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Web Bonus - Wrestling with God

Our topic yesterday was "Wrestling with God" from Jonah 4.

When someone is "Wrestling with God," they are going through the process of resolving the tension between THEIR desires and what GOD'S will appear to be.

When we find ourselves "Wrestling with God," we're about as successful as this young man in the red shorts.  :-)

Some "thots" on yesterday:

• Several Profession of Christ -- There were several people (10+ or so?) in all 3 services that recognized that they received Christ as their Savior yesterday!
• A Crash Course on Anger -- I said yesterday that one of the symptoms that appear when someone is wrestling with God is "handling anger inappropriately."  It's not a sin to be angry...that's a big myth among Christians...the thought that it's wrong to be angry.   However, we need to know how to handle our anger appropriately (Eph 4:26).  But what does that mean?  We need to:
• 1. Slow ourselves down -- We need to slow down our emotions and our mouth.  A person who doesn't have control over their emotions is defenseless (Pro 25:28).  A person who doesn't have control over their mouth can't control the rest of their body (Jas 3:2).  A person who is quick to anger is a FOOL (Eccl 7:9).
  2. Find out the facts first -- It's amazing how often we see a fact or two, misinterpret what they mean, then get mad about our own misunderstanding & misinterpretation!  We need to avoid judging things by their initial appearance (John 7:24).  We need to make sure we focus on listening before we allow ourselves to get angry (Jas 1:19).  We need to get the full story before we get angry (Pro 18:17).  To do this, we have to place a healthy MIS-trust in our OWN first impression.
  3. Resolve our anger today -- If we let anger stay inside us, without resolving it, we are just ASKING for problems.  Unresolved anger is like a cancer waiting to spring up and affect everyone around you (Heb 12:14-15).  Unresolved anger is like inviting the devil into your home & life...he lives & works in the space provided by unresolved anger (Eph 4:26-27).
• The Jonah Movie -- Guess what I found online this week.  The entire Jonah movie on YouTube.  It's found here.

FYI, this Wednesday night, we're taking a break from our Numbers study for our Ignite Worship Night (7-8 pm).  Make sure you bring some supplies for Hillcrest Transitional Housing (like Hamburger Helper, Chicken Helper, Tuna Helper, boxed cereal, mac & cheese, canned chicken, & laundry detergent).

Next Sunday, we'll close out our "Beyond" series talking about "Choosing your God" from Nahum 1.  Nahum was written about Ninevah some 70-100 years after the story of Jonah.  It's "the rest of the story..."

E-vites!

I'm up at the office now.

I limped in on my day off (Friday) b/c my house is empty.  Cathy, Jacob, & Karina are all up at Grace's Elementary Camp this week.  And from the looks of things, they are having a blast

Why did I "limp" in?  Because of this crazy marathon training program my friend Kevin has me on (he, of Endurance Planet).  We are supposed to put in an 18-mile training run this weekend...for a marathon in mid-October!

Anyway, the reason I wanted to write today is that our Grace web team is flat out "UH-MAZE-ING."  Their attention to our website & its design is awesome.  (Here's a special "shout out" to Steve & Jeremiah who we can all thank for it!)

They recently added the ability for us to "E-vite" our friends to upcoming weekend series.  So check out the new Grace E-vite link here & try it out on your friends for God.  :-)

Sexting

Speaking of our current series...

You know, technology can be used for INCREDIBLE good...and UNBELIEVABLE junk.  Tech is just a tool.

Check out this news report on middle schoolers being charged with child pornography because of the use of their cell phones.  (Ugh.)

The practice is being called "sexting."

Will It Blend?

Ok, this website is one of the funnier websites I've seen in a while.

   Question -- "Will it blend?"
   Answer -- "Usually, yes!"

And this site fits in perfectly with our Summer Breakout (VBS) theme this year of "MythBusters"!

No Laptop? No Service

I'm sitting in a different area coffee shop, preparing for Sunday's message, "N-UFF Debt."  And as I look around the room, I notice something strange.

I count 13 customers sitting here (including me).  10 of us are using laptops.  Every person under 65 years old has a laptop.  (Yes, that still includes me.)  :-)

From My Techno-Sensei: Lifecasting

My good friend and "techno-sensei," Joe Givens, called me this week.

A few years ago, God brought Joe into my life and to Grace Church at the perfect time.  We were talking about different ways to communicate the word of God through technology...and Joe is THE MAN in that area.  Joe lives on the "cutting-edge" of technology.  He's so "cutting-edge," he's bleeding!  :-)

Joe now works at a little network called ESPN.  (But I'm praying for him to get his heart right & move back to KC.)

Anyway, Joe calls me from time-to-time to share what God's doing & let me know what's happening in the world of technology.  He taught me two words this time:

• "bacn" -- Just like email "spam," except you want to read it later.
• "lifecasting" -- Like "podcasting," except you are streaming your life LIVE on the internet.  Check out Joe's life live at this channel or this channel.

Joe said he's trying this out & his mind is spinning on how this can be used for God.  Check it out!

Email: Bane or Boon?

Email.  Bane or boon?  We had the discussion yesterday in my men's small group.

Amazing technology.  I can correspond with people on the other side of town, across the country, and around the world.  I can quickly spread the word to a team of people (small group, missions trip team, staff).  We have access that most people in history could only dream about.

One guy commented that a friend is so email-engaged that he seems to be typing his responses as the email-bits are rushing onto his PDA.  Another guy admitted to bidding in an online auction on his Blackberry while in an area clothing store (he lost the auction).

Great technology.

The group also talked about their biggest frustrations with email.  These are the things the guys tossed out, in no particular order:

1. Spam -- The artery-clogging cholesterol of the internet pipeline.  Whole websites are devoted to the issue.
2. Chain Letters -- If we don't forward this email to 8 people, we'll have bad luck/no blessing/show we don't care
3. Jokes -- One guy said he's never forwarded a joke to anyone.
4. Urban Legends -- Ok, I just added added this one.  Nothing a visit to snopes.com won't cure.
5. Negative Feedback -- Email is for info and positive communication only.  A great rule-of-thumb is never use email to provide negative feedback.  Pick up the phone or meet face-to-face.
6. Cowardice -- A lot of "lambs" face-to-face become "lions" behind the safety of their keyboard, writing things they wouldn't say if they had to look you in the eye.
7. Drowning -- I just added this one too.  I've got friends who receive several hundred emails a day.  Drinking from a firehose doesn't refresh you and is hazardous to your health.

So what's your experience with email.  Bane or boon?