he teaches me are harder than others. And this one was one of the most inspiring yet for many. Even myself.

The teaching started with Acts 1:1-11, which I read aloud. (NIV)

Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

After reading the passage, I read a story to the group found in one of my favorite books. I found this particular book in a box of stuff at a garage sale, and I call it my little black book. It’s title: “The Gift Of Life” by Wesley P. Ford. It’s an oldie but goody.  Copyright 1958.

Here’s the story:

Scripture: Acts 1;1-11; Text: “…and you shall be my witnesses…to the end of the earth.” –Acts 1:8, Hymn: ” I Would Be True”

Saint Francis of Assisi once stepped down out of his monastery and , laying his hand on the shoulder of a young monk, said, “Brother, let us go down into the town and preach.” So they went forth, up and down the streets, conversing with those along the way. Finally they returned to the monastery, whereupon the young monk said, “Father, when shall we begin to preach?” Saint Francis replied, “My child, we have been preaching. We were preaching while we were walking. We have been seen, looked at, our behavior has ben remarked. We have delivered a sermon. My son, it is of no use that we walk anywhere to preach unless we preach as we walk.”

The story in this book continues on to say that men also are preachers. And like during a football game, there are no timeouts where our behavior would cease to be recorded. Our lives don’t allow for “time outs” and everything we do and say counts. And our thoughts count as well. Daily we preach by our conduct whether we open our mouths or not and by whether we serve or are served.

It goes on to say that we preach by our faith. If we are chronic worriers, are we truly being faithful and relying on God? Do we trust him when we are filled with worry? Even the action of trust and faith is preaching, because the Christian becomes an “ally of the unseen in order to accomplish the impossible.” (pg. 55). The author then goes on to discuss a trip to Japan to preach. He was concerned that the sermon may not be understood due to the language barriers. He was told that the Japanese would hear his sermon more by his actions and how he acted than by any words he would say.

And this is where the life application and what I felt God was leading me to teach that day came into the lesson. Below are my speaking points:

How do we preach? I started asking questions which the individuals were eager to answer. It was awesome to see and hear them participating. I asked if they needed a microphone? They responded, “Nope!” I asked if they needed a podium and they responded the same again. Nope, no podium was necessary for preaching. I asked them if we can only preach in churches on Sundays. Again, they all responded, “No!” I asked if they had to have a degree, and again, although much quieter, I explained how the Apostles were merely “fishers of men” when Jesus recruited them and how the Acts church began.

I began then to teach about how as the story taught us, we many times preach with our conduct and as it said in the passage of Scripture that we are to go everywhere!  I taught about  two types of conduct:

1. Internal

2. External

Internal conduct would be only the things that God can see such as our thoughts and what we hold in our hearts. Our external conduct is what everyone including God can see such as our actions and spoken words.

Our external conduct (external actions) are things such as: (and I asked who had done these types of things to further engage them)

Deed: Holding the door open for someone who’s hands are full

Words: Offering encouragement to someone we knew really need it that day

Hands: Helping or offering assistance to someone or something

Feet: When we use our feet to walk through the storms and trials with our friends and families instead of just watching them endure it alone

Hearts: How we react to the Holy Spirit’s prompting when we do those things

I then began to talk about how we have to pay attention or we might miss the chance to respond to someone’s need or the prompting of the Spirit if we are always too busy and in a dire hurry! I gave an example (just one of two examples of how God showed me this VERY thing that week, Praise you, Jesus! for teaching me, so I can teach others!) of how at Walmart when the lines are long, and we are in a hurry, we can miss those opportunities to use our actions to preach with our lives.

I told them a story about being in line at the bread store the previous Wednesday. An elderly man came in to buy a single loaf of bread while his wife waited in the car for him. He only had $1.25 on him, which was short one quarter for the cost of the bread. He didn’t quite understand the cashier who was telling him he needed .25 more cents. He seemed to be hard of hearing and the conversation just wasn’t working. I asked the cashier to add my order to the order of his bread, and I’d take care of it. She explained to him that he could take the bread, and he tried giving me the $1.25, but I asked him to keep it, just in case they needed it for something else.

The point of this example was not go gain kudos or glory for myself. But to show how the Holy Spirit can prompt us to provide for another and preach with our time, resources, and our lives. If we slow down, pay attention, and listen for that gentle nudge, we’ll most definitely hear it!

I then spoke to the group about how a quarter, a mere .25 cents just doesn’t seem like much to give to someone. After all, it is only a quarter! Big deal! But, it was a big deal. See, in that moment of need, that was EVERYTHING that individual needed. All he needed at that very moment, he received in a mere .25 cents. Preaching with what we have, our actions, our resources, and our lives sometimes doesn’t require monumental amounts of anything. It’s the little things we do everyday that collectively meet a need is worth everything to that person at the point in time that their need is met.

I then closed the devotional time and teaching with the following thoughts:

In the five minutes this whole scenario took place, the preaching the actions over one simple loaf of bread and a simple quarter witnessed to:

The man who only needed .25 cents and the loaf of bread!

It witnessed to the cashier in the store who happily said, “People just don’t do this kind of stuff everyday!”

To the one who preached with their actions to feel and listen to the prompting the spirit and preach with their actions feeling the power of God right then and there!

And finally, this witness and preaching through action witnessed to every other customer in the store at that point in time.

Whether it’s here or in another country, we are to go EVERYWHERE and be His witnesses.

YOU can preach, too.

********

As I put this lesson together and finalized the teaching points, I realized something. When God works in this way, I seem to have my breath taken away from me when I put together the words I am to speak. When I was writing this, I could literally feel my breath being taken away from me as my pen moved. I kept wondering why. And I wrote this and left it for meditation:

“When I start writing the message I feel God is asking me to teach, I literally feel as though the one who gives me life through His breath, takes my very breath away, and then returns it to me as I write my lesson.”

I didn’t think anything of it, and I took that paper, stuck it in my Bible, packed up, and left the coffee shop. As soon as I drove out of the parking lot and onto the road, it hit me so clearly and that small voice whispered:

“I do give you your breath and I take it away.  It is because it is no longer your voice that speaks, but mine.”

I had to pull over immediately, (yes, even upon the side walk!) and write that down. I still can’t figure out where the depths of His voice are found within me. I just know that when I teach, I know it’s there if I still myself and listen. And it was the most awesome and incredible soup kitchen devotional ever.You could see His glory shine in the faces of those listening, and it was incredible.

Thank you, Lord for allowing me to speak your word into the lives of others and use my life to preach through my own words and actions. It truly is an honor and a responsibility I don’t take lightly, and I thank you for teaching me these very same things first before I teach others. Although I could never consider myself worthy, Here am I, Lord send me! Serving you is a blessing!

A thought: If you follow Christ…

A thought: If you follow Christ, DON’T STAY SAFE! If you’re safe, you’re stuck on a base & can’t move people home! (Like baseball!) #FB

Hmmm…this would make a great sermon series just in time for Spring Training!

Two teams…bases loaded, and it’ up to you to bring ’em home!

The team could be your friends, family, coworkers that you “play” around every day…

Just food for thought.

I need an “off” switch for my brain 😉

CLICK…

 

Win a FREE copy of The 7 Day Sermon Workbook!

Are you ready to APPLY what you learn on Sunday?

This workbook was designed for application of the teachings!

Now YOU can win a FREE copy of The 7 Day Sermon Workbook!

The 7 Day Sermon is the original weekly challenge that the church body utilizes to live out what they learn in sermons. It’s always good to hear a teaching and listen to a Biblical truths that could potentially change our lives. But we need to use what we learn to truly grow and mature. The 7 Day Sermon is the workbook that has been designed, redesigned, and customized to be utilized on a week by week basis to coincide with your pastor’s schedule of sermons. You will be challenged by your pastor (or yourself if used solo) to do a weekly assignment using what you learned to create a plan, journal each day as you live it out, master the life change by tweaking it if necessary, and finally experience the life change that occurs with obedience.

Read more about this workbook here and view it online!

Pastors:

Give your congregation a weekly assignment or “challenge” to help your members move beyond the Sunday sermon by challenging them practice what they preach!

Church Members:

Use The 7 Day Sermon to take sermon notes, remember teaching points, and put what you learn into practice each week by challenging yourself to apply what you’ve learned and dig deeper into the word of God!

Now you can win a copy of your very own!

Simply follow these three simple steps!

(You must follow all three to be eligible!)

1. Leave a comment on this blog post and tell me why you’d like to win a copy of the workbook.

2. Choose one: Share and Tweet this post on Twitter or share on your Facebook profile

• Retweet on Twitter: Scroll to the end of this post and click on the “Share- TWEET” icon. If you don’t see it, you are likely on the home page. Click on the title of this post or click here, scroll down to the end of the post and you should see the TWEET button. OR…
• Share on Facebook: Copy and paste the following in it’s entirety into your status (including the link):  I just entered for my chance to win a FREE copy of The 7 Day Sermon Workbook! You can, too by visiting this link: http://wp.me/pKSPR-aD

3. Contact us with your complete mailing address. (Your information will not be shared! Ever!) If you are the winner, your workbook will be promptly shipped to the address you supply! Double check it for accuracy. Please note: ZIP CODES must be entered in questions/comments box of the form. Click here!

That’s it!

Deadline for entry is Thursday, September 23, 2010 Midnight, CST.

I will personally choose a winner from the responses on Friday morning and notify the winner via email!

And, stay tuned for another opportunity to win in the next few weeks! No, not necessarily a workbook…we’re talking an A/P (Action Planning) Coaching package…for FREE! Details on this coming soon!

For now…have fun with this contest and enter to win The 7 Day Sermon Workbook!

Hurry!

The Annoying Fine print 😉

The workbook contest is limited to the U.S. only.

You only need to enter once.

All three steps must be completed to be eligible.

Deadline for entry: Thursday, September 23, 2010 at Midnight, CST.

We assume no liability for incorrect addresses, lost emails, social media issues, or other unforseen events.

Christian Fruits With Blank Pages

Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in ourselves more than we are caught up in God. While I know I am not the only person this happens to from time to time, it is very disheartening to know that this form of self-pride and the occasional desire for worldly approval can enter my life. I don’t like it, and it can allow me to start doubting a whole lot of things if I start seeking approval from anyone other than God. The good part is that I recognize it quickly, deal with swiftly, and find myself humbled and relying on God more than ever! Every time I feel I’m slipping, it’s an opportunity to look upon my Father and be lifted up to glorify Him. And that will happen IF I can get my focus off my self-centered little self and back on Him. Do I need approval? Only from God! Now, that’s focus!

The more I live and encounter everything the world promises, what “should” be considered normal in my life, or viewed as the latest must haves that take over and control more of our time and energy, the more I know I need the very life management skills I teach. And as I sat this morning distraught after reading a few very impressive bio’s of other people who are writing, teaching, and producing fruit for the Kingdom, I sat and started to doubt my fruit. I started comparing fruit: Did mine measure up? Is mine too small? Should I do more? Should I make mine bigger or try to grow more fruit flavored options? Should I offer more? Or less?

After looking at my bookshelf of other Christian authors and teachers, I even began to wonder how my workbooks compared.  My workbooks are just that. Workbooks. They have instructions, guidelines, coaching questions, life change application, and blank lines to be filled in by the user. I wondered why I hadn’t written any books with fantastic stories or cover to cover how to advice or write about life changing Christian testimony. I believe that time will come, but it’s just not now. So, I decided that it was time to stop questioning myself and leave it in the hands of the Lord to answer some of the questions and doubts I had. I grabbed my Bible and just opened it. In front of me was Romans 9.

Romans 9:20-21

²⁰But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ “^[h]21Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?

Well, that was a smack in the face! Was I talking back to God in questioning my work? Was I questioning the potter about my purpose and His use of His tools? I began to quickly realize that my doubt was causing me to doubt God and His purpose, plan, and even His power to work in my life through the tools I create to be useful tools reaching  into the lives of others. Some of his work is for noble purposes. And some of his work for common purposes. Which am I?

I quickly realized it simply didn’t matter! As fast as all of this started it began to subside. How?

First, I reached for the Word of God. The answer was right there in black and white as I read my Bible. No gray areas are found in His truth.

Secondly, I grabbed my latest workbook, The 7 Day Sermon to answer the question for my assignment related to last week’s sermon challenge. Our last church sermon was about glorifying God in everything we do. I decided I wanted to challenge myself to live this. So every day this week I asked myself  “Who do I live to please?” and responded as I prayed, “Lord, take the lead!” And at the end of each day, I wrote about my daily experiences on each day’s blank lines in my workbook.  Today was no different. I grabbed my workbook and wrote about my doubt and comparisons, giving it to God, and asking Him to take the lead, because it’s Him I serve. He is the potter, and I am the clay to submit to His plans for me. I prayed as I read in my workbook where I had written, “Lord, take the lead!” and suddenly it hit me so clearly.

My eyes began to see the importance of what I am doing even though it seemed so menial for a short time as I compared my fruit to the fruit of others. Why doesn’t my fruit look like theirs? I began to see that I am the author of Christian workbooks with very different and journal type pages. I pray, design, teach, and live a life so that through my experiences and His wisdom and direction, I can write simple, but life changing guides in the forms of these workbooks to coach and teach others HOW to manage life chaos or put Biblical truths learned every Sunday into practice. My workbooks are merely a guide to encourage people to take action and change their lives as they walk with the Lord.

I don’t write from cover to cover. I don’t tell people what will exactly will change their lives. I don’t tell people what their God-given purpose is. I don’t have all the answers. And while I could write books that someone could pick up and read to find some inspiration, I write blank spaces and lines in a guided format that will be filled with life change as the users record their life experiences, prayers, and questions and answers with the Lord. I don’t write what will change a life or how to change it. Instead my workbooks allow people to draw near God and write their own story, day by day, experience by experience, and priority by priority.

I simply write Christian workbooks  to coach and guide people as they plan and prepare for their life change.

And each person meets with God to fill in the rest. Each workbook when completed is custom tailored from cover to cover by the potter himself. And if you ask me what your life is to become? I will show you my workbooks with blank pages.

Because what goes in to fill in those pages is between you and God.’

And I realize that the fruit belongs to each individual holding a workbook. It’s their fruit. It’s the fruit produced in lives changed between each of them and The Living God.

Suddenly I am humbled beyond words, and I realize there is no need to compare fruit. Because it never was my fruit to compare.  😉

The 7 Day Sermon

My 7th book was published this morning! A brand new workbook available now!

Preview it here!

Practice What You Preach

Preview here

My latest workbook, Practice What You Preach, is now available!

Practice What You Preach is a workbook designed for entire churches, Sunday school classes, small groups, and individuals to use to take what they learn in sermons and biblical teachings and put it into practice 30 days at at time! The 30 Day Challenges can be selected by the Pastor, leader, or individual. The workbook exercises help individuals track their progress, learn and study Scripture it relates to the given 30 Day Challenges, and promotes personal accountability and responsibility for life change.

This is a revolutionary workbook designed to put into practice what we are preaching!