I hope that you have started the journey through the Gospels with me because
 it will be fun to share some of the insights we gleen from our reading
 together.  Please know if you have not started this journey yet, that it is OK.
  Just jump in with us where we are.  You can catch up later on your
own or just join the conversation.


 Today we're at DAY 3--no rhyme or reason, it's just where we are. I was
 looking at the three chapters we have to read today which is the third
 chapters of Matthew, Luke and John. I find an interesting occurrence.
 Questions!  People, ie. the crowds in Matthew and Luke, Nicadomeus in John and
 then Jesus' own disciples.  They were asking questions about life, about
 direction and about God.


 I don't know about you, but I am full of questions--always have been,
 always will be.   As a child, I was curious about how things were put
 together, and I would take apart things like radios and electrical appliances
 to see how they worked.   More times than not the stuff never worked again
 after I put  it  back in place...but at  least  I had some understanding of
 how it worked.


 What I want you and me to take away from these passages today is that it
 is OK to ask questions of me, of yourself and even of God.  Because as we
 see from the Gospels we read, Jesus answered.  And not just answered in any old way, but He did so in a mighty way.

It's great  to be on the  journey with you.

 Pastor Rip

Click the link below to go to today's Gospel reading.

 August 9, 2012 Gospel Reading

Getting Started

These five steps will get you off to the right S-T-A-R-T, as you follow Christ:
1. Stop trusting in yourself and your own good works, and start
trusting in Christ alone for salvation. (Ephesians 2:8–9)
2. Turn away from everything the Bible calls sin. (2 Timothy 2:19)
3. Attend a small group for personal discipleship and weekly worship
services. (Hebrews 10:25)
4. Read and obey your Bible every day. (Joshua 1:8)
5. Tell others about your new relationship with Christ. (Mark 5:19–20)

I came across  the above list for how to follow a Bible reading plan.
The first line got to me. One of the main reasions we don't finish a
plan is because we don't start.  I thought about that for a time. How

simple an instruction but at the  same time how true of us as
individuals.

Here are some insights that came to my mind:

INSIGHT 1: I will have to change before I start...change happens more

frequently in the midst of the journey and not before we start.  For
example, you can't enjoy the view at the top of the mountain if you

never begin to climb up the  mountain.
INSIGHT 2: What if I start and then fail....fear really is a

challenge; however, we have a God of grace. I believe He is more
interested in moving us than we give Him credit for. So when you fail,

trust Him to restart you again. Trust me in this....It is OK to start
over.

INSIGHT 3: My plate is full already and now you are asking me to
commit to reading the Bible....you are right.  I am asking you to do
this because I know the power of God's word for the living of life in
full. So when I ask you to do this. I am in fact asking you to LIVE.

So here is a challenge. Share with me your insights.

Pastor Rip

FOLLOW THIS LINK TO TODAY'S READING PLAN

http://www.youversion.com/reading-plans/16-the-gospels

Focus

Hey, Bloggers. This post started out at 7AM this morning but just now has become something I wanted to post. Some days are like that. Great expectations but detours come along and cause us to get off track.

It’s funny because I started out today to challenge you on how to keep your focus. Spiritual growth is actually a series of steps--one foot in front of the other. None of us wake up one day and say to ourselves, “Today I am a spiritual person.”  We may desire that, but it
never happens that way.

Growth of every kind comes from receiving the right stuff. If you’re a
plant, the right stuff is sunlight, water and plant food.  If you’re a person, it’s food, water, love…well, you get the point. Spiritual Growth only happens when we feed upon the God stuff in life. So what happens when the flow is
disrupted?   In plant life and human life the same results occur--stunted or
delayed fulfillment into the object God intended us to become.

I love Romans Chapter 12:2 where Paul talks about the transformation
of our mind--a metamorphosis, if you will, of our old self into the
nature of Christ. He states, “Do not conform to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and
perfect will.”

So again HOW do we continue to keep our focus in light of so many
detours? If you are like me, I need a plan which holds me accountable.
I invited you to read with me through the Gospels this month, but I did
not give you a pathway to do so. Well, here it is. Click here and
download this 30 day reading plan through the Gospels…go ahead and do
it now. http://www.youversion.com/reading--plans/16-the-gospels   If the
link does not work, copy and paste.

Let’s get started.
Pastor Rip

Designations

 Philippians 3:10-12  

I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal,

 but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

What I have discovered on any journey is that you need to have some sort of idea of where it is you want to go. Even when I don’t have a particular designation in mind I go with the idea of discovering something new and in so doing I am never disappointed.

It happens however that sometimes I don’t start a journey with the end in mind and I have wasted many days and many miles just going. What I need is a plan or a focus or call it what you want, to give guidance to my path.

I remember receiving a Schwinn Bicycle for Christmas one year from my parents, however because my father worked strange hours he was not around when we opened our presents. There it was just waiting for someone to put it together so I could enjoy the thrill of new adventures…but there was a problem, a big sign, “SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED”.  I knew what it should look like, I had dreamed of riding all over town, I could see myself with hair blowing in the wind, but I did not know how to assemble the required parts.

This is so true in Spiritual growth, sometimes we dream about being a follower of Jesus, we try and look like Jesus, but the only way to be LIKE Jesus is to follow the assembly instructions.

So here is focus pathway number one: Agree with me to read through all four Gospels between now and the first of September. This will require that you read only about three to four chapters every day. Look for insights for your life, something new that you can share and then let me know what that is.

Blessings,

Pastor Rip

Road Maps

ROAD MAPS

Road maps…don’t like them, seldom use them. I think the problem with road maps is that they restrict me. I love to take the unmarked road and discover what is just around the next curve. The problem with that however is; more times than not this beautiful road ends at a crossroads or worse a dead end.

 Sometimes the choices are not clear as to which direction to travel. Sometimes you just get a gut feeling and go with the flow. All of this is fine as long as you have an internal compass to guide you path. Too often we think I can figure out the direction all by myself.

One day my family and I were driving the mountains of Colorado looking for Pike’s Peak. Here was the problem, we could see Pike’s Peak but we did not know which road to turn on to reach the road which would take us to the top. NO MAP! SO our day was filled driving in the general direction but never reaching the final destination.

Yes there were interesting sites to see along the journey but we missed the thrill of reaching the top on that journey.

The same is true of Spiritual Formation. Not all roads lead to growth. I love what the writer of Hebrews says about this,

“Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

SO what I m saying is this…I need a road map, a spiritual GPS to guide my life and so do you.

Our goal this week is to look at road maps and share ideas on how to find our way. Share your thought here.

Blessings,

Pastor Rip