Summer Spiritual Muscle - a simple plan

Here's are two workout routines for spiritual strength:

1) Sing and Shout, a lot! Singing (even if you lip-sync) is a powerful use of your 3 of your 5 senses! Singing is highly recommended by God many times in the Bible. It very likely could activate the powerful endorphins spoken of in Philippians 4 (Check it out)! In addition to singing, try "shouting" about what's really worth shouting about! I mean it - we use passion and "volume" for some pretty silly things ( for example: bad drivers, someone taking cuts in a long line, our cat or dogs bad behavior, our kid/s, lawnmower, or even worse, a missed putt at Blue Heron Golf Course (those 16" ones can bite hard). Shout, with exuberant celebration, for the gift of life! Not long ago, just for fun, my son Marcus and I SHOUTED, "Get in the hole!" right Gordon hit his Tee shot on a short par 4 (It was fun . . . felt like the US Open . . . my sweetheart Laura laughed a lot too). Don't hold back at exhibiting your inner value for life, gifts, love, and great memories - express yourself more. It's highly recommended by GOD! A must read is Psalm 33 - Start with this verse (3) now! The ancient language of the Bible says, literally, "make a really loud shout." It's the same word used to describe a war cry of celebration or mighty trumpet blast! Read this verse again; now take a look at the root word (in the link above). Try it out; SHOUT OUT LOUD SOMETHING YOU SO APPRECIATE! It's going to build some really good muscle on your inside!

2) Walk back (saunter) to a life of "awe and wonder." Little children are simply amazed all the time. Watching my two year old granddaughter run down a path, simply in awe of the gift of "running" (Not much bend going on in those little knees yet, but the bouncing jelly-face, full of wonder, is so incredibly WOW . . . " You can keep on running like that, sweetie!").

Notice what Psalm 33:8 says, "Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." The word "fear" can mean either "terror" or "respect-deep awe." Tingle with the beyond "bigness" of who God is in your life. Look at life with deep wonder, fascination. Stop and look at how amazing life is!

There's far more I'd love to blog on in this passage (maybe later): make sure you check out the weird pictures of my son Gordon experiencing Chinese Fire-pots on his back (Warning - I think these are some "sick" pictures).

Try on "serving" at East Vancouver this Summer

Dear friends, here's the overview of 21 ways you can serve this summer and get connected, exercise your spiritual muscles, AND have a blast "being part of God's family (see the entire chapter of Ephesians 4).

Take a look at the following descriptions and then give email Pastor Bruce and we'll spend some time visiting together about the possibilities!

Summer “Try-on” Service Areas (21 ways to give)

KidsWorld Volunteer opportunities

Toddlers Team (9 or 11 a.m.)

Helping hands –being there to hold, redirect, & help our amazing teacher

K-5^th Grade Team

Set-up Team –straighten chairs, last min. craft & snack prep, helping other volunteers be ready

Tear-down Team –spot vacuum, pick up craft supplies, re-freshen rooms.

Craft Center Team –as the kids build, you help & illustrate the one “Big
Idea” being taught at all four tables (everything you need already supplied).

Story Center Team –love to tell stories? You will help the kids at your table understand what the “Big Idea” for the day is (everything you need already supplied).

Small Group Center Team –using prayer requests and a Bible memory verse, you get to see children’s belief in a really BIG God shine out!

Snack Center Team –more than watching kids eat, you get to illustrate the days “one” idea. (everything you need already supplied).

Greeting Team –smile and help parents check in their kids; direct kids to worship area.

Worship Team –we supply the video, you supply the energy in leading kids in praise!

Volunteer Encouragement Team –maybe your grand on the phone, encouraging those who volunteer; or perhaps keeping the calendar up to date and helping volunteers get set up with a leader, if you like to affirm and build others up this is a great team for you!

Main Auditorium Sunday Volunteer (9 or 11 a.m. service)

Set-up Team Straighten chairs, put pens and handouts on chairs

Tear-down Team Stack chairs, put out tables, take out garbage

Crash-bar Team Serve, set out snacks, help make coffee

Worship Computer (EasyWorship) Work with the computer we use for worship

Sound Tec Team Would you like to learn how to run a sound board - This is it

Lighting Team Flip a switch and help learn how to operate a light-board

Offering team Help take up offering and hand out cards and other material

Worship (singing) Team We are building a new team - try out

Worship (instrument) Team We are building a new team - try out

Volunteer Encouragement Team Set up email reminders, phone and encourage volunteers, help volunteers connect with specific leaders, follow-up visits

Maintenance team Monthly special cleaning and repair

Programming Team Help with flow of entire Sunday Worship service

Prayers that harm you (Final blog in series on being faithful)

So I've been blogging on the irony of infidelity (we are unfaithful, distrustful, abandoning those we really love, or should love, the most). Here's your chance to go back to the beginning of this blog series (Link).

One of the most common prayers we pray is the "Please help me" prayer. Millions of us pray these words, "Please God, help me not to __________ any more."

God understands our heart, so if you pray this kind of prayer on a regular basis please don't get freaked out. Here's the deal with these kinds of prayer: Romans six, in the Bible, is all about living a life that keeps us free! It talks about the ideal focus (attitude, mental state, thoughts) we should have. It tells us what NOT to focus on. Try reading this chapter after considering this:

1. We get to have a mind-set that chooses to believe we are "alive IN God through Jesus!" (verses 5 & 11). We are to tell ourself (praying it is the best way to do this) that "sin has lost its power over us." It doesn't matter if we "feel this to be true or not." It's not contingent on if we've just had another "crash and burn" into our own self-destructive past. We are, by trust, to believe this is true because we've accepted Jesus in our lives and He lives in us! This sets us up to stop praying the following kind of prayers:

"Help me not to lose my temper any more!"

"Help me to not smoke today."

"Help me not to think impure thoughts today."

"Please God, help me to not judge others today!"

These promises (Romans 6:1-11) are inviting us to pray the following trust prayers instead:

"Thank you that Your peace is ruling in my life today."

"Thank you that this body is Yours and I get to honor Your life in my body today."

"Thank you that Your pure mind is now my mind."

"Thank you that You alone can see the motives of others. I don't have to worry about this."

We've known for a long time that saying things like, "I'm not going to gain any more weight. I'm not going to become obese." only serves to encourage the very things I'm trying to avoid. People who study human psychology have known this for years. But God invited us to pray positive prayers thousands of years ago (See Romans 7 for Paul's description of how harmful it is to focus on what "we don't want to do.").

2. The power of sin (the obsession with MY way) is broken because we're now "under grace" (like an umbrella)! This is what we see when we look up, around, everywhere we look: God's gift of love (grace) is our motive, our hope, and our motivation for everything! We are "no longer under the law" (that "I've got to do this or else" fear motivation.). It's all about seeing how much we're loved (Ephesians 1:4-5)!

Now try reading Romans 6 and continue talking to God! Make sure you re-read verses 11 and 14! Pray, by trust in God, what God "will do" in you. You are His Kid! Really, really!

Check out the amazing pictures of my granddaughter's first swing with a real golf club (She just turned two)!