Quick Update (Rosebud and Baby)

Rosebud was awesome. I'll post more on that. We saw some amazing miracles - for real. We share in Sunday School on July 16th (after I preach)

Lori just had a baby!!!! Jonathan Peter Olson - Born June 30th, at 3:30 p.m. He is 9 pounds 15 oz and 20.5 inches long. He's a chunk -and 11 days early. He's healthy. More on that later - and some pics.

Praise God for His goodness and kindness. He alone is worthy!!!
Soli Deo Gloria

More on Preaching

I just preached 2 sermons - through the short book of Jude. I purposefully look for passages I don't know well - I enjoy studying new things, but more than anything, I want the message to be God's message and not my own. Now and then I'll preach on something because it's already burning in me. But by choosing a text that I don't come to with presuppostions, it forces me to search for God's message. I really believe that when we preach, we must make sure that the Word burns in us first - before we preach it (John Piper illustrates this with the road to Emmaeus story - and how they said after Jesus left - did not our hearts burn while he spoke to us). I thank God for the burning in my heart.

Let me give a shout out to Tracey and Andy - for your help in my sermon.

Overwhelmed

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I spent a day and a half of this week with stuff other than my sermon and normal youth stuff (Hidden Acres and CDSM). I am preaching this Sunday. We leave for Rosebud in 8 days (I'm behind in some ways - many - on Rosebud - and much is up in the air). We are cleaning the Church this weekend. Yeah - there's a ton to do.

Cool thing - God loves to do the amazing - especially with simple folk - so I am highly qualified for God to do something with.

If you want to help, then... PRAY (you can call and try to do something, too).

Pray - that His Word would burn in me (sooner is better)
Pray - that I'll have great wisdom for Rosebud
Pray - that logistics for Rosebud will work out and make sense soon
Pray - for my family, as I feel consumed by so much else.

Also - the WORLD CUP starts TOMORROW!!!!! That is exciting!!!

My Sermon

I won't post it here. Just a few observations.

There is only ONE command - Contend for the faith. This is a word used to describe the way athletes competed in the Greek Games. I liken it to 6 minutes of wrestling. This is how we are to fight for "the faith".

How close is our church here to being extinct? As close as luke-warm Christianity.

What is they key to contending and winning a wrestling match? Great training. When one doesn't train, one doesn't win. The same is true for our spiritual lives.

So this is really a call to passionately pursue God - to fall in love once again.

One other thought. The Davinci Code. You can see how something as false and entertainment driven as that book could lead people astray - the surveys done on the affects of the book are scary. But it is such a bunch of baloney. One simple sight that spells a bunch of it out is (click here).