RUSSJONES.US

We live in a cynical world. Oil spills, tough economy, unemployment and more. It seems that the bad news just keeps coming and coming and coming. Well I would like to suggest a few things for you to do. Stop watching CNN - Constantly Negative News. That goes for all the other news networks too. Start looking for some good news - It's out there! All you have to do is look for it. There are some great reasons to keep living and not give up. Measure your life by Christ's standards not by the worlds standards. If you don't measure up to Christ's standards, don't panic - you can and will. But if you don't measure up to the worlds standards, don't bother. Even on the best day of your whole life, you will still never measure up. So I come to the church this morning and find around 20 youth sleeping in various rooms and pews. They had a lock in last night. They worshipped God for three hours and had fun all night. There is some good news for the day!!

Life is fragile, handle with prayer . Ever heard that one before? We all have. Seems to be a little to simple doesn't it? God knew that there would be days in our future when our world would come crashing down around us. Days when the bull elephant would go tromping through our china shop. He knows that life is fragile. So how do we deal with it? #1 - Don't give in to fear. This isn't as easy as it sounds. Fear sneaks in and will get ahold quicker than the flu. You just don't know that it's there until it's to late. #2 - Give in to faith. If you are going to abandon your soul to something, abandon it to your faith in Jesus. When fear stick it's ugly head up (and it will) let faith win. #3 - Remember that God restores. Sin is sin. That means that it will do everything it can to destroy your hope and future. But God is here to let you know that He is your hope and future. That sin cannot destroy Him. He can restore what sin, Satan and hell wi

When is a Christian, not a Christian? We would assume it is when they sin or behave in a unChristlike manner. This is true, but I think that we need to look outside our box a little further. When is a Christian, not a Christian? When they choose not to act like every other person in the world who calls themselves a Christian, whether they deserve the title or not. When they choose to act better than the average Christian. When they choose to live up to the standard of God's Word for their daily life. When they do so with passion and perseverance. When they do so with a passion that defines them and their purpose in life. When is a Christian, not a Christian? When they own their Christianity!! How do you own it, you ask? All of us have had a number of friends and acquaintances throughout life. Occasionally, we become acquainted with people who may be a social outcast, considered to be a trouble maker by some or they are just plain weird! That person may tell others that

If preachers, pastors, teachers and evangelists are guilty of anything - they are guilty of being desperate. Desperately desiring to reach people with the truth about Jesus. If anything we fight for in our culture today I the attention - the time - the open heart of a culture who wants to believe in something bigger than themselves, something hat offers hope, something that gives purpse to life. The truth is, we are a odd lot who are desperate to lead people to a relationship with Jesus. That desperation came through me and the sermon today. I apologize if it came across as anger or wrathful. I was desperate. That sermon has been burning in my heart for a few days now. A call to know Him and make Him known. A call to a deeper relationship with Him. Not to make the same mistakes the Israelites made in the wilderness. So with that said - I hope you forgive my passion, over the top desperation. I get angry at Satan - I love people.

Jesus was different. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. That whole, die and rise from the dead thing pretty much seals it. But why be different? I have seen a lot of marketing ideas that were designed to get your attention and let you know that "this company" was different from all the rest. Remember that sock puppet that use to work for a pet supply chain? I wonder whose foot it's on now? Being different for difference sake never works. You will get someone attention and then what? When you change your looks it needs to happen for one or two reasons. 1 - the change has already happened and you need to catch up. You've seen people who stopped updating their style of hair or clothes. They still wear their hair the same way, even though most of it is gone. 2 - the needs to happen and leadership is going in a new direction. This is what Jesus did. He led the people of Israel in a new direction. Those who believed in Him changed their world

One of the blogs I read offered these suggestions on how to receive an offering. Click here if you like. These are good ideas.

You know, years ago when you did something different, when you challenged the status quo, when you even dared to suggest something out of the ordinary, you were considered a candidate for the funny farm. Yet today, if you don't think outside of the box, if you are not different you are called a dinosaur. So which is better? Tradition, orthodoxy approach to life. What is tried and proved? Stick with what works? Or should you look for a new way of live? Get away from the safe and secure and try something risky, different and challenging. What makes you stand out in a crowd? Your personality? How you dress? What you do for a living? What makes you different? If you are a part of the rat race does that make you a grayish, furry little rodent with a black nose and whiskers? (If a fellow co worker just came to mind that's your problem.) But what do we do to reach a world for Christ? The problem we face in our future isn't the silence of the Gospel, it's margi