I once could see but now I'm blind...

So today was my birthday! Party on! For my birthday, my amazing wife, the Lovely Linda, planned out the evening's festivities. We started off with our maiden voyage to P.F. Chang's for dinner. Uh, yeah! P.F. Chang's lived up to the billing. Yes, we had the Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps for an appetizer. Then we rocked the Crispy Honey Shrimp and Salt and Pepper Prawns. Magic.

Then we drove to Atlantic Station in the ATL to experience Dialogue In the Dark. You can read more about the experience HERE, but in a nut shell you enter the experience with approx 10 other people and are in a completely dark environment and are lead to different scenarios to experience what it would be like to have no sight. I don't want to sound cliche, but it was definitely an eye opening experience! It was fascinating how quickly your other senses ramped up to compensate for no sight.

I was made acutely aware of how much I take for granted the simple things in life, the ability to see being one of them. It made me stop and think about the time Jesus cured the blind man. To say this story has new meaning would be an understatement. The dude COULD NOT SEE! And Jesus said, "Receive your sight!" Close your eyes for just 5 minutes and then rethink what took place. Once blind, now seeing!

"And all who saw it praised God, too."

We serve an amazing and powerful God. Don't ever forget that.

Keep it real.

srr

sinbad

What if...

we just followed God's plan?

Love God....
Love others....
Make disciples....

Seems pretty simple. Wonder why we make it so complicated? What if we ran EVERYTHING we did through these three filters? What might we do more of? What might we quit doing all together? How might your city/state/country look different?

Just sayin'

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Not much left in the tank!

Today has been one long day. Alarm went off at 5:45. It's all worth it, though, when I think about all of the life change that took place today at Revolution Church and this evening at Uprising student worship experience.

So tonight I just want to share some verses from the message I shared with students tonight. Hopefully you will find some hope and encouragement in them....

Jeremiah 29:11
11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Isaiah 30.21
Your teacher will be right there, local and on the job, urging you on whenever you wander left or right: "This is the right road. Walk down this road."

Jeremiah 33.3
2-3"This is God's Message, the God who made earth, made it livable and lasting, known everywhere as God: 'Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own.'

Proverbs 3.5-7
5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!

Read these through a time or two and remind yourself that God is crazy about you!

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Whom do you obey?

NOTE: I realized today that I forgot to post the Friday Flush. I was traveling and overlooked it. Maybe I'll FLUSH on Monday this week! :) Now on to today's blog...

Ran across this simple yet powerful verse today.

Acts 5.29

29Peter and the apostles replied:

We don't obey people. We obey God.

I love this passage. Peter and some other apostles are getting their chops busted because the Sanhedrin, (kinda like a supreme court), had told them to shut their traps and stop all the God-talk! I love their response! WE DON'T OBEY PEOPLE. WE OBEY GOD.

WOW! I wonder how different the "American" church would look and what kind of impact in our communities would be made if churches and those who served at them said the same thing Peter said. I cannot help but think things would be radically different.

I think more churches would be hitting the 1000 mark than the 100 mark.
I think more of the least, last, and lost would be coming to Christ.
I think more people who are NOT convinced Christ is who he says he is, would become convinced.
I think more churches that had influence in their communities would be the norm not the exception.

Call me crazy, but that's what I think.

Question: What would people say about YOU?
Do you obey people or do you obey God?

Just sayin'!

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Who else?

Thought about one of my favorite verses today. It's from John 6....

66-67After this a lot of his disciples left. They no longer wanted to be associated with him. Then Jesus gave the Twelve their chance: "Do you also want to leave?"

68-69Peter replied, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We've already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God."

Back up a few verses and check out what happened, then come back here.

Check it out.

Jesus says some stuff they don't quite understand. That never happens! :)

The people began to argue with each other. That never happens! :)

The disciples were grumbling. That never happens! :)

They said that what Jesus was asking them to do was difficult. That never happens! :)

Then Jesus turned to the disciples. The CLOSE ones. And pops the big question.

"You gonna split, too?"

Here's what I love. The disciples didn't always get it right. They didn't always do it right. They were knuckleheads some of the time. But Peter got this one right.

"Peter replied, "Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We've already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God."

Good one, Peter!

To whom else shall I go? NO ONE!

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Who's wrong?

Whenever and wherever there is a controversy between God and a man, God is always right and the man always wrong.
A. W. Tozer

I saw this quote today from A. W. Tozer and it was a great reminder of this verse....

'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD.
Isaiah 55:8

There is a constant struggle, at least in my life (maybe not yours) to do MY stuff, MY way, in MY time. The problem is the fact that it is ALWAYS a wiser option to do GOD'S stuff, GOD'S way, in GOD'S time. God's stuff done God's way in God's time always yields GOD-sized results.

God help me (us) do it your way not ours!

Keep it real,

srr

sinbad

Better late than never....

Just a reminder FREEDOM AIN'T FREE!

A great price has been paid and continues to be paid for the freedom you and I enjoy here in America.

A greater price was paid by for another kind of freedom.

Just something to think about.

Keep it real.

srr

sinbad