The Starting Point (new year 2010 message)

Jan 3, 2010 by Steve Kelly

2 Cor 5:17
Genesis 1 - God is begining, originating
John 1 - Jesus is the begining

Many people live life in the shadow of ending. As Christian we should live in a life of the begining.

When Jesus hang on the cross, that's a new beginining. "I made all things new"

Numbers 33:1-2 We live to press on.

• Starting point forces you to change your attitude.
• Starting point requires faith and boldness to setp forward.
• Starting point begins with little but increase the touch.
• Starting point turns life from being monotoneous into a series of challenges.
• When you start something new, you allow people to regroup around you.

Framing Your World with Love

Nov 7, 2009 by Julia A'Bell

Jer 4:6-7 Expect Love.

Step up the plate to be someone's miracles (Luke 1:26-38)

1. Obedience sacrifice isn't always conveninent. There is a fruit at the end of obedience sacrifice.
2. Rebuild the foundation - not only you are restored by God, be responsible to restore others too. (Psalm 72:13-15 and Isaih 58:12)
3. Have intimate relationship with God and love others. (1 John 4:21) If you want a fulfilling relationship, be prepared to do the hard work.
4. Love is not a feeling. It is a a choice. We need to forgive, humble ourselves before God and people. (1 John 4:10-12)

                                              Miracles
                           ---------------------------------
                            |                                               |
                            |                                               |
       Restoration    |                                               | Relationship
                            |                                               |
                           ---------------------------------
                                             Sacrifice

See. Seek. Serve

Nov 21, 2009 by Robert Furgerson.

The way we see, seek, and serve determines your future.

Speak -> Thrive -> Act

Matt 7:24-29 Words are powerful. We should speak the words of God
Matt 12:31-33 You want to know someone's believe and future, listen to their God

Scattered things will be multiplied. Whatever words you scatter in life will bear fruits - either good or bad fruits. They are like seeds, if they find soil in someone's heart, it will either bring them up or down.

Prov 18:20-21
Matt 15:7-20
John 12:47-50 Jesus did not come to judge. He came to save.

What kind of words should we say?
1. A conversation of authenticity
2. A conversation of life (John 12:47-50)
3. A conversation of Righteousness (Eph 5:3-4)
4. A conversation of Value (2 Tim 2:14)

Potted. Planted. Packaged

Nov 7, 2009 by Paul De-Jong

Jesus final prayer (John 17:21)

Potted

• Comfort has never been an ingredient to growth
• If you are a potted Christian, you will want comfort & control which lead you to contentment, never grow.

Psalm 27: 4-5

Planted (Psalm 92:13-14 Those who are planted in the house)
How do you get planted?

• Settle and remain in fertile soil
• Embrace the value of the orchard - where you are planted, it is your destiny. Your destiny can never unfold until you embrace the value of the orchard
• Determine to grow strong roots
• When you want something to go up, there is something to go down
• Root determines fruits
• Root drills harder when they hit the concrete, because the harder the surface the better support it gives you.
• When roots intertwined, it stands against wind.
• Allow the require pruning
• Fruits yields flowers
• Like citrus trees, when people don't say thank you to you, you keep producing fruits.

Packaged

• Package of seeds will not produce until it gets planted

The Danger of Losing Heart

June 7, 2008 by Pastor Brian Houston

Reference: Matthew 9:2, Deu 1:28

1. When you first lose heart, it is because you are listening to voices of others' perspectives.
2. Don't listen to "they says", listen to God's say (1 Sam 17:32)
3. Don't be spooked by what you see. Have faith (Jer 51:46)
4. Don't get into mechanism in serving God (Heb 12:3)
5. The moment you lose heart, you place yourself in enemy's hands
6. If you don't stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all (Isa 7:9)
7. Outwardly we are wasting away. Inwardly we are being renewed day by day (2 Cor 4:16)
8. Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God (Isa 7:11)

Princasas

Some good lines from a spanish movie - Princasas.

• There are too few good things in life. The sad thing is that you miss out because you are busy with something else.
• We are not important because we exist. We are important because someone is thinking of us.

Exception Living

Reading from Joyce Meyer's book 'Exceptional Living'

1. Trials develop patient - patient with people, patient with circumstances.
• We spend more time in life waiting than receiving so we might as well enjoy ourselves when God works out our problem
2. Realize in life that not everything changes. Something won't change. So have peace and be patient with yourself.
3. Waiting destroys pride
4. You can't just dump everything on a person at once. If things are not done it's God's timing, then we hurt other people. We destroy them and it's too much for them to handle.
5. One of the greatest way to show loves to others is be patient with them, including their fault and weaknesses and their slowness.

Peace

1. Let go of past mistakes and press towards the future.
2. You have to hurt to get free. At least you are heading a victory. Your pain is not wasted.
3. Let people be who they are. Trying to control them will steal your peace.
4. Be generous & forgiving. Don't become angry every time you do not get your way. it is very hard on the relationship.

I'll have what she has

April 27, 2009 Reading from Bobbie Houston's book - I will have what she has. Here are some good tips for married women.

1. Cut him a little space when he needs it. At the same time encourage involvment & fairness.
2. Observe and understand. Appreciate the weight of responsibilities that he carries.
3. One of the greatest enemies to marriage is expectation that is immature.
4. Allow each other space to grow & mature.
5. Love and treasure sweet companionship. Guard your friendship. Your spouse should be your soul-mate and your best friend.
6. Embrace the learning curve together.
• Encourage when they are hard pressed or stressed
• Love when they are fragile
• Listen when they need a sounding board
• Be warm and available for his soul
• Be more than willing when his flesh needs a playmate
• Laugh together. Cry together. Grow together.
• Paint your marriage 'beautiful'
7. Be a thankful person
• Know who you are
• Know all that you are purposed to achieve
• Connect with a company of people
• Be patient with God
• Be patient with yourself. Let peace govern your heart
• Be patient with others in the puzzle

Sex, love and relationship seminar

Sept 16, 2008

Marriage is a mirror of oneself
Marriage is for holiness than happiness

Eph 1: 19-20
1 John 11-12

You have got to date someone until the shine is wear off, and see him going through the seasons.

Is your relationship reflecting Jesus?

In marriage, you are forced to be unselfish and creative
It is a place to become pefection. It is a place for protection

1 Cor 7:9
Doubt and faith go hand in hand.
Do not isolate yourself
Marriage requires WORK
Man and woman drifted apart. Man to his career, woman to kids.

Learn to leave and cleave.
Eph 4:32

Worship
Order
Reconciliation
Knowledge

Choosing a spouse

• Check characters
• How they/their familly resolve conflicts
• Warning signs
• Temperment
• High maintenance
• Seek others' view point

You will need to be smart like a serpant, harmless like a dove.
Write your own 10 commandments for marriage.
Don't get too close to the edge
Date at least one year
Don't live together before marriage (don't play home)

Attributes of a leader

July 17, 2006

Persistent
Encourage
Generosity
Humility

1. God himself demonstrated humility by dividing himself into 3 as a team
2. Deu 8.1 God gives & increases. If you are humble, God can increase your scope to do more
3. God's response to you is how you respond to him
4. Command  (God humbles you) -> Principal (You humble yourself) -> Strategy
5. God led slaves for 40 years to humble them, promoted them to servant, then gave them land with milk and honey
6. God tests you to see where in your hear you take his commandment
7. God brings wealth in natural form - sky, earth, inside the earth. When you exchange those with money there is a spirit attached to it. It can also be good spirit if your heart has the right focus to give  back to God.
8. You humble yourself by giving God's purpose FIRST in your life
9. It is easy to humble before God, but what about people?
10. Have a purpose in your heart & stay focus
11. Strategy  (Matt 20:26, 1 Peter 5-7)
• Jesus humble himself so we can be His family.
• Jesus washed Peter's feet so that Peter can do the same to others
• Jesus didn't want Peter to "take care" of his going for cruxification 'cos it is about Kingdom, not Peter
12. What is not humble?
• Draw attention to yourself
• Criticism
• You think you are victim
• Yearning for praise
• Love for title
• Rejoicing in others' failures
• Compulsively defending yourself against criticism

Jesus and the Samaritan woman

Know your purpose in life
Prioritize your life - live that by getting the knowledge & fellowship
Live life with Godly passion

Walk in the path of Wisdom
Fear - Serve - Love - Focus - Obey - Follow the Lord

References:
1 Cor 12
Deu 30:20
Prov 5-7 Avoid sexual trap
Prov 12:1-6 Integrity
Prov 29:23 - Control the tongue

Matt 12: 36-37
Matt 14:7
Matt 15:1
Matt 3:7-8
Matt 3: 13- 18

Everything starts with a seed

Everything starts with a seed. If we retain the seed, good things will happen.

• When we obey the words of God, we are in the presence of God
• Human can't be in totality if you are alone. We need to work as a a team and seek expansion. God command blessing in unity.
• Blessing to Abraham's decendent will be multiplied
• Obey God's word and His provision will be multiplied for you.