Share Your World With Cee Cee Pt. 11

Here are another great bunch of questions from Cee Cee!

1. Are you left or right-handed?
   I am totally right-handed! Even after thirty plus years of piano playing I can still only do rudimentary movements with my left hand.
2. What is one thing you love about being an adult? I didn’t start feeling like an adult until I was thirty-five. I sort of like the respect that comes with a little bit of age and experience.
3. What do I need to unlearn? My fear of people and the idea that I am only as capable or adequate as other people see me. I am learning that what I can do has nothing to do with what other people expect from me.
4. What is success for me? Fulfilling God’s purpose for my life and experiencing His joy over that obedience.

Here are a few pictures of the lighter side of our church!

This is me at youth convention a few years ago. I was cast in a skit in the dual role of Granny and Baby Boy!

                                     And this is my boss!

                     We really enjoy helping people find the humor in life!

New Endeavors

Life is full of change. This next month shall be veritably overflowing with it!

I said “Bu-bye” to my youngest last week as she embarked on her summer internship in Thailand. Soon I shall be posting updates on her perspective of the world from Chang Mai province.

A few days ago I said another “Ciao” to my son who is on his way to a  summer internship in Myanmar! You sill be seeing lots of pictures from the Far East in the weeks to come.

My daughter Amanda has just started a new job in a nearby town and will be teaching children’s church here at Cornerstone with me (God knew I probably couldn’t handle all three out of country at once).

And then this month I have the awesome privilege of travelling to The Netherlands to visit my sister who is working as a missionary associate there!

So …yeah… lots of change which will bring lots of pictures. At least Cee Cee will be happy I can stop posting pictures of broken trees!

Pastor Wrinkles: Chapter Charts Pt. 88

Here we are! After today’s chart we will be ten short Pastor Wrinkles Posts away from the end of our countdown to a hundred contest! You still have time to join in the fun if you want. Here are the rules.

http://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/pastor-wrinkles-chapter-charts-pt-75/

Here is what I got out of Deuteronomy chapter 18 and 19:

Deuteronomy chapter 18 sermon topics/ titles:

1. The Land or The Lord Which Would You Choose? Deut. 18:1-2

2. It’s Good He Chooses For Us: Deut. 18:1-5

3. Walking Away From the New Age: Deut: 18:9-15

Deuteronomy chapter 19 sermon topics/ titles:

1. God Provides When Life Happens: Deut. 19:1-10

2. A Lesson On Undeserved Sorrow: Deut. 19:11-13

3. Turning the Trap On the Wicked: Deut. 19:15-20

Tell me what principles  you see from these chapters.

Pastor Wrinkles: Chapter Charts Pt. 87

Christianity gets a bad rap. So many think we are all about rules and regs. I don’t see it.  Certainly I do believe firmly in right and wrong. I believe as Christians we should do the right and shun the wrong.But I don’ t  see Christianity primarily as a system of moral conduct. I see it as the celebration of a relationship that was won for me by the grace of God. Here is what I see in Deut. 16 and 17.

Deuteronomy chapter 16 sermon topics/titles:

1. In Honor Celebrate: Deut. 16:1-8

2. Remember It Was God Who Set You Free: Deut. 16:1-3

3. Three Things To Celebrate: Deut. 16

Deuteronomy chapter 17 sermon topics/ titles:

1. Bring Your Best To the Master: Deut. 17:1

2. Do Not Take Justice Lightly: Deut. 17:2-12

3. Don’t Choose A Solomon: Deut. 17:14-20

Now tell me what you see! Only 11 more charts until the end of our contest!

Relentless Pt. 6

Over the last several posts we have been talking about being “relentless Christians”. We have established that it is necessary to be relentless in praise!

http://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/relentless-pt-4/

http://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/19/relentless-pt-5/?preview=true

But aside from praise…

 In these days like never before we need to be relentless in ministry because…

It is time! I am excited for revival! Great things happen in revival! People get healed from cancer in revival! Drug addicts and sex addicts get gloriously delivered in revival! Hard hearted sinners melt and give their hearts to Jesus in revival! God moves in worship during revival! People get excited about God I mean really excited! Miracles happen! Demons flee!

Yes God works mightily in revival and so do His people. Revival is coming  and every Christian will be called to a ministry in the church. God has  plans for us and they are ministry in the church and mission in the world. Every blood bought Christian will get his or her marching orders. They will be things we can do but  will seem impossible! As soon as we step forward in obedience life will try to get in the way.  Saint, you will have to be relentless to take up your ministry! A young friend of mine is going to post about this subject for me tomorrow. Hope you will tune in!

Relentless Pt. 5

Over the last several posts we have been speaking about the need for the church to get relentless. In yesterday’s post we spoke about the need to be relentless in private praise.

Yet it is not enough to be  relentless in private praise. Church, we need to begin to become relentless in public praise as well. OK this might get a little preachy so hold onto your hats! As a worship leader I have noticed that there is a rising tide of praise in Christendom. People of God are beginning to walk in freedom. In our church I have watched as one time staid saints  are daring to raise up their hands in service. Some who once stood and stared have started to open mouths to sing. Others have begun singing in the Spirit as the Holy Ghost leads.  There is a rising tide of audible worship between the songs. and that audible atmosphere of praise is the power that shuts the devil down and releases the supernatural move of God in the body! The  more free we get in praise the more miracles will take place during our church services; So we need to become relentless in public praise!

But I am not  just speaking about praise in church. We need to dare to praise God in public. Let me dare you dear reader…When something goes right at work  say “Praise Jesus! Hallelujah!” Right out loud.  If you want to change the atmosphere in the work place bring the power of praising Jesus up against the power of cursing Jesus.

Some of you just said “Are you kidding? I would never hear the end of it if I said that at work!”

Dare! You might face persecution. You will also begin to see the world change. And isn’t that what we are after, after all?

Listen to this and then tell me your thoughts!

Relentless Pt. 4

Today we continue with excerpts from a recent sermon I preached at Cornerstone Church. If you have missed out on the beginning of the relentless posts here are the links:

http://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/13/relentless-pt-1/

http://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/14/3445/

http://jelillie.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/relentless-pt-3/

We have been discussing our need to be relentless in praise. For many of us praising God is  difficult. I understand that our ability or inability to praise God is bound up in a complex series of issues including upbringing, past experience and even personality make-up. So I hesitate to oversimplify but one reason we struggle to praise God is because we do not practice intentional praise in our private prayer time.

I once went through a battle so thick that every one of my devotions turned into a moan and groan session. I came before God. I  read the Bible and complained to Him that none of His promises were being answered.

Then one day as I sat in the middle of my  moaning God stopped me and said “Get a notebook.”

I said “A notebook haven’t you been listening God! I am hurting and you need to do something. I don’t feel like writing right now.”

God said “Notebook!”

So I got a notebook and He told me “Write down all the blessings you have.”

I said “Blessings didn’t you hear me! I am hurting and I need you to fix this before I can thank you for anything else.”

Then I begin to hear the words to this old hymn playing in the back of my mind.

Soon I had a list of ten blessings that I still possessed even in the midst of my terrible circumstance. God then began to show me some of the blessings I had been given because of the circumstance.

God said to me “I do not want you to pray about the problem anymore I want you to thank me for the possible answers.”

If you are caught in a place of negativity and you are finding it hard to praise God use your next private devotion to make a thanksgiving list. Stop talking to Him about problems and start thanking Him for the answers He is going to bring!