For those of you who don't know who Larry Shewfelt is, you are missing out.... The first time I saw Larry was on the stage of Revolution at the El Dorado Campus when we would meet in this small auditorium. He went up on stage and looked very confidant and when he started to share his testimony he began to cry. Cry!? I was touched by his honesty and his willingness to open his heart to everyone. He spoke, we listened....
How would I've known? Little did I know that I would later have the privelage of being his friend, serving with him side by side in India, serving with him at the Long Beach Rescue Mission, playing music with him or even being in the same Lifegroup sharing our faith and experiences while growing in our walk together. I am thankful for his wisdom in Lifegroup, and his boldness in playing guitar and taking me with him.
Larry you are great friend, and happy birthday! I'd say wishing you another 60yrs, but there are a couple problems.....
1. Another 60yrs puts you around 120yrs old....not good.
2. 60 more years wouldn't help your golf game....hah!
Anyway, Larry we love ya, let the good times roll, and just so you know, the first time, when I went on the stage and shared my testimony, I cried too.....see what you started! Have fun bro!
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Staying focused.....
We are studying Philippians 3:12-4:1.
Basically, Paul tells us to always press on toward the goal. He says " Not that I have already attained this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead..."
If you don't know, a quick explanation, Paul used to be named Saul and he used to persecute (kill) Christians with a passion. He would literally hunt them down and it wasn't until he was on the "road to Damascus", when the Lord spoke to him, from that point on Saul was then named Paul and he dedicated his life toward being a servant of Jesus Christ. What amazes me about Paul is that he dedicates his life to Christ and basically suffers more any of us will even dream of, for the grace of God. (Grace is defined as undeserved favor.) While going through his pains and struggles, he never boasts about what he has done for Christ but says he has not taken hold of what Christ has called him do. I wondered, if Paul, experiencing a life of discomfort, pain, humility, jail, never submitting to life's "status quo" is still focused on Him, then what about.....me? Can I stay focused? Can I be strong? Can I look beyond what's in front of me?
I asked a lifegroup member about Christian maturity, we talked about attaining "maturity"? How do we know, is it through reading more, studying more, education, loving? He thought for a moment on his own life and then calmly said, " His own maturity, has comes through suffering, never through blessings." Yeah, that sucks...but it makes sense.
This took me to Romans 5:3-5: "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
This scripture never says we should rejoice of our suffering, but in our suffering. (Hope - an expectation of the future that sustains us in the present. Does not disappoint us.) I could think back at some horrible experiences in my own life, either decisions I made or just situations beyond my control. In those moments, I wanted nothing more than to all of it to just go away. But today, would I want someone to take those things away from me? As bad as they were...never. Because those moments shaped who I am today and important lessons were learned. Even when I didn't believe in Jesus, He was still shaping my heart, molding my life and carrying me through it.
So today my challenge is to "Be all that Christ saved me for and wants me to be." To not dwell on those things that cripple me but to use the pain and experiences to focus back on Him and his direction. Despite of all of our technology, all of our advancements, all of our knowledge, we're still very human, continually lacking and in need of God's grace. I like how Paul describes moving forward as "straining ahead." It's never easy and now I know its not suppose to be.
Lifegroup was really fun this last Tuesday, thanks guys.
Basically, Paul tells us to always press on toward the goal. He says " Not that I have already attained this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead..."
If you don't know, a quick explanation, Paul used to be named Saul and he used to persecute (kill) Christians with a passion. He would literally hunt them down and it wasn't until he was on the "road to Damascus", when the Lord spoke to him, from that point on Saul was then named Paul and he dedicated his life toward being a servant of Jesus Christ. What amazes me about Paul is that he dedicates his life to Christ and basically suffers more any of us will even dream of, for the grace of God. (Grace is defined as undeserved favor.) While going through his pains and struggles, he never boasts about what he has done for Christ but says he has not taken hold of what Christ has called him do. I wondered, if Paul, experiencing a life of discomfort, pain, humility, jail, never submitting to life's "status quo" is still focused on Him, then what about.....me? Can I stay focused? Can I be strong? Can I look beyond what's in front of me?
I asked a lifegroup member about Christian maturity, we talked about attaining "maturity"? How do we know, is it through reading more, studying more, education, loving? He thought for a moment on his own life and then calmly said, " His own maturity, has comes through suffering, never through blessings." Yeah, that sucks...but it makes sense.
This took me to Romans 5:3-5: "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."
This scripture never says we should rejoice of our suffering, but in our suffering. (Hope - an expectation of the future that sustains us in the present. Does not disappoint us.) I could think back at some horrible experiences in my own life, either decisions I made or just situations beyond my control. In those moments, I wanted nothing more than to all of it to just go away. But today, would I want someone to take those things away from me? As bad as they were...never. Because those moments shaped who I am today and important lessons were learned. Even when I didn't believe in Jesus, He was still shaping my heart, molding my life and carrying me through it.
So today my challenge is to "Be all that Christ saved me for and wants me to be." To not dwell on those things that cripple me but to use the pain and experiences to focus back on Him and his direction. Despite of all of our technology, all of our advancements, all of our knowledge, we're still very human, continually lacking and in need of God's grace. I like how Paul describes moving forward as "straining ahead." It's never easy and now I know its not suppose to be.
Lifegroup was really fun this last Tuesday, thanks guys.
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