Author: admin
I have questions! Do you have answers?
I always have questions that I wish people would answer. The way you answer these questions will tell me a lot about YOU. For the record, I am not asking these questions for you to make judgements about me. So often, just because someone ask a question we assume we know the motive for the question, in reality, it could just be just curiosity (yes, that could kill the cat) or it could be something that has consequences for us as individuals and all of us in general. Please feel free to answer any and all questions.
1) Why do we forget our blessings faster than we forget our trials?
2) Why is it that if someone disagrees with our President they are considered a racist? I don’t remember anyone using that line on the former President and I disagreed with him all the time.
3) Why don’t women band together in mass and condemn pornography, especially since it reduces them to mere objects.
4) Why isn’t the church more diverse when we are the one entity that’s been called to reach all people.
5) How can any politician NOT understand the DANGER of our country being 15 TRILLION dollars in DEBT. That burden falls upon our children.
6) What if the BIBLE were true and the ONLY people who are getting into heaven are those in Christ Jesus (John 3:16, John 14:6) Wouldn’t that change everything?
7) Do you know how many signers of the Declaration of Independence were ordained ministers?
If most of them were clergy (which they were) how have we drifted away so far from our heritage?
8) Why is the “spotted owl” more protected than an “unborn child”?
9) How can the same sun that melts butter, harden clay?
10) How can the President pass a mandatory Health Care Bill and then hand out over 1000 exceptions to certain corporations? How come you and I can’t get one of those exemptions?
11) Why is paying 75 dollars for a concert or 150 dollars to a musical or 250 dollars for a family of four to attend a dodger game seem like no big deal, but giving twenty dollars to God seems so painful?
12) Why does it seem the older you are the faster time flies?
13) Why don’t we spend a greater amount of time on things that are eternal, as opposed to spending most of our time on things that are temporal?
14) Why do people blame God when things go bad and yet they deny God glory when things are going good?
15) At what point did man start to believe that he himself controls the universe and not God almighty?
16) If the odds are greater that you will die by riding on a donkey as opposed to riding on an airplane, then why haven’t we ever heard of someone being killed while riding a donkey?
17) Why if the top grossing movies of all time are all G and PG rated, why would Hollywood ever make an R rated movie?
18) What would happen if everyone who claimed to be a follower of Jesus Christ actually let his light shine? How much darkness would be dispelled?
19) Do you think there is a chance that our economic trials in America could be tied to a moral and spiritual problem?
20) Finally, do you think anyone cares about you as much as God? Romans 5:8
9.11 Anniversary Memorial at Shepherd of the Hills Church
Teary eyed, I made my way out to the memorial knowing that all of those flags, which really seem like too many to actually count, each stood for one of the victims of 9/11. They were color- coordinated. Red is for the firemen and on those that were part of the Emergency Response Team. Blue ribbons stand for the police officers. Green ribbons highlight the men and women in our military who died in the Pentagon. Yellow ribbons represent civilians who died in the towers, and purple ribbons mark those who were on one of the four airplanes.
Here are the exact numbers:
37 Port Authority
23 NYPD
125 Pentagon
246 Airplanes
343 Fire Department – FDNY
2606 in the World Trade Center Towers
Total of 2977.
The pictures above are pictures of the flags that we put in front of our church this weekend. There is one for each of the 2977 victims with ribbons flying. We placed them four flags deep, and it is the length of almost THREE football fields. I know….. because I measured it myself.
And today we are giving 9.11% of our offering to help start churches in New York City.
May you take a moment today to honor them.
They are NOT just numbers. These were normal people like you and I who went to work ten years ago, people who loved their families, country and community. And terrorists decided to take their lives and change our country forever.
My prayer is that God would bring comfort and provision to each of their families, asking that they would never be forgotten.
Praying that God would protect our nation and that this nation would once again seek His protection.
Praying that each person reading this blog will say a prayer for our military, members of our police and fire departments, our government, and our President.
Praying that each of us would humbly bow before our heavenly Father and simply worship Him.
Then live your life in such a way that it brings honor to God, to country and to those 2977 who lost their lives on that fateful day.
The Flag still flies!
William Vanderbloemen writes the following…
As we stand on the cusp of the 10 year anniversary of 9/11, I thought I would repost this illustration about the US flag, faith, and undying hope:
If you have ever been to a veteran’s funeral, you have probably seen the casket draped in a United States Flag. I remember presiding over both of my grandfathers’ funerals and watching the servicemen carefully remove, fold, and present the flag to grandmothers at each service.
I often wondered, why do we keep the flag? Why not let the fallen soldier take it with him to his grave? Many times people send mementos to accompany the departed. Whether it was enormous treasures for Pharaohs in Egypt, or horses buried with departed generals, or even a stuffed animal with a deceased child, we have a history of burying belongings with the dead. So why not the flag for the fallen soldier?
Some years back, a friend of mine explained it to me. “We don’t bury the flag, because we believe that even though the soldier has fallen, the flag still flies.”
What a great message to have in mind as we remember the tragedy of 9/11 and celebrate the fact that our flag still flies.
And can’t you see the parallels to the Gospel?
The soldier may have fallen, but the flag still flies. We may suffer losses that are here and now, but the everlasting cause is won. It may seem like Good Friday to you on a day of mourning, but those who know the Savior know that Sunday is coming.
Take a minute today and remember the day that the we were attacked. Thank God for those who have laid down their life to preserve our national freedom. And let that theme guide you to reflect on and give thanks for the God-man who laid down His life to preserve our eternal freedom.
No matter how dark it seems now, the flag of that eternal freedom will never be buried. It will fly in the Heavens for eternity, alongside all of those who have chosen to follow the Way of the freedom giver named Jesus.
Look at the Reader’s Best Choice Award for 2011
I have always wondered what would happen if the Daily News ever had a category for “Best Place to Worship” in their annual poll for Los Angeles. For some reason it had never been one of the questions listed. Well, for the first time ever they asked that question for 2011 and look what church came in on the top of the list? Drum roll…………… The 2011 Readers Best Choice for Best Place to Worship is SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS CHURCH. Results will be shown in the August 26th edition of the Daily News.
Just want to thank Michael, Leyla, Christine, Nikko, Charlotte and John for using their talents week after week in leading our church in worship. Also Maxi and Susanne and all the musicians and praise team members, the choirs and all the volunteers. Also the light and sound team. I want to thank all the members who show up each week prepared to sing and worship with all their hearts.
And we are MOST GRATEFUL for the LORD ON HIGH is who MOST WORTHY TO BE PRAISED!
Why not join us this week as we lift our voices, hearts and hands to the Lord God Almighty!
From Down Under!
At this year’s North American Christian Convention, church leaders and Christians from all over the world gathered in Cincinnati (www.gotonacc.org) for a week of learning and fellowship.
One afternoon, Cam Huxford (from Savannah, Georgia) and I met with two pastors from Australia. As Cam and I were meeting with these two men, my mind raced back to one year ago, where an entire group of pastors from Australia came to Shepherd for a day to learn more about our church and to hopefully glean some things that would help churches “Down Under” grow. Recently, I was told that in October of 2011, another group of pastors from Australia are coming again to visit our church.
Isn’t it amazing that people would travel so far to simply see and experience what we take for granted week after week? That God is indeed working in our midst and that his blessing is evident to people around the world? We have so much to be thankful for today, but we must be reminded that anything good that is happening in our church or in our lives is due to the grace and mercy of God.
But the thing that intrigues me is how much MUST the pastors from Australia desire to see their churches grow that they would sacrifice time and energy to seek out churches and conventions in America to learn from. Something “Down Under” has motivated them to travel such distances. You see, they, too, desire to see God bless their work and their ministries. They desire to see God impact their part of the world. Wherever one resides, he or she should have a passion to see their land, their country, their people find the Lord.
Oh, I know we fully trust in God for growth and provision, but somewhere in our hearts there should be that Holy burden to see all men come to Christ and to see all of our churches on fire, igniting revivals and renewal wherever God has planted us. Yes I am excited to learn of such desire from the pastors “Down Under”, and I know that having such a hunger is half of the battle. How many churches have lost that zeal? How many churches are not growing today and don’t care that they are not growing? How many churches have lost their zest to reach the lost? May we, like our brothers and sisters from Australia, search high and low for any bit of information or inspiration that will help our churches reach more people for Jesus Christ.