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Ever Doubted God’s Fairness?

January 9, 2011 in Church Life with 1 Comment

Thought I would share my notes from today’s message at Fellowship.

If You Ever Felt God Isn’t Fair, There’s an App For That!

- If God was fair, I wouldn’t have this much pain. God is big & powerful. Why doesn’t he just take all of that pain in the world away?
- Even Mother Teresa questioned the fairness of God at times.
- The poorest of the poor are in Nicaragua and they live in desperate conditions. Is that fair?

Faith Journey: there are highs and valleys in our walk. Those valleys can even be a real crisis of faith.
- The Bible tells us to count it all joy and to keep moving. You can’t have the highs without the lows.
- the lows are not about God’s faithfulness but more about our obedience.

Thoughts:
1 There are things in scripture that don’t portray God as being fair.
- The flood (Noah)
- Joesph
- The Israelite slaves in Egypt

2 God isn’t fair, he is loving (and we benefit from that)- Psalm 103:10-12

3 Who defines fairness anyway? – John 9:1-3
- Sometimes we experience valleys and bad things so that God’s greatness & power can be seen. Sin is not always the issue.

Take Aways:
1 Keep moving – we don’t know what God is up to or what the big picture is. Having faith doesn’t mean we won’t have doubts.

2 Be a tool in God’s hands – allow yourself to be used by him in both the highs and lows of life.

3 Our current happiness is not a standard by which we can judge God’s fairness.

4 Stand with the people who hurt.

Final Point

2 Corinthians 4:8-10, 2 Corinthians 4:16-17

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

Reading Plans

January 9, 2011 in Church Life with 0 Comments

The start of a new year is a great time to start making the Bible a part of your daily life, if it’s not already. Thanks to the YouVersion.com Team at LifeChurch.tv who have made an extensive list (50+) of reading plans available.  With both web-based and mobile apps available you can also do your reading wherever and whenever it is most convenient for you. You will also stay synchronized with your progress across each device.

God’s Word brings power, healing, direction, and freedom.

Most people who have a great relationship with God read the Bible consistently. Spending time in Scripture each day gives you the opportunity to hear from Him in a unique way.

Following a reading plan helps you stay on track with your Bible reading goals. Pick one (or several) and then fine tune it to match your schedule.

Last year I read through Chronological Bible using the Message version. It was my second time through the entire Bible and I did it all online, either on the computer or on my phone. It is actually very doable, just 15-20 minutes a day is all it takes!

If you’d like to try a different Bible reading app besides the one YouVersion offers, they have a great list of those too!  Which app you use isn’t the point. Finding one you like and getting engaged with God’s message is!

If you’d like a good overview plan without committing to the entire Bible, try The Essential 100 Challenge.  I’d love to hear in the comments which plan you try!

There’s an App for That

January 7, 2011 in Church Life with 0 Comments

At Fellowship Church, we are in the middle of a 3-part series called “There’s An App For That“.   Naturally, that theme appeals to me.   Whether you are an Apple fan, or more recently Android and Blackberry, the face of technology has been forever changed by the clever concept of mini-apps (applications) for your your smart phone or other mobile devices.   The marketing is brilliant, whatever your need, there’s an app for that.  It appeals to us, it’s easy to get and it’s at a very low cost or even free.

In this series we are looking at how there is also an app (solution) for many of life’s tougher problems.  Everyone has trails, struggles, and pain at times in there life. Have you ever been ashamed of past mistakes?   Have you ever doubted God’s fairness?  Do you ever wonder how you are going to make it financially? How do you deal with it?  Where do you go?  Ignoring them or pretending they don’t exist is not a good solution.  During this series we will be discovering the different apps that God has given to us to deal with life’s dilemmas.

I’m also excited about a new app that we are rolling out in church during this series – the Bible app by YouVersion.com.  Using the Live Events feature, attendees can follow along with the message outline, take part in survey polls, take notes, and submit prayer requests.  I’m excited to see how we can continue to make the experience interactive and engaging as we continue to redefine church.

Best Wishes Jeff!

June 14, 2010 in Church Life with 0 Comments

This past Sunday was the last one for Jeff Ream as our Director of Worship at Fellowship Church.  Jeff and his family have been at Fellowship for the past five years when God called them to join a team here in the Northeast and embark on a vision to Redefine Church in the Delaware Valley.  God is now calling them to Jeff’s home state of Iowa to start a new chapter in their lives.

I want to thank Jeff  for the great job he did leading us each Sunday and for helping us to praise God in ways that open our hearts to Him.  Thanks Jeff for the memories and for all that you have done for us and for your friendship.  I know your new church home will welcome you and you will be a great worship leader for them!

Can’t wait for the next Penn State / Iowa football match up!

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