Wednesday, August 12, 2009
WOOOO HOOOOO! Day 60 of the 60/60!!!!
Obviously we don't want it to stop. The idea is that we would do it for so long that it would become part of our lives. I hope it has for you. The whole idea of this challenge can be summed up from the book of James: Come near to God and He will come near to you. ~ James 4:8
Please leave a comment below with brief summary of how the 60/60 challenge has impacted your life. I can't wait to read them. PE
Monday, August 10, 2009
August 10 - 60/60
The two questions are: Who is God? and, Who am I in relationship to Him?
Eric went on to tackle the differences between seeing ourselves as slaves to God, or sons of God. Huge difference. Here are some of the differences Eric pointed out:
a slave is driven by duty. (I have to do this to please God)
a son is driven by devotion. (I love to please God)
a slave is poor. (you only get what you work for)
a son is rich. (you have everything that belongs to the Father)
a slave has a master.
a son has a Father.
Powerful truths to think about this week. Kudos to Eric Krause for being used by God to speak to us yesterday. Grateful he's on our team.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
August 5 - 60/60
Wonder what our heavenly Father thinks about us...read Psalm 139.
Good stuff...He can't take his eyes off of us...
Saturday, August 1, 2009
60/60 - August 1
What's He been showing you?
Thursday, July 30, 2009
July 30 - while I'm waiting
Think about how many 'in between' times there are in scripture where people just had to live faithfully during those many days of waiting.
Abraham - Got the promise of Isaac at age 75...Isaac was born when Abraham was...100! That's a lot of waiting.
Noah - was in the ark with all of those animals and family in close quarters for over a year!
Moses - tended sheep for 40 years in the desert before having the burning bush experience.
Jesus - we have virtually nothing from the time Jesus became an adult until age 30. That's at least 12 years (even longer with the Hebrew concept of adulthood).
So, my point is, people that have done incredible things for God often had long stretches of waiting...stretches when there aren't huge events going on, but yet they lived faithfully each day. That is what God is calling us to today.
Are you waiting for something? Live faithfully today.
Don't know when something's going to change? Live faithfully today.
Need some inspiration? Check out this great song. It totally nails it.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
July 28 - 60/60
So today, maybe we could think about it this way. We're not just doing the 60/60 for us, we're doing it to positively impact the people around us.
You can do it. Go for it!
Monday, July 27, 2009
July 27 - math review lesson...
To remember which way around the "<" and ">" signs go, just remember:
* BIG > small
* small < BIG
So, just remember today, GOD > _________.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
60/60 - July 25
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
July 22 - 60/60
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
60/60 - You are Holy, great and Mighty...
The LORD reigns, let the earth be glad;
let the distant shores rejoice.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him
and consumes his foes on every side.
4 His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all peoples see his glory.
Meditate on those words as you listen to this incredible song by Phil Wickham:
Monday, July 20, 2009
July 20 - 60/60 CHALLENGE
Today is 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing and I just caught a bit of a live news conference with 7 of the Apollo astronauts. It was incredibly inspiring. A few of things really stood out.
All of these guys were in their mid to later 70's.
All of them were more incredibly passionate about the space program.
Many spoke very bluntly and not at all politically correct because their passion and experience trumped any concern for others not liking what they said.
All of them risked their lives for what they truly believed in and would do it again today in a heartbeat.
Absolutely inspiring. They were focused on exploring the unknown in space. May we be as focused on the One who created it all...the One who hung the stars, the moon, and Mars.
Friday, July 17, 2009
July 17 - 60/60 - spiritual leadership
See, the people around us desperately need authentic spiritual leaders. It's tempting to give up on the 60/60 - especially if the people around you have given up on it. But think about that McManus quote...and be the one who is willing to follow God first and closest.
Make the commitment..."Whether others do or not, I will continue."
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
60/60 - July 15
"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins - not through strength, but through persistence."
Persistence. Perseverance. Determination.
Whatever you're up against today, keep going. Keep pursuing Christ and pursing transformation. Remember, there are no losers, no failures, except for those who quit!
Monday, July 13, 2009
We don't accept applications...only commitments...
Maybe you've seen this commercial and didn't realize that it actually has a spiritual principle behind it. Click on the link below to check it out:
OK, so being a former Marine, I like this commercial anyway, but there's also a spiritual principle here. As we're about to wrap up the Basic Training series at our church I realized that if you really search the gospels and listen to what Jesus says over and over again, you realize that Jesus and the Marines have this in common.
The both don't accept applications...only commitments.
I think Marines only take commitments because there are going to be times that you just want to quit, but you can't, you're committed. They basically own you for the four years or whatever time you have committed to - the direct your steps (literally), they provide for you, they tell you what to do and when to do it, whether you want to or not. It all works because everyone knows the rank structure, and here's the spiritual principle: the prerequisite to commitment is submission.
True for us as Christ-followers too. Are you fully submitted to the leadership of Christ in every area of your life?
Saturday, July 11, 2009
60/60 - July 11
Don't settle friends - there are great things God still wants to do in us and through us!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
July 9 - 60/60
How's it going for you today?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
July 8 - 60/60
The experiment I am trying [staying connected to God every hour of the day] is the most strenuous discipline which any man every attempted. I am not succeeding in keeping God in my mind very many hours of the day, and from the point of view of experiment number one [keeping God in mind every hour], I should have a high percentage of failure. But the other experiment - what happens when I do succeed - is so successful that it makes up for the failure of number one. God does work a change. The moment I turn to Him it is like turning on an electric current which I feel through my whole being. I find also that the effort to keep God in my mind does something to my mind which every mind needs to have done to it. I am given something difficult enough to keep my mind with a keen edge. The constant temptation of every man is to allow his mind to grow old and lose its edge [think comfortably numb...]. I feel that I am perhaps more lazy mentally than the average person, and I require the very mental discipline which this constant effort affords.
So my answer to my two questions to date would be:
1. "Can it be done all the time?" Hardly.
2. "Does the effort help?" Tremendously. Nothing I have ever found proves such a tonic to mind and body.
Such great thoughts from a man pursuing Christ in the 1930's. I love the answers to his two questions. Can we do the 60/60 perfectly? Hardly. Does it make a difference when we do succeed? Tremendously!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
July 7 - 60/60
It's amazing how quickly these little bees can get our attention and immediately change whatever we're doing. Comparing that with how difficult it seems to be sometimes for God, the Creator of heaven and earth, to get our attention. Maybe sometimes that's why a little pain is good for us - it grabs our attention.
I'm not wishing any bee stings on you today, but I am hoping that we'll intentionally turn our attention toward the Creator throughout our day today.
Monday, July 6, 2009
July 6 - 60/60
He started out saying that most of the time when it comes to physical training people simply don't want to put in the work...so true in our spiritual lives too!
Frequency - the more you're into it, the more you want to be into it. This is true with prayer, reading scripture, serving, you name it.
Intensity - sometimes we can get spiritually sluggish. Hebrews 5:11-6:3 is a powerful passage we read yesterday. When we don't continue to pursue and up the intensity we become...comfortably numb.
Mode - sometimes we need to mix it up. This is a key point in spiritual disciplines because sometimes the passion we start them with fades and it turns into a meaningless going through the motions kind of thing. This can happen with the 60/60 too. Mix up the prayer you pray when your timer goes off - mix up who you're praying for - ask God for a fresh revelation of Himself or what He wants you to do.
Good stuff - Let's put it into practice (Matthew 7:24)!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
July 4 - 60/60 Challenge
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
July 1 - 60/60 CHALLENGE
May the 60/60 not be a 'challenge' but a privilege for you today and may the 'amazing' part never get old for you...PE
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
June 30 - 60/60
Hope you notice Him in the small things today.
Grace and peace - PE
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
June 27 - 60/60
There's a huge lesson there spiritually.
See sometimes there's junk crowding up our lives...stuff like fear, worry, addictions, guilt, regret, shame, and the list goes on and on. It's life controlling. It's constantly getting in our way of moving forward and toward freedom and wholeness, and just like the yard sale, getting rid of it is a win-win situation.
Maybe for the next couple days of the 60/60 we could ask God if there's anything that needs to be cleaned our of our souls. If we take the time to do it, we will profit much more than any yard sale could ever produce.
Friday, June 26, 2009
June 26 - 60/60
I think our personal time with God can be the same way, and hopefully you look forward to Sunday mornings in that way - a sense that no matter what else happens in the week, God is still God, and we'll meet together and worship Him whether it seemed like a good week or it seemed like a bad one.
Hope you have a great weekend doing the 60/60 and I'm looking forward to seeing you Sunday.
(any implied comparison of biscuits and God is absolutely unintentional...:)
Thursday, June 25, 2009
June 25 - 60/60 - teaching moments...
I have to wonder if God doesn’t think the same about me.
The truth is that there are teachable moments all around us. That’s one of the great things about the 60/60…stopping long enough to say ‘God, what do you want me to learn in this situation?’
Keep in mind today that our Father is constantly seeing teachable moments in our lives…we simply need to listen for what He’s saying.
What's He saying to you today?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
June 24 - 60/60
My prayer is that part of what the 60/60 does is make connecting with God frequently such a regular part of your everyday life that your really miss it if it doesn't happen.
Grace and peace to you today as you passionately pursue becoming the person God created you to be!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
June 23 - 60/60
Here again are some powerful thoughts from the letters of Frank Laubach - he's writing about his intense desire to be led by God. Check it out:
"I am disgusted with the pettiness and futility of my unled self. If the way out is not more perfect slavery to God, then what is the way out? Paul [the apostle] speaks of our liberty in Christ. I am trying to be utterly free from everybody, free from my own self, but completely enslaved to the will of God every moment of this day."
Well said Frank. May that be our prayer also today. We don't always get it perfect, but the important thing is that we're striving and growing in the right direction.
How is it going for you today?
Monday, June 22, 2009
60/60 - June 22
Have a great day connecting with God and once in a while when your timer goes off pray, "God, show me what the wise thing would be in this situation."
What's your experience today with the 60/60?
Saturday, June 20, 2009
60/60 - God is good and gracious...
What's God speaking to you through the 60/60?
Friday, June 19, 2009
60/60 June 19th
"Living in the atmosphere of Islam is proving - thus far - a tremendous spiritual stimulus. Mohammed is helping me. I have no more intention of giving up Christianity and becoming a Mohammedan than I had twenty years ago, but I find myself richer for the Islamic experience of God.
Islam stresses the will of God. It is supreme. We cannot alter any of His mighty decrees. To try to do so means annihilation. Submission is the first and last duty of man. That is exactly what I've been needing in my Christian life."
Reading this begs the question...Is the will of God supreme in my life? Am I passionately pursuing it? Something to think about today as we do the 60/60 CHALLENGE.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
60/60 - June 18th
"To be able to look backward and say, 'This has been the finest year of my life' - that is glorious. But anticipation! To be able to look ahead and say, 'The present year can and shall be better!' - that is more glorious!"
Let's make the next season of our lives the best so far. Make it your goal to be closer to Christ than you've ever been before. Come on, what can stop you?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
60/60 June 17th - Dangerous temptation
Fan the flame. Every hour. Jesus I want to be more like you.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
60/60 CHALLENGE - June 16th
I haven't been perfect in the every hour thing...sometimes when I stop the timer, I forget to start it again for the next hour. The interesting thing is that it's not too long before I realize "Hey, I haven't heard the timer lately!" Then I start it again and get back on track.
How has it been going with you? Is God speaking anything to you as you continue to turn your attention toward Him?
Monday, June 15, 2009
Now that everyone knows I'm doing this...
I hope you have an awesome day with the 60/60 challenge! Praying that our School's Out event goes well and that we demonstrate Christ's love in an attractive way.
How is your challenge going?
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Beginning the 60/60 CHALLENGE!
So come on, what do you have to lose? Nothing! What might we gain? A life of connectedness with God and finding ourselves becoming more and more like Jesus Christ in our everyday situations. Go for it! Let's do the 60/60 CHALLENGE!