mistic.flame

So I am going to be putting together another quick little website for Earl and Ben’s t-shirt shop (these are good quality shirts, not cafe press stuff) and I was poking around other sites for design ideas. Anyways, now I want this shirt:

This is probably the most amazing ever to get put on ebay: Titan Missile Base Central Washington: Huge Underground Facility on 57 Acres

Also check out themissilebase.com and the Penny Arcade comic

That’s Donie’s slight rephrasing of 1 Peter 4:8, but I proved it true yesterday. (1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.)

Remember that lemonade-only-cleanse thing I wrote about yesterday? Yea, it doesn’t work so well when you run out of lemonade. Like I did.

You see, I had a gallon jug of it in my car and a water bottle that I was drinking out of all day. The plan was to go refill the bottle at lunch time. but I hadn’t drank much by lunch time. So I just screwed around on facebook (mostly scrabulous) and weewar.

I finished off the bottle by 4 or 5 ish. But I was on the phone so I didn’t go get any more. Then everybody else went home for the day at 5. So I couldn’t get anymore. But I still felt fine (not even hungry) so I let it slide.

Later on I was talking to my boss about something else, and I mentioned that I could work through lunch some. I started explaining the lemonade cleanse to him and he didn’t seem that impressed, but before I got too far his wife came in and I re explained it to her.

She’s a nurse. She very politely and caringly explained that it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but that it was no good for me. I had no fat stores for backup.

I was feeling a bit embarrassed at this as she stepped out of the room. Then I started feeling a little embarrassed and a little dizzy. Then embarrassed, dizzy, and having trouble seeing.

I tried to sit down, but missed the chair with my hand and caught it with my chin instead. More embarrassed. I got in the chair and noticed my boss was offering me a rockstar energy drink. I declined. Then I made a good choice: I prayed. “God take care of me.” A second after that my boss offered me a slimfast.

I drank half the can in about 3 seconds and everything started coming back to normal with the first swallow. In all the disy/semi-blackout bit probably only lasted 15 seconds.

What was the most amazing part to me was that God answered my prayer in under 5 seconds.

So there are two morales to this story:

1. God answers prayer.
2. Don’t run out of lemonade during a lemonade-only diet

So I’m starting this lemon juice/maple syrup/cayenne pepper cleanse thing today. It’s kind of like a diet only the goal is not to loose wait, just to get healthier. Anyways, this is gonna be interesting.

In unrelated news, I did a rockin ten-nine-ten teaching at our bible fellowship last Tuesday. And if you weren’t there you missed out. You *definitely* want to make the next one. We’re doing them up in Troy every Tuesday at 7pm. Call or message me for directions: 937-409-1337

In other mostly unrelated news, I bought myself a nice brand new Bullingers leather bound Companion Bible from Eternally Blessed (I think I got the last one but they still have large print versions in stock and on sale even!) (And they restock pretty quick ;)
I also picked up a Strong’s Concordance that’ll be useful in the upcoming Young Adult Advance

This is the first in what will probably be a good number of teachings. This one was aimed at a time frame of 10 minutes. I might be doing an extended version on Tuesday at the bible fellowship here. Or I might do something else.
(7pm, ask if you need directions. Yes, you’re invited and so are your friends.)

Huge props to Rick Rohl for direct help and Rev John Nessle for indirectly helping me get this together. So, without further ado,

Finding Your Calling and Long Suit

Kevin summed this up the other day as “Doing what you love”, I think and I’d like to take a bit more detailed look at that.

1 Corinthians 1:9
God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

You were called God called you specifically to something in the word. If God called you to the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ, then he had a position for you.

1 Corinthians 7:24
 Brethren, let every man, wherein he is called, therein abide with God.

Your calling is with God. Every calling is with God.

John 15:5, 8
 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
 [...]
 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Your long suit and your calling line up hand in hand. They fit together. Your calling is where there is a need to be filled and your long suit is how you specifically are equipped to meet that need.

Colossians 3:23-24

 23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

 24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

When you do it for God it bears fruit. It’s worth doing.

Ephesians 4:16

 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Your calling is a specific need that only you can fill best. It’s not necessarily some huge thing. Speaking in tongues and Interpreting can be a long suit.

1 Corinthians 12:18-22

 18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

 19 And if they were all one member, where were the body?

 20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.

 21 And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.

 22 Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:

Now, I know I haven’t narrowed down your list of potential long suits much yet, and this next verse won’t help.

Philippians 4:13
 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

So we can do all things, and we do it for God. When we have Christ in us and work with him, it glorifies the father.

Like I said, Kevin summed this entire teaching up the other day with one line: “Do what you love.”

God is light and in Him is no darkness, so it only makes sense that your calling, that the specific spot that God chose for you in the BOC,  is a spot that you’ll love.

If your long suit makes you miserable, then something needs to change. either that’s not your long suit after all or there’s something else wrong with the situation.

Lets look at some examples:

The bible lists a good number of different potential long suits. Five of them are in Ephesians 4:11

The Five Gift Ministries
Ephesians 4:11

 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Apostle - One who brings new knowledge to the people of his time. [a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders]

Prophet - Speaks to God’s people for God, getting them back to right believing.

Evangelist - One who wins the unsaved to Christ. [a bringer of good tidings] [Websters: an enthusiastic advocate]

Pastor - One who cares for the individual needs within the church. [a herdsman, esp. a shepherd]

Teacher - One who holds forth the accuracy of God’s Word to the believers.

Check out Growing In Gods Power Appendix B for some detailed looks at various long suits and callings including those. (avaliable through Christian Family Fellowship)

How you find your long suit is you go out and you DO. Try different things, look for ways to bless people, walk in love. After a while you’re going to come across something that you really love doing and that you’re exceptionally good at. That’s when you’ll realize your long suit.

==========================
Bonus - an extra bit about..
Teachers
“I would that yea not be ignorant”

2 Titus 2:4-5
 4 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all [men], apt to teach, patient,
 5 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

Isaiah 28:9-10

 9 Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.

 10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:

Everybody loves these. There’s about 40 of em on the page:

http://www.marcofolio.net/imagedump/top_40_demotivational_posters.html

So my room mate francis was chasing me around the house with a can of oust and a lighter. So I threw a potted plant and and nailed him in the head. Then I had to vacuum.

Kevin has asked us to start preparing some 10-minute teachings for fellowlaborers (that website needs ssome updating) that we can have ready to go for a future fellowship. I’ve had a few ideas floating around in my head, but I havn’t settled on one yet.

I somewhat intend to do all of these, but I’m open to suggestions on what people would like to hear and which to focus on first:

Keeping the right mindset

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

I love that verse :)

Ten Nine Ten

I think this is one everybody should have some bit of info on :)

Romans 10:9 & 10
9 that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Rick Rohl teaches this beautifully, so I might go to him when studying..

Gifts of healing

I’d probably start in

I Corinthians 12:9b
to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

Not sure where I’d go from there…

To another // all 9 all the time

Related to that last one; I’d like to study this phrase some and get a better understanding of it for myself.

I Corinthians 12:8-11
8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
9 to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
10 to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
11 but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

Finding your longsuit

I think Kevin summed this up as “do what you love”, but I’d like to study it a bit further..

So that’s what I’ve got at the moment. what do you guys think?

http://www.musicovery.com/ found via news.YC