Prayer Positioning (6/17/13)

Read: 1Kings 18:1-46, Acts 11:1-30, Psalm 135:1-21, Proverbs 17:12-13 So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees. (1 Kings 18:42) Relate: There is two possible ways to understand Elijah’s position in prayer. This picture isn’t…

Not A Gentleman (6/13/13)

Read: 1Kings 11:1-12:19, Acts 9:1-25, Psalm 131:1-3, Proverbs 17:4-5 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4) Relate: I just did a google search for this phrase in quotes: “The Holy Spirit is a gentleman”. It got 261,000 hits. That’s a lot of people who…

Who Am I Listening To (6/12/13)

Read: 1Kings 9:1-10:29, Acts 8:14-40, Psalm 130:1-8, Proverbs 17:2-3 I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word. (Psalm 130:5) Relate: All he wanted to do was join the army and serve His country. All he got was discouragement. Over and over again he would go to a recruiting…

Remember Switzerland (6/10/13)

Read: 1Kings 7:1-51, Acts 7:30-50, Psalm 128:1-6, Proverbs 16:31-33 We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall. (Proverbs 16:33) Relate: We were using the Castle Risk board, but playing by Risk rules.  I controlled the west, he had the east and whoever managed to punch through the other’s heavily fortified border first was going to win the…

Planting Tears (6/8/13)

Read: 1Kings 3:3-4:34, Acts 6:1-15, Psalm 126:1-6, Proverbs 16:26-27 Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest. (Psalms 126:5-6) Relate: This Psalm is all about joy. It is about returning. Psalm 126 is one of the Psalms of Ascent.…

No Other

Read: 1Kings 1:1-53, Acts 4:1-37, Psalm 124:1-8, Proverbs 16:24 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Relate: In the book Radical, David Platt writes: I remember sitting outside a Buddhist temple in Indonesia. Men and women filled the elaborate, colorful temple…

Origami Spaceships (6/5/13)

Read: 2Samuel 23:24-24:25, Acts 3:1-26, Psalm 123:1-4, Proverbs 16:21-23  But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen. (2 Samuel 24:24) Relate: It was Christmas…

Trapped In The Rubble (5/21/13)

Read: 1Samuel 29:1-31:13, John 11:55-12:19, Psalm 118:1-18, Proverbs 15:24-26 In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. (Psalm 118:5) Relate: There are certain times when we have to set aside the normal agenda and come together against devastating circumstances. Late yesterday a tornado that was over a mile wide hit down in areas near…

Who Dares To Defy My God? (5/15/13)

Read: 1Samuel 17:1-18:4, John 8:21-30, Psalm 111:1-10, Proverbs 15:11 Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? (1 Samuel 17:26) Relate: Growing up I loved numbers. That’s an understatement. I loved statistics to the point I was definitely a bit OCD about it. OK… more than a bit. I remember sitting there in…

Adult Children (5/8/13)

Read: 1Samuel 2:22-4:22, John 5:24-47, Psalm 106:1-12, Proverbs 14:30-31 So why do you scorn my sacrifices and offerings? Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me—for you and they have become fat from the best offerings of my people Israel! (1 Samuel 2:29) Relate: For nearly all of my post college life I…